Method of locating vein
First Claim
1. A method for taking a sample of blood from a vein of a patient or of infusing fluid into the vein of the patient by invasive techniques, the vein having a relatively high temperature providing the skin of the patient in proximity to the vein with a higher temperature than the remaining areas of the skin, the method including the steps of:
- providing a thin temperature sensitive film of substantially uniform thickness of the order of a rew mils, the film including a multiplicity of microcapsules in a relatively high concentration with each microcapsule having a hollow interior enclosing within the hollow interior a liquid crystal material having properties instantaneously responsive to different temperatures of the liquid crystal material in a colorplay range of temperatures to vary the color of the liquid crystal material, and providing a thin backing of a substantially uniform thickness for the temperature sensitive film and providing on the temperature sensitive film a thin film of a substantially uniform thickness of a few mils of a combination of an adhesive and background means;
initially applying a solvent to the skin of the patient at a localized position overlying the vein of the patient to clean and cool the skin at this localized position;
immediately thereafter placing the temperature sensitive film in contiguous relationship with the skin of the patient at a localized position overlying the vein of the patient and with the adhesive film contacting the skin at the localized position, the crystal material in the temperature sensitive film being instantaneously responsive to the higher temperature of the body at positions in proximity to the vein to provide instantaneously and for a relatively short period of time a color pattern including a first color along the path of the vein and being responsive to the lower temperature of the remaining areas of the body contacted by the adhesive film to provide instantaneously and for the relatively short period of time in the color pattern a color other than the first color at the positions contiguous to such remaining area of the body;
inserting the needle of a syringe or set into the patient at a position along an extension of the path defined by the first color in the color pattern provided by the liquid crystal material so that the needle enters the vein; and
operating the syringe to withdraw the sample of the blood from the vein or to infuse fluid into the vein of the patient by invasive techniques.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A laminate includes a backing of generally flexible, transparent sheet material supporting a particular layer of encapsulated liquid crystal material having properties for providing color variations in response to slight variations in temperature. A mixture of adhesive and ink is provided and disposed on the particular layer in a preferred method of making the laminate. The laminate is particularly useful in locating veins prior to the taking of a blood sample or prior to an invasive process of inserting fluids into a patient. The laminate can be adhered to the skin and the non-visible temperature pattern of the skin, including the generally hotter areas associated with the veins, will provide the liquid crystal material with a corresponding visual color pattern. The pattern will include a stripe of color indicating the location of the vein to facilitate the taking of the blood sample from the vein or the insertion of fluid into the vein by an invasive process. The invention relates to the article, method of forming the article and method of determining the position of veins on a human being.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method for taking a sample of blood from a vein of a patient or of infusing fluid into the vein of the patient by invasive techniques, the vein having a relatively high temperature providing the skin of the patient in proximity to the vein with a higher temperature than the remaining areas of the skin, the method including the steps of:
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providing a thin temperature sensitive film of substantially uniform thickness of the order of a rew mils, the film including a multiplicity of microcapsules in a relatively high concentration with each microcapsule having a hollow interior enclosing within the hollow interior a liquid crystal material having properties instantaneously responsive to different temperatures of the liquid crystal material in a colorplay range of temperatures to vary the color of the liquid crystal material, and providing a thin backing of a substantially uniform thickness for the temperature sensitive film and providing on the temperature sensitive film a thin film of a substantially uniform thickness of a few mils of a combination of an adhesive and background means; initially applying a solvent to the skin of the patient at a localized position overlying the vein of the patient to clean and cool the skin at this localized position; immediately thereafter placing the temperature sensitive film in contiguous relationship with the skin of the patient at a localized position overlying the vein of the patient and with the adhesive film contacting the skin at the localized position, the crystal material in the temperature sensitive film being instantaneously responsive to the higher temperature of the body at positions in proximity to the vein to provide instantaneously and for a relatively short period of time a color pattern including a first color along the path of the vein and being responsive to the lower temperature of the remaining areas of the body contacted by the adhesive film to provide instantaneously and for the relatively short period of time in the color pattern a color other than the first color at the positions contiguous to such remaining area of the body; inserting the needle of a syringe or set into the patient at a position along an extension of the path defined by the first color in the color pattern provided by the liquid crystal material so that the needle enters the vein; and operating the syringe to withdraw the sample of the blood from the vein or to infuse fluid into the vein of the patient by invasive techniques. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of locating a vein of a patient for the purpose of taking a sample of blood from the patient or of infusing fluid into the vein of the patient by invasive techniques,
providing a thin temperature sensitive film having a substantially uniform thickness of a few mils and including a multiplicity of hollow microcapsules each having properties of passing light and each enclosing a chemical having properties of responding instantaneously to variations in temperature through a range of temperatures representative of temperatures on the skin of the patient to produce different colors in the chemical at such different positions in accordance with such variations in temperature at such different positions, applying a solvent to a localized postion on the skin of the patient near the vein of the patient to sterilize and cool the skin at the localized position near the vein of the patient; -
immediately thereafter disposing the thin temperature sensitive film on the skin of the patient at the localized position near the vein of the patient to obtain variations instantaneously and for only a relatively brief period of time in the color of the film at different positions in accordance with the variations in the temperature of the patient'"'"'s body at such different positions; and observing on the temperature sensitive film the positions which provide instantaneously and for only the relatively brief period of time the colors representative of the elevated temperature produced in the body of the patient by the proximity of the patient'"'"'s vein. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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Specification