Conformal wrap for pulse oximeter sensor

• US 5,919,133 A
• Filed: 04/07/1997
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Ohmeda, Inc. (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Petterson, Michael, Taylor, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINAKUR, ERIC FRANK
• Application Number:
  US08/826,695
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/322, 600/323, 600/340, 600/344, 600/476, 600/479
• US Class Current: 600/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 46/10 specially adapted for instruments, e.g. microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a pulse oximeter sensor and an attached flexible carrier for measuring the oxygen saturation of a patient'"'"'s blood. The carrier includes a compressible material, such as foam, for contacting the patient'"'"'s skin and the sensor that applies a substantially uniform pressure to the skin.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the oxygen content of a patient'"'"'s bloodstream, comprising:

(a) measuring means for measuring the oxygen content of a patient'"'"'s blood, said measuring means having a front surface adapted for contacting a patient'"'"'s tissue; and

(b) flexible carrier means for engaging the measuring means with the patient'"'"'s tissue, the flexible carrier means including a compressible material, a backing material, and a fastener adapted for contacting the front surface of the measuring means with the patient'"'"'s tissue, the compressible material being adapted to be located between the backing material and the patient'"'"'s tissue, the measuring means being at least partially nested in a recess in the compressible material, the measuring means being engageable with the patient'"'"'s tissue so that the compressible material substantially conforms to the patient'"'"'s tissue and the measuring means and compressible material adjacent to the measuring means apply a substantially even pressure to the patient'"'"'s tissue.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the measuring means comprises an emitter spaced a distance from a detector, the distance between the emitter and detector ranging from about 1.5 to about 4.0 cm.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the compressible material is selected from the group consisting of foam, neoprene, rubber, fabric, and composites thereof.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the compressible material has a thickness ranging from about 0.4 to about 1.5 cm.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the compressible material has an indentation force of no more than 100 lbs/50 in².

6. The device of claim 1, the compressible material being adapted to physically contact the patient'"'"'s tissue.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the backing material is selected from the group consisting of cloth, foam, and composites thereof.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible carrier means includes a plurality of hooks and a plurality of matching loops for engaging the measuring means with the patient'"'"'s tissue.

9. The device of claim 1, the measuring means and flexible carrier means being adapted to apply pressure substantially uniformly to the patient'"'"'s tissue substantially throughout the area of contact between the front surfaces of the measuring means and flexible carrier means on the one hand and the patient'"'"'s tissue on the other.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the flexible carrier means is engageable with a second portion of the flexible carrier means to engage the measuring means with the patient'"'"'s tissue.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the measuring means and compressible material adjacent thereto have substantially the same thickness.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible carrier means is adapted to substantially non-adhesively contact the patient'"'"'s tissue.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the recess and measuring means comprises a substantially light opaque adhesive to attach the measuring means in the recess.

14. A device for measuring the oxygen content of a patient'"'"'s bloodstream, comprising:

(a) a sensor for measuring the oxygen content of a patient'"'"'s blood, said sensor having a front surface adapted for contacting a patient'"'"'s tissue; and

(b) a flexible carrier adapted for engaging the sensor with the patient'"'"'s tissue, the flexible carrier including a compressible material having front and rear surfaces, with the front surface being adapted to be located adjacent to the patient'"'"'s tissue, a recess sized for receiving at least a portion of said sensor, and a backing material located adjacent said rear surface of the compressible material, the sensor and flexible carrier being engageable with the patient'"'"'s tissue so that the front surface of the compressible material adjacent to the sensor and the front surface of the sensor apply a substantially uniform pressure to the patient'"'"'s tissue.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the compressible material adjacent to the sensor has a thickness that is at least the thickness of the sensor.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein, before the sensor is engaged with the patient'"'"'s tissue, the compressible material has a first thickness and the sensor has a second thickness and the first thickness is more than the second thickness.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the second thickness is about 90% or less of the first thickness.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the front surface of the compressible material and the front surface of the sensor are substantially free of adhesive so that the sensor and the flexible carrier are engageable with the patient'"'"'s tissue with substantially no adhesive bonding of the sensor and the flexible carrier to the patient'"'"'s tissue.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the compressible material substantially surrounds the perimeter of the sensor.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the compressible material is at least one of a foam, neoprene, rubber, fabric, and composites thereof and said compressible material has a thickness ranging from about 0.4 to about 1.5 cm.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the compressible material has an indentation force of no more than about 100 lbs/50 in².

22. The device of claim 14, wherein the flexible carrier includes a substantially light opaque layer.

23. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensor is substantially entirely disposed within said recess.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the front surface of the sensor and the front surface of the compressible material adjacent thereto are substantially level.

25. The device of claim 23, Wherein the front surface of the sensor is recessed, within said recess, a distance relative to the front surface of the compressible material, in an uncompressed state, adjacent to the sensor.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the compressible material has an uncompressed thickness of at least about 0.4 cm and said distance is at least about 30% of the thickness of the compressible material adjacent to the sensor.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein said distance is at least about 0.3 cm.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein the compressible material is compressible so that, when the compressible material adjacent to the sensor is in a compressed state with the front surface of the compressible material substantially level with the front surface of the sensor, the front surface of the compressible material, adjacent to the sensor, exerts a pressure of no more than about 3 psi.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein said pressure is no more than about 1 psi.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the thickness of the compressible material in said compressed state is at least about 20% smaller than the thickness of the compressible material in said uncompressed state, the thickness of the compressible material in the uncompressed state being at least about 0.4 cm.

31. The device of claim 14, wherein the compressible material has a side surface forming a wall of at least a portion of the recess.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein said wall extends substantially entirely across the entire thickness of the compressible material.

33. A method for measuring the oxygen content of a patient'"'"'s bloodstream, comprising the steps of:

contacting a carrier, including a compressible material mounted on a backing material, and a sensor for measuring the oxygen saturation with the patient'"'"'s tissue;

engaging a portion of the carrier with another portion of the carrier to attach the carrier to the patient with substantially uniform pressure being applied to the patient by the sensor and the compressible material adjacent to the sensor;

passing radiation from an emitter in the sensor through the bloodstream such that a portion of the radiation is absorbed by the bloodstream and a portion of the radiation is passed by the bloodstream;

receiving at least a portion of the passed radiation portion with a detector in the sensor; and

determining the oxygen content of the bloodstream based on the received passed radiation portion.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said carrier, where in contact with said patient'"'"'s tissue, being substantially free of an adhesive bond to said patient'"'"'s tissue.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said contacting step comprises:

wrapping said compressible material and said sensor around a body part of the patient; and

the engaging step comprises;

aligning said emitter and detector such that radiation generated by said emitter can be received by said detector; and

engaging a plurality of hooks with a plurality of loops to hold the compressible material and sensor in position on said body part.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein said engaging step comprises:

releasably connecting a first end of the carrier with a second end of the carrier.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the sensor, prior to the contacting step, is at least partially disposed in a recess in said compressible material.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the compressible material includes a first front surface, adjacent to the sensor, that contact:

, the patient following the engaging step, and the sensor includes a second front surface that contacts the patient following the engaging step; and

prior to said engaging step, said second front surface is recessed, in said recess, relative to said first front surface, and after said engaging step, said second front surface is substantially coplanar with said first front surface.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the compressible material, adjacent to said sensor, has a first thickness prior to the engaging step;

and

the engaging step comprises compressing the compressible material, adjacent to the sensor, to a second thickness that is smaller than said first thickness.