Site coding for medical devices for introduction into a patient's body

• US 6,264,613 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Urich J., Salfeld, Ernst-Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natnithithadha, Navin
• Application Number:
  US09/401,894
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 600/505, 600/504, 600/507, 600/481, 600/485, 600/486, 600/488, 600/508, 600/459, 600/462, 600/466, 600/467, 600/468, 600/465, 600/479, 600/480, 600/394, 600/393, 600/372, 600/373, 600/374, 600/381, 600/300
• US Class Current: 600/505
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/028 by thermo-dilution

Abstract

Disclosed is a medical device for introduction into a patient'"'"'s body, in particular into the patient'"'"'s blood vessel, for measuring a physiological parameter. The medical device comprises means for coding the site of an application of the medical device in the patient'"'"'s body and/or means for coding the effect of the site of an application of the medical device in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter.

Claims

1. A connector for connecting a catheter to a processing device for processing a physiological parameter measured by the catheter, said catheter capable of being introduced into a patient'"'"'s body, said connector comprising:

at least one of a device for coding the site of an application of said catheter in the patient'"'"'s body and a device for coding the effect of the site of an application of said catheter in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter; and

a plurality of contacts for providing a signal representing the physiological parameter and one or more additional contacts for connecting at least one of said devices for coding.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of said devices for coding comprises an impedance bridge, wherein said impedance bridge comprises at least one of:

a resistance bridge, a capacitive bridge, an inductive bridge, and conductive bridging members.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein said connector is for introduction into a patient'"'"'s blood vessel.

4. The connector of claim 2, wherein the encoding means comprises a memory.

10. The processing device of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of electrical contacts, for receiving an electrical signal representing the physiological parameter from a catheter according to claim 4, and one or more additional electrical contacts for connecting at least one of said devices for coding or decoding to the catheter.

11. The processing device of claim 10, further comprising decoding circuitry connectable to one or more of the additional electrical contacts.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising a step of:

(d) processing the measured physiological parameter in accordance with at least one of;

the coded site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body and the coded effect of the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter.

7. A catheter for introduction into a patient'"'"'s body for measuring a physiological parameter, said catheter comprising:

an elongate body for introduction into said patient'"'"'s body;

a sensor for measuring said physiological parameter; and

a device for coding at least one of;

the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body and the effect of the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter.

5. The catheter of claim 7, wherein said catheter is form introduction into a patient'"'"'s blood vessel.

6. The catheter of claim 7, further comprising a thermodilution catheter dedicated for specific physiological measurements and comprising temperature sensing means.

8. The catheter of claim 7, wherein said device for coding further comprises a connector for connecting said catheter to a processing device that processes a physiological parameter measured by the catheter.

9. A processing device for processing a measured physiological parameter received from a catheter according to claim 7, wherein said processing device comprises at least one of:

a device for coding or decoding the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body and a device for coding or decoding the effect of the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter.

12. A method for measuring a physiological parameter, comprising the steps of:

(a) introducing a catheter into a patient'"'"'s body,

(b) measuring the physiological parameter, and

(c) providing the measured physiological parameter together with at least one of;

the coded site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body and the coded effect of the site of an application of the catheter in the patient'"'"'s body on the measurement of the physiological parameter.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of introducing a catheter into a patient'"'"'s body further comprises introducing a catheter into the patient'"'"'s blood vessel.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

a) measuring a physiological parameter at a first spatial location of a measuring catheter within a patient'"'"'s body,

b) encoding the first spatial location of the measuring catheter, and

c) automatically setting characteristic measurement parameters for a measurement evaluation algorithm dependent on the encoded first spatial location of the measuring catheter, so that the measurement evaluation algorithm takes the first spatial location of the measuring catheter into consideration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step (a) of measuring the physiological parameter comprises a step of sensing at the first spatial location a temperature displacement caused by an injection of a cold bolus of a thermal dilution catheter at a second spatial location upstream from the first spatial location.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

a step of optimizing and a step of adapting the measuring behavior of the catheter in accordance with the encoded first spatial location.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of correcting signal modifications due to influences of the encoded first spatial location.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of enabling or disabling specific measuring or measurement evaluation modules for providing specific results dependent on the encoded first spatial location.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of adapting the measurement on the specific conditions and influences of the encoded first spatial location.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first spatial location of the temperature sensing represents the access site of the thermodilution catheter.

21. The method of 20, further comprising a step of evaluating the measurement results evaluated in accordance with the setting of the encoded first spatial location by adapting a sensing resolution to a signal strength at the encoded first spatial location.