Method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery

• US 7,618,380 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arthur C. Perry, Joseph C. Mallinger, Ray Linovitz
• Original Assignee: Arthur C. Perry, Joseph C. Mallinger, Ray Linovitz
• Inventors: Linovitz, Ray, Mallinger, Joseph C., Perry, Arthur C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg; Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pani; John
• Application Number:
  US11/958,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20080103416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 600/383, 600/398, 600/587, 600/553, 128/897, 128/898, 338/47
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/08021 of the patient or his organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/06 Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins

Abstract

A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery includes providing a nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system including a site sensor with a transducer in the form of a transducer element and a ring extending outward from the transducer element, and a monitor connected to the site sensor; adhering the ring of the site sensor to the patient so that the transducer element forms a protective barrier in front of the area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery; using the system to continuously monitor pressure on the protective barrier formed by the transducer element in front of the area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the site sensor and monitor; and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of a pressure condition when monitored pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery, comprising:

putting a surgery patient under general anesthesia;

providing at least one site sensor to detect pressure on at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one site sensor including a transducer in the form of a substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element;

adhering the ring of the at least one site sensor to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery so that the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element forms a protective convex baffler in front of, and does not contact, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery disposed underneath the transducer without contacting the transducer, the ring is adhered without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

connecting the at least one site sensor to a monitor to monitor pressure on the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor;

continuously monitoring pressure on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor and monitor;

alerting medical personnel of the pressure condition on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery if the monitor and site sensor determine a pressure condition exists on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

readjusting the patient'"'"'s position to alleviate the pressure condition, preventing nerve damage positional injury positional injury during surgery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one site sensor includes multiple site sensors, one for each of multiple areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and the method further includes adhering the multiple site sensors to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the transducer causing a change in signal to the monitor upon the pressure condition, and the monitor detecting the change in signal and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the monitor causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition when detected pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one site sensor includes one or more wires to connect the at least one site sensor to the monitor, and connecting includes connecting the at least one site sensor to the monitor with the one or more wires.

6. A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery, comprising:

attaching at least one sensor to a surgery patient circumferentially around at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one site sensor including a transducer in the form of a substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element, the substantially annular ring adhered to the patient so that the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element forms a protective convex barrier in front of, and does not contact, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery disposed underneath the transducer without contacting the transducer, the ring is adhered without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

connecting the at least one site sensor to a monitor;

continuously monitoring pressure on the protective barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor and monitor;

alerting medical personnel of a pressure condition on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery if the monitor and site sensor determine the pressure condition exists on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

readjusting the patient'"'"'s position to alleviate the pressure condition, preventing nerve damage positional injury.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one site sensor includes multiple site sensors, one for each of multiple areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and the method further includes adhering the multiple site sensors to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery.

8. The method of claim 6, further including the transducer causing a change in signal to the monitor upon the pressure condition, and the monitor detecting the change in signal and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition.

9. The method of claim 6, further including the monitor causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition when detected pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one site sensor includes one or more wires to connect the at least one site sensor to the monitor, and connecting includes connecting the at least one site sensor to the monitor with the one or more wires.

11. A method of preventing nerve damage positional injury during surgery, comprising:

providing a nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system including at least one site sensor with a transducer in the form of a substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element and a substantially annular ring extending circumferentially outward from the transducer element, and a monitor connected to the at least one site sensor;

adhering the ring of the at least one site sensor to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery so that the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element forms a protective convex baffler in front of, without contacting, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery disposed underneath the transducer without contacting the transducer, the ring is adhered without contacting the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery;

using the nerve damage positional injury pressure monitoring system to continuously monitor pressure on the protective convex barrier formed by the substantially circular cupped, convex transducer element in front of the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery with the at least one site sensor and monitor; and

causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of a pressure condition when monitored pressure is greater than a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one site sensor includes multiple site sensors, one for each of multiple areas of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery, and the method further includes adhering the multiple site sensors to the patient circumferentially around the at least one area of the patient prone to nerve damage positional injury during surgery.

13. The method of claim 11, further including the transducer causing a change in signal to the monitor upon the pressure condition, and the monitor detecting the change in signal and causing an alarm to be actuated to alert medical personnel of the pressure condition.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one site sensor includes one or more wires to connect the at least one site sensor to the monitor, and further including connecting the at least one site sensor to the monitor with the one or more wires.