Metering glucose level in pulsing blood

• US 8,391,939 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nirlus Engenineering AG
• Original Assignee: Nirlus Engenineering AG
• Inventors: Herrmann, Vera
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ROCHELLE ANN J
• Application Number:
  US12/376,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20100298673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 600/316, 600/310, 600/322, 600/476, 356/39, 356/301
• US Class Current: 600/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14557 specially adapted to extracorporeal circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1459 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/367 Circuit parts not covered by the preceding subgroups of group A61M1/3621
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/201 Glucose concentration

Abstract

Method for the continuous measurement of the glucose concentration in blood undergoing pulsational flow, with the steps:—determination of a value for the glucose concentration for a first measurement cycle, and—repetition of the determination of this value in subsequent measurement cycles, where there is multiple detection, within each measurement cycle, of the transmittance and/or scattering power of the blood for at least two incident NIR wavelengths, calculation of an indicator value depending on the blood glucose concentration, and ascertaining the blood glucose concentration by comparing the indicator value with a previously determined calibration table, determination of the blood temperature during the detection of the transmittance and/or scattering power,—continuous measurement of the pulse duration of the pulsational blood flow, where the duration of the measurement cycle is arranged to keep in step as integral multiple of the pulse duration, where the first of the at least two NIR wavelengths is selected from the wavelength range 1560-1630 nm, and the second of the at least two NIR wavelengths is selected from the wavelength range 790-815 nm, and the ratio of the transmittance and/or scattering power of the at least two wavelengths is calculated, this ratio serving in relation to the blood temperature as indicator value for reading off the blood glucose concentration from the calibration table.

Claims

1. A method for the continuous measurement of glucose level in blood undergoing pulsing flow, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a value for the glucose level in succeeding and nonoverlapping time windows of the same length of a first measurement cycle;

repeating the determination of this value in subsequent measurement cycles with the same number of nonoverlapping time windows of the same length such that there is multiple detection within each measurement cycle of the transmission or scattering power of the blood for at least two incident NIR wavelengths, calculation of an indicator value dependent on the blood-glucose level and ascertaining the blood-glucose level by comparing the indicator value with a previously determined calibration table;

determining ensemble averages for all the time windows of each measurement cycle;

determining the blood temperature during the detection of the transmission and/or scattering power,

continuously measuring the pulse duration of the pulsing blood flow, the duration of the measurement cycle being set to keep in step as integral multiple of the pulse duration,

selecting the first of the two NIR wavelengths from the wavelength range 1560-1630 nm, and the second of the NIR wavelengths from the wavelength range 790-815 nm, and

using the ratio of the transmission or scattering power of the two wavelengths relative to the blood temperature as an indicator value for reading off the blood-glucose level from the calibration table.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least two NIR wavelengths are irradiated in an amplitude-modulated manner with modulation frequencies above 1 MHZ.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein each time window comprises less than 100 milliseconds.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the number of the measured values for transmission and/or scattering power of the blood in each time window is at least 10,000.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the average measured values in the determined time window are subjected to a Fourier transformation in the frequency range.

6. The method according to claim 5,

further comprising the step of:

evaluating the Fourier components of the average measured values for modulation frequency of the amplitude modulation of the irradiated NIR wavelengths as a gauge for the transmission or scattering power of the blood.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein an integral in the frequency range over the Fourier components of the average measured values at an interval around the modulation frequency of the amplitude modulation of the irradiated NIR wavelengths is evaluated as a gauge of the transmission or scattering power of the blood.

8. An apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1 wherein the blood is taken from a living organism in a circulation, measured and returned, the apparatus further comprising:

a measuring cell embodied for the continuous inflow and outflow of blood with a trans-illumination zone embodied in a flattened manner,

at least two NIR light sources arranged on a flat side of the measuring cell for trans-illuminating the measuring cell in the direction toward the opposite flat side,

at least one NIR detector arranged on the flat side, which lies opposite that with the NIR light sources, and

means for measuring the blood temperature at least in the trans-illumination area of the measuring cell.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

an NIR laser with beam splitter and frequency doubling medium, which at the same time emits NIR light with 1560-1630 nm wavelength as well as NIR light with half the wavelength to show the at least two NIR light sources.

10. A method for the continuous measurement of glucose level in blood undergoing pulsing flow, the method comprising the steps:

determining a value for the glucose level for a first measurement cycle;

repeating the determination of this value in subsequent measurement cycles such that there is multiple detection within each measurement cycle of the transmission or scattering power of the blood for at least two incident NIR wavelengths, calculation of an indicator value dependent on the blood-glucose level and ascertaining the blood-glucose level by comparing the indicator value with a previously determined calibration table;

determining the blood temperature during the detection of the transmission and/or scattering power,

continuously measuring the pulse duration of the pulsing blood flow, the duration of the measurement cycle being set to keep in step as integral multiple of the pulse duration,

selecting the first of the at least two NIR wavelengths from the wavelength range 1560-1630 nm, and the second of the at least two NIR wavelengths from the wavelength range 790-815 nm,

using the ratio of the transmission or scattering power of the at least two wavelengths being calculated with this ratio relative to the blood temperature as an indicator value for reading off the blood-glucose level from the calibration table, and

synchronously adjusting the duration of the measurement cycle to the continuously recorded pulse duration of the blood using a variable number of time windows with fixed duration and adding a variable measurement dead time, the number of the time windows and the measurement dead time being calculated synchronously.