System for monitoring the position of a tube's distal end relative to a blood vessel

• US 9,915,523 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Rensen, Judith Margreet, Rensen, Wouter Harry Jacinth
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S
• Application Number:
  US13/703,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,468 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15003 for venous or arterial blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150396 Specific tip design, e.g. for improved penetration characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150511 Details of construction of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150748 Having means for aiding positioning of the piercing device at a location where the body is to be pierced means for aiding positioning of devices for bringing media into the body A61M5/427, locating blood vessels A61B5/489
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/153 Devices specially adapted for taking samples of venous or arterial blood, e.g. with syringes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3313 used specific wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16836 by sensing tissue properties at the infusion site, e.g. for detecting infiltration detecting tissue temperature for diagnostic purposes A61M39/0247
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for monitoring a position of a distal end of a tube with respect to a blood vessel of a mammal. The system comprises a source for generating an outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum. The system furthermore comprises a guideway for guiding the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement, which is arranged for measuring a parameter associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam. The system furthermore comprises a comparator arrangement for comparing said parameter with a reference parameter associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a position of a distal end of a tube with respect to a blood vessel of a mammal comprising:

a source for generating an outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum,

a guideway comprising a single optical fiber for guiding the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement, the measurement arrangement configured to measure a parameter associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam, and

a comparator arrangement configured to compare said parameter with a reference parameter associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal; and

a drip chamber for temporarily storing a liquid dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the drip chamber comprises an optical element configured for assisting the guideway in guiding the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation from the source to the distal end, which optical element has a transparent part in response to coverage by the liquid in the drip chamber and a reflective part in response to non-coverage by the liquid in the drip chamber;

or wherein the source is configured for providing the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an imaginary axis along which the liquid drops from the liquid container towards the tube during operational conditions;

or wherein the source is configured for providing the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an interface of the liquid in the drip chamber.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reference electromagnetic spectrum represents the situation in which the predefined location is inside the blood vessel.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the parameter is time dependency.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the parameter is spectral contents.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the parameter is spectral contents at a specific wavelength.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the specific wavelength is in the range of 630 nm to 730 nm.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a wall of the tube is configured for performing as the guideway.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the guideway is arranged for receiving a liquid, and the single optical fiber guides the outgoing beam and the incoming beam.

9. A system for monitoring a position of a distal end of a tube with respect to a blood vessel of a mammal comprising:

a source configured to generate an outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum,

a guideway configured to guide the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement, the measurement arrangement configured to measure a parameter associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam,

a comparator arrangement configured to compare said parameter with a reference parameter associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal, and

a drip chamber configured to store temporally a liquid dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the drip chamber comprises an optical element configured for assisting the guideway in guiding the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation from the source to the distal end, which optical element has a transparent part in response to coverage by the liquid in the drip chamber and a reflective part in response to non-coverage by the liquid in the drip chamber.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the reference electromagnetic spectrum represents the situation in which the predefined location is inside the blood vessel.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the parameter is time dependency.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the parameter is spectral contents.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the parameter is spectral contents at a specific wavelength.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the specific wavelength is in the range of 630 nm to 730 nm.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein a wall of the tube is the guideway.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the guideway is arranged for receiving a liquid to guide the outgoing beam and the incoming beam.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein the tube comprises an optical fiber as the guideway.

18. A system for monitoring a position of a distal end of a tube with respect to a blood vessel of a mammal comprising:

a source configured to generate an outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum,

a guideway configured to guide the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement, the measurement arrangement configured to measure a parameter associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam, and

a comparator arrangement configured to compare said parameter with a reference parameter associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal,

a drip chamber configured to store temporally a liquid dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the source is configured for providing the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an imaginary axis along which the liquid drops from the liquid container towards the tube during operational conditions.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the reference electromagnetic spectrum represents the situation in which the predefined location is inside the blood vessel.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the parameter is time dependency.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the parameter is spectral contents.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the parameter is spectral contents at a specific wavelength.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the specific wavelength is in the range of 630 nm to 730 nm.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein a wall of the tube is the guideway.

25. The system according to claim 18, wherein the guideway is arranged for receiving a liquid to guide the outgoing beam and the incoming beam.

26. The system according to claim 18, the tube comprises an optical fiber as the guideway.

27. A system for monitoring a position of a distal end of a tube with respect to a blood vessel of a mammal comprising:

a source configured to generate an outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum,

a guideway configured to guide the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement, the measurement arrangement configured to measure a parameter associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam, and

a comparator arrangement configured to compare said parameter with a reference parameter associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal, and

a drip chamber configured to store temporally a liquid dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the source is configured for providing the outgoing beam of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an interface of the liquid in the drip chamber.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the reference electromagnetic spectrum represents the situation in which the predefined location is inside the blood vessel.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the parameter is time dependency.

30. The system according to claim 27, wherein the parameter is spectral contents.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein the parameter is spectral contents at a specific wavelength.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the specific wavelength is in the range of 630 nm to 730 nm.

33. The system according to claim 27, wherein a wall of the tube is configured for performing as the guideway.

34. The system according to claim 27, wherein the guideway is arranged for receiving a liquid to guide the outgoing beam and the incoming beam.

35. The system according to claim 27, wherein the tube comprises an optical fiber for performing as the guideway.