SYSTEM FOR MONITORING THE POSITION OF A TUBE'S DISTAL END RELATIVE TO A BLOOD VESSEL

• US 20130083331A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Rensen, Judith Margreet, Rensen, Wouter Harry Jacinth
• Granted Patent: US 9,915,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/614
• 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 (101) for monitoring a position of a distal end (102) of a tube (104) with respect to a blood vessel (106) of a mamma. The system comprises a source (110) for generating an outgoing beam (112) of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum. The system furthermore comprises a guideway (114) for guiding the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam (116) of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement (120) which is arranged for measuring a parameter (122) associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam. The system furthermore comprises a comparator arrangement (124) for comparing said parameter with a reference parameter (126) associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal.

Claims

1. A system (101, 301, 402, 502, 602) for monitoring a position of a distal end (102, 302) of a tube (104, 304, 403, 503, 603) with respect to a blood vessel (106, 306) of a mammal comprising:

a source (110, 310, 408, 508, 608) for generating an outgoing beam (112, 312, 410, 510, 610) of electromagnetic radiation having a predefined electromagnetic spectrum,

a guideway (114, 314) for guiding the outgoing beam to the distal end, and for guiding an incoming beam (116, 316, 416, 522, 618) of electromagnetic radiation reflected by surroundings (118, 318) of the distal end in response to said outgoing beam to a measurement arrangement (120, 320, 412, 518, 614),

the measurement arrangement for measuring a parameter (122, 322, 414, 520, 616) associated with an electromagnetic spectrum of the incoming beam, and

a comparator arrangement (124, 324, 426, 524, 626) configured for comparing said parameter with a reference parameter (126, 326, 428, 526, 628) associated with a reference electromagnetic spectrum representing a predefined location of the distal end inside the mammal.

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 (106).

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 (313) of the tube (304) is configured for performing as the guideway (314).

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the guideway is arranged for receiving a liquid (406, 506, 606) for the purpose of guiding the outgoing beam and the incoming beam.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tube (304) comprises an optical fiber (315) for performing as the guideway (314).

10. The system according to claim 1, comprising a drip chamber (404) for temporarily storing a liquid (406) dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the drip chamber (404) comprises an optical element (420) configured for assisting the guideway in guiding the outgoing beam (410) of electromagnetic radiation from the source (408) to the distal end, which optical element has a transparent part in response to coverage by the liquid (406) in the drip chamber and a reflective part in response to non-coverage by the liquid in the drip chamber.

11. The system according to claim 1, comprising a drip chamber (504) for temporarily storing a liquid (506) dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the source (508) is configured for providing the outgoing beam (510) of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an imaginary axis (512) along which the liquid (506) drops from the liquid container towards the tube (503) during operational conditions.

12. The system according to claim 1, comprising a drip chamber (604) for temporarily storing a liquid (606) dripping from a liquid container during use, wherein the source (608) is configured for providing the outgoing beam (610) of electromagnetic radiation with an orientation intersecting an interface (612) of the liquid (606) in the drip chamber (604).