Apparatus for the determination of medical, electro-chemical measured values relevant to organic or metabolic functions

• US 5,425,361 A
• Filed: 11/30/1992
• Issued: 06/20/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: F & C Medizintechnik GmbH
• Original Assignee: Paul-Gerhard Fenzlein
• Inventors: Fenzlein, Paul-Gerhard, Anderer, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GILBERT, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US07/983,665
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 128/903, 128/632, 128/635, 128/637, 128/734, 128/736, 128/763, 128/770, 128/771, 235/375, 604/38, 604/51, 604/52, 604/404, 204/407
• US Class Current: 600/345
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/085 combined with means for recording calibration data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/413 Monitoring transplanted tissue or organ, e.g. for possible rejection reactions after a transplant

Abstract

A measuring apparatus for the determination of medical, electro-chemical measured values relevant to organic or metabolic functions comprises a sensor head, a coupling, to which the sensor head is exchangeably secured, and a microprocessor-controlled base instrument, which is provided with a central control unit, with a data detection and evaluation unit to detect and convert the measuring signals forwarded by the coupling in accordance with an in each case associated calibrating regulation, with a display to display the measured values and with a keyboard to enter measuring-relevant data. The sensor head with its measuring electrodes is precalibrated to standard when manufactured, the calibrating regulations in each case associated with a certain measuring electrode being stored in the base instrument and the data detection and evaluation unit, controlled by a corresponding external entry at the base instrument, having access to the calibrating regulations associated with the measuring electrodes in each case located in the sensor head when a sensor head is used for measuring.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a determination of at least one measured value of medical, electro-chemical and physical measured values relevant to organic or metabolic functions, comprising:

a sensor head (1) with miniaturized measuring electrodes (21, 22,

     23) for determining said at least one measured value, a temperature sensor (19) and at least one reference electrode (18),

a coupling (2), to which the sensor head (1) is exchangeably secured and which has corresponding signal lines (15) to lead off electric measuring signals of the measuring electrodes (21, 22,

     23) and of the temperature sensor (19),

a microprocessor-controlled base instrument (5),

a multicore cable (4) connecting said sensor head (1) via said coupling (2) to said base instrument (5),

a central control unit (6) within said base/instrument (5) with a working memory, a program memory and a data memory for a control of operational processes within said apparatus,

storage means within said base instrument (5) for storing at least one calibrating regulation which is associated to said at least one measured value,

a data detection and evaluation unit (7) within the central control unit (6), to detect and convert said electric measuring signals forwarded by the coupling (2) into said at least one measured value by means of said at least one calibrating regulation,

a display (8) connected to the central control until (6), for said at least one measured value determined by the data detection and evaluation unit (7), and

a keyboard (11) connected to the base instrument (5), to enter measuring-relevant data,

wherein each of said electro-chemical measuring electrodes (21, 22

     23) has an activity-potential reference diagram with an isothermal point (24) and an activity measuring range (M) and

wherein said sensor head (1) with said measuring electrodes (21, 22,

     23) is precalibrated to standard by a manufacturer of said sensor head (1) such that in the activity-potential reference diagram the isothermal point (24) of each measuring electrode (21, 22,

     23) lies within the activity measuring range (M) of each of said measuring electrodes (21, 22,

     23).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising control means for controlling the access of the data detection and evaluation unit (7) to the at least one calibrating regulation by entering a code representative for each sensor head (1) and its measuring electrodes (21, 22, 23) via the keyboard (11) of the base instrument (5).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a bar code reader (12), connected with the base instrument (5), and a bar code 13 applied on the sensor head (1), by which bar code reader (12) the bar code (13) is read as a code to control the access of the data detection and evaluation unit (7) to the at least one calibrating regulation.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising subsequent calibration means for a subsequent calibration of the precalibrated sensor head (1) prior to the latter'"'"'s being used for measuring, actual values of activity measured at any temperature in reference solutions and determined by the at least one calibrating regulation being comparable with corresponding set values.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising an offset means for deriving an additive correction value from a variance comparison, which additive correction value is used for the evaluation of the measured values by the data detection and evaluation unit (7) during measuring.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one electro-myelography electrode (20) is integrated in the sensor head (1).