Diagnostic complex for measurement of the condition of biological tissues and liquids

• US 5,987,353 A
• Filed: 06/20/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ashot P. Khatchatrian, Asmik Aruntyunyan, Robert G. Khatchatrian
• Original Assignee: Ashot P. Khatchatrian, Asmik Aruntyunyan, Robert G. Khatchatrian
• Inventors: Khatchatrian, Ashot P., Khatchatrian, Robert G., Aruntyunyan, Asmik
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US08/879,523
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 600/547, 600/373, 600/372, 604/35, 604/181, 604/187, 606/41
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0045 Devices for taking samples of body liquids devices for taking blood samples A61B5/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0051 for taking saliva or sputum samples devices for receiving spittle A61J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00026 Conductivity or impedance, e.g. of tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0538 invasively, e.g. using a catheter

Abstract

An apparatus and method for simultaneously obtaining a sample of biological tissue or liquid and measuring the electrical resistance at at least two different frequencies, or dispersion of resistance, of the biological tissue or liquid for the purpose of diagnosis of the condition of the tissue or liquid. The apparatus of the invention includes a main case, which includes a tube and demountable handle; a hook for obtaining a sample of biological tissue and for serving as a passive electrode in contact with the biological tissue; an aspirating needle for obtaining a sample of biological liquid and for serving as an active electrode in contact with the biological liquid or tissue; a liquid collector, which includes a metal conductor in contact with the biological liquid and piston for obtaining a sample of biological liquid and providing an electrode for resistance measurements; a electrical plug allowing electrical connection between the electrodes and an electroimpedancemeter. The electroimpedancemeter provides for simultaneous measurement of electrical resistance at at least two different frequencies. An apparatus and method for using the apparatus comprising a flexible electrode probe and an electroimpedancemeter are also provided. A method is also provided for comparative diagnosis of the condition of two biological liquids, from a comparison of electrical resistance measurements.

Claims

1. An apparatus for simultaneously obtaining a biological sample and measuring the electrical resistance of said sample at at least two different frequencies for diagnosis of a condition of said sample, comprising:

a. a main case, said main case comprising a tube and demountable handle;

b. an aspirating needle at least partially inside said tube, for obtaining a sample of biological liquid and for serving as an active electrode in contact with said biological sample;

c. a liquid collector connected to said aspirating needle to receive said sample of said biological liquid, said liquid collector comprising a metal conductor in electrical contact with said needle and a metal piston, wherein at the determination of said condition of said biological liquid said needle executes the role of active electrode, and said metal piston executes the role of passive electrode; and

d. an electroimpedancemeter electrically connected to said active and passive electrodes, for simultaneous measurement of said electrical resistance of the sample at at least two different frequencies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said liquid collector is a syringe.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electroimpedancemeter comprises a source of alternating current voltage consisting of two generators, one for a first frequency voltage and the other for a second frequency voltage, the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first frequency is in the range from about 0.5 to about 10 kHz.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first frequency is in the range from about 1 to about 5 kHz.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is in the range from about 1 to about 3 kHz.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second frequency is in the range from about 10 to about 1000 kHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second frequency is in the range from about 20 to about 500 kHz.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second frequency is in the range from about 50 to about 300 kHz.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein there is a factor of at least 10×

in kHz between the first and second frequencies.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a voltage sum-up unit, the output voltage of which said first frequency voltage and second frequency voltage are present, serving for elimination of temporal intervals between moments of said measurement of electrical resistance at said first and second frequencies.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a negative feedback circuit, comprising a rectifier and filter of said first frequency for elimination of pulsations in the target voltage of the rectifier.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the outputs of said generators of said first and second frequency voltage are connected to inputs of said sum-up unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a stabilized source of current, enabling standardization of a measuring current proceeding through said biological tissue or liquid.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the output of said sum-up unit is directed through said rectifier and said filter of first frequency of said negative feedback circuit and is thereafter connected to the inputs of said generators of said first and said second frequency voltage.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises an amplifier having an input and an output.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the output of said sum-up unit is directed through said stabilized source of current and is connected with said active electrode.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a filter of said first frequency and filter of said second frequency.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said active electrode is connected with the input of said amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a detector of the first frequency which produces a first output voltage and a detector of the second frequency which produces a second output voltage.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a converter to divide said first output voltage by said second output voltage and a digital display having an input for displaying the output of said converter.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the output of said amplifier is connected with the inputs of said filters, the outputs of which are connected accordingly with the inputs of said detectors.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a source of independent power.

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the outputs of said detectors of low and high frequency are connected to the respective inputs of said converter.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the outputs of said converter are connected to the inputs of said digital display.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hook attached to said tube, said hook comprising a pointed end for obtaining a sample of biological tissue, wherein at the determination of said condition of said biological tissue said needle executes the role of active electrode, and said hook executes the role of passive electrode.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising an electrical plug located in said main case and electrically connected to each of said active and passive electrodes through electrical leads, thereby allowing electrical connection between said electroimpedancemeter and said active and passive electrodes.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrical plug located in said main case and electrically connected to each of said active and passive electrodes through electrical leads, thereby allowing electrical connection between said electroimpedancemeter and said active and passive electrodes.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said electrical plug is electrically connected to said metal conductor of said liquid collector.

30. A method for simultaneously obtaining a biological sample and measuring electrical resistance of said sample at at least two different frequencies for the purpose of diagnosis of a condition of the sample comprising the steps of:

a. inserting an aspirating needle into a biological liquid;

c. withdrawing a sample of said biological liquid with said aspirating needle and into a syringe, thereby contacting said biological liquid with an active and a passive electrode provided to said syringe;

d. moving said tube out of said biological liquid; and

e. measuring in said syringe, said electrical resistance of said sample of said biological liquid at at least two different frequencies with said active and passive electrodes electrically connected to an electroimpedancemeter.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said liquid is human blood and said condition is acute blood loss.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said liquid is human blood and said condition is selected from the group consisting of alkaline reserve of blood, globular volume of blood, total circulating plasma, total circulating protein, volume of circulating erythrocytes, hematocrit number, blood alcohol, drug and anaesthetic content.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said liquid is human milk and said condition is lactostasis or mastitis.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the at least two different frequencies comprise a first frequency in the range from about 0.5 to about 10 kHz, and a second frequency in the range from about 10 to about 1000 kHz.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first frequency is in the range from about 1 to about 5 kHz, and the second frequency is in the range from about 20 to about 500 kHz.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first frequency is in the range from about 1 to about 3 kHz, and the second frequency is in the range from about 50 to about 300 kHz.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein a lower of said at least two different frequencies is a first frequency and a higher of said at least two different frequencies is a second frequency, and there is a factor of at least 10×

in kHz between the first and second frequencies.

38. An apparatus for simultaneously obtaining a sample of mammalian biological tissue or liquid and measuring the electrical resistance of said tissue or liquid at at least two different frequencies for diagnosis of a condition of said tissue or liquid, comprising:

a. a main case, comprising a tube and demountable handle, said tube being insertable at one end into said demountable handle of gun or other type, said tube comprising corrosion-proof medical steel or other conventional material suitable for medical diagnostic use, said tube having at least one hole at one end;

b. a protective casing which fits over said tube, is demountable and comprises a ring and spring-ball for fixing the spring-ball location of said casing at said hole, said location representing a maximum forward position or maximum reverse position of said casing;

c. a hook comprising a pointed end, fixed at one end of said tube away from said handle and extending from said end for obtaining a sample of said biological tissue and for serving as a passive electrode in contact with said biological tissue;

d. an aspirating needle, located inside said tube, the distal end of said needle extending from the end of said tube away from said handle, for obtaining a sample of said biological liquid and for serving as an active electrode in contact with said biological liquid or tissue, the proximal end of said needle being finished by a metal flange inside said main case handle;

e. a metal-glass syringe connected to the metal flange of the needle to receive said sample of said biological liquid, said syringe comprising a glass flask, metal conic tip and metal piston, wherein at the determination of a condition of said biological liquid said metal tip or said needle, when electrically connected to said metal tip, executes a role of active electrode, and said metal piston executes a role of passive electrode;

f. a fixing unit, located inside said tube and serving simultaneously to fix said hook at one end of said tube away from said handle and to isolate the area of said biological tissue or liquid;

g. an electroimpedancemeter electrically connected to said active and passive electrodes, for simultaneous measurement of complete electrical resistance at two different frequencies; and

h. an electrical plug, located in said handle and connected by electrical leads with each of said active and passive electrodes, said electrical plug allowing electrical connection between said electroimpedancemeter and said active and passive electrodes.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a source of alternating current voltage consisting of two generators, one for a first frequency voltage and the other for a second frequency voltage, the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a voltage sum-up unit, the output voltage of which said first frequency voltage and second frequency voltage are present, serving for elimination of temporal intervals between moments of said measurement of electrical resistance at said first and second frequencies.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a negative feedback circuit, comprising a rectifier and filter of said first frequency for elimination of pulsations in the target voltage of the rectifier.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a stabilized source of current, enabling standardization of a measuring current proceeding through said biological tissue or liquid.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises an amplifier having an input and an output.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a filter of said first frequency and filter of said second frequency.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a detector of the first frequency which produces a first output voltage and a detector of the second frequency which produces a second output voltage.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a converter to divide said first output voltage by said second output voltage and a digital display having an input for displaying the output of said converter.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the electroimpedancemeter further comprises a source of independent power.