Fiber optic probe placement guide

• US 6,415,167 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GLT Acquisition Corporation
• Original Assignee: Instrumentation Metrics Inc.
• Inventors: Monfre, Stephen L., Blank, Thomas B., Acosta, George, Mattu, Mutua
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KREMER, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US09/563,782
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 600/344, 600/309-310, 600/322-324, 385/53-94, 385/137, 607/112, 356/39-42
• US Class Current: 600/344
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/146 for optical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist

Abstract

A fiber optic probe placement guide minimizes sampling errors during optical sampling of a tissue measurement site by allowing repeatable placement of the fiber optic probe at a targeted tissue measurement site. A mount, contoured to conform to the shape of the tissue measurement site, typically the arm of a human subject, contains an aperture for receiving a fiber optic probe. A temperature probe on the contact surface of the guide allows for monitoring of surface temperature within the vicinity of the tissue measurement site. Crosshair slots in the mount align with corresponding crosshairs at the tissue measurement site. The fiber optic probe placement guide is affixed to the tissue measurement site by means of adhesive tape or fastenable straps. Guideposts on the external surface of the mount are received by corresponding receptacles on a subject interface bearing the fiber optic probe to facilitate alignment of the fiber optic probe with the aperture.

Claims

1. A fiber optic probe placement guide for repeatably coupling a fiber optic probe to a targeted measurement site, comprising:

a mount, said mount having an exterior surface, a contact surface, and an outer edge, at least a portion of said contact surface being in contact with a surface at said measurement site during use;

an aperture, defined by said mount, for receiving said fiber optic probe;

a plurality of crosshair slots located at regular intervals about said outer edge; and

a temperature probe mounted on said contact surface.

2. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, further comprising one or more guideposts protruding from said exterior surface, wherein said guideposts are aligned with and received by corresponding guide post recesses in a subject interface during use, wherein said fiber optic probe is born by said subject interface.

3. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said measurement site comprises a tissue measurement site and said measurement site surface comprises skin at said tissue measurement site.

4. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 3, wherein said contact surface is contoured such that its shape approximates the surface contour at said tissue measurement site.

5. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 2, wherein said temperature probe is mounted no more than 2mm from an edge of said aperture, and wherein said temperature probe is in direct contact with said surface at said measurement site.

6. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 5, wherein said temperature probe is electrically connected to a pin electrical contact in one of said guideposts, and wherein said pin contact is in direct contact with a socket electrical contact located within one of said guidepost recesses during use.

7. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said mount is relieved and skeletonized, so that contact of said measurement site with a surrounding environment is maximized and contact between said measurement site and said mount is minimized.

8. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 2, wherein said mount has opposing ends, and wherein said guideposts comprise a pair of guideposts, each one of said pair of guideposts being situated close to one of said opposing ends of said mount.

9. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 8, wherein said aperture is horizontally and vertically centered between said pair of guideposts.

10. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 8, wherein said aperture is rectangular in shape.

11. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 8, wherein said aperture is any of circular, triangular, and hexagonal in shape.

12. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said mount is substantially rectangular.

13. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 12, wherein said plurality of crosshair slots comprises four crosshair slots, each of said crosshair slots located at a midpoint of a side of said mount, and wherein said crosshair slots align with corresponding crosshairs at said measurement site during use.

14. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said mount is any of circular, oval and polygonal in shape.

15. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, further comprising means for removably attaching said fiber optic probe placement guide over said measurement site, so that said fiber optic probe placement guide is held in a fixed position.

16. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 15, wherein said attachment means comprises any of:

an adhesive layer between said contact surface and said measurement site; and

adhesive tape.

17. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 15, wherein said attachment means comprises one or more straps.

18. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said fiber optic probe placement guide is manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer material.

19. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 1, wherein said fiber optic probe placement guide is manufactured from a breathable membrane material.

20. The fiber optic probe placement guide of claim 19, wherein said mount further comprises a reinforced insert surrounding said aperture.

21. An apparatus for optically sampling a tissue measurement site repeatably, comprising:

a subject interface, said subject interface comprising;

a housing

a fiber optic probe contained within said housing;

said housing having an interface side and defining one or more recesses in said interface side, each of said one or more recesses having therein a socket electrical contact; and

a fiber optic probe placement guide for repeatably coupling said fiber optic probe to said tissue measurement site, comprising;

a mount, said mount having an exterior surface, a contact surface, and an outer edge, at least a portion of said contact surface being in contact with a skin surface at said tissue measurement site during use;

an aperture, defined by said mount, for receiving said fiber optic probe;

a plurality of crosshair slots disposed at regular intervals about said outer edge; and

a temperature probe mounted on said contact surface; and

an optical coupling fluid, wherein a quantity of said optical coupling fluid is placed at an interface of said tissue measurement site and said fiber optic probe, so that said skin surface and said fiber optic probe are tightly optically coupled.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said contact surface is contoured such that its shape approximates the surface contour at said tissue measurement site.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

at least one guidepost protruding from said exterior surface, wherein said at least one guidepost is adapted to be aligned with and received by said recess in a subject interface incorporating said fiber optic probe.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said temperature probe is mounted no more than 2mm from an edge of said aperture, and wherein said temperature probe is in direct contact with said skin surface.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said temperature probe is electrically connected to a pin electrical contact in one of said guideposts, and wherein said pin contact is in direct contact with a socket electrical located within one of said interface recesses during use.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said mount is relieved and skeletonized, so that contact of said measurement site with a surrounding environment is maximized and contact between said measurement site and said mount is minimized.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said mount has opposing ends, and wherein said guideposts comprise a pair of guideposts, each one of said pair of guideposts being situated close to one of said opposing ends.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said aperture is horizontally and vertically centered between said pair of guideposts.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said aperture is rectangular in shape.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said mount is substantially rectangular.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said plurality of crosshair slots comprises four crosshair slots, each of said crosshair slots located at a midpoint of a side of said mount, and wherein said crosshair slots align with corresponding crosshairs at said tissue measurement site during use.

32. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for removably attaching said fiber optic probe placement guide over said measurement site, so that said fiber optic probe placement guide is held in a fixed position during use.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said attachment means comprises any of:

an adhesive layer placed between said contact surface and said measurement site; and

adhesive tape.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said attachment means comprises one or more straps.

35. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said fiber optic probe placement guide is manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer material.

36. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said fiber optic probe placement guide is manufactured from a breathable membrane material.

37. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said optical coupling fluid comprises one or more perfluoro compounds.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said optical coupling fluid consists of one or more perfluoro compounds.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said optical coupling fluid consists essentially of one or more perfluoro compounds.

40. An optical coupling fluid consisting essentially of:

one or more perfluoro compounds, wherein a quantity of said optical coupling fluid is placed at an interface of an optical probe and a measurement site, so that said probe and said measurement site are tightly optically coupled.

41. The optical coupling fluid of claim 40, wherein said measurement site is a tissue measurement site.

42. The optical coupling fluid of claim 40, wherein said optical coupling fluid consists of one or more perfluoro compounds.