Laser skin perforator

• US 6,733,493 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Innotech Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innotech Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Efremkin, Pavel V., Gruzdev, Valentin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAH, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US10/001,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20020058953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 606/9-13, 606/16-19, 600/573, 600/575-578
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00765 Decreasing the barrier function of skin tissue by radiated energy, e.g. using ultrasound, using laser for skin perforation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00902 transparent or translucent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/049 against light, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/061 for measuring dimensions, e.g. length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150068 by tissue compression, e.g. with specially designed surface of device contacting the skin area to be pierced
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15016 by accessories for bringing the piercing element into the body, e.g. through rotation of the piercing element
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150954 Means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. by temperature sensitive sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15134 Bladeless capillary blood sampling devices, i.e. devices for perforating the skin in order to obtain a blood sample but not using a blade, needle, canula, or lancet, e.g. by laser perforation, suction or pressurized fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15138 provided with means to ensure the protection of the user, e.g. to avoid laser light entering the eyes of a user

Abstract

A laser perforator for perforating skin of a patient and obtaining of blood samples consists of laser light source for producing an output laser beam, a focusing arrangement for focusing the output laser beam at a skin area selected for perforation, a guiding arrangement, a power supply unit and a retaining arrangement for retaining the skin area. The retaining arrangement is formed to intensify blood circulation in the skin area selected for perforation.

Claims

1. A laser perforator for perforating a skin of a patient, the perforator comprising:

a laser light source for generating an output laser beam, a focusing arrangement COT focusing the output laser beam at a skin area selected for perforation, a power supply unit and a skin retaining arrangement for stimulating blood flow in the area of perforation and for retaining the skin area in such a manner that a contact is formed between the skin area and the skin retaining arrangement, the skin retaining arrangement having a substantially hollow inner space with at least partially flexible wall for adjusting the volume thereof and varying the pressure within said inner space.

2. The laser perforator of claim 1, wherein the skin retaining arrangement is formed having two walls slidable one against another with one of the walls being deformable.

3. The laser perforator of claim 2, wherein said deformable wall is a flexible peripheral wall, said slidable walls forming an intermediate region interposed between a forwardly positioned engaging cup and a rearwardly located base wall.

4. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein the intermediate region forms a part of the substantially hollow inner space, said intermediate region further comprises a biasing arrangement situated between the engaging cup and the base wall.

5. The laser perforator of claim 4, wherein the biasing arrangement forms a part of one of the walls.

6. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein upon deformation of at least one of the walls a low pressure zone is formed within the substantially hollow intermediate region, so as to create suction thereinside bringing at least a portion of the skin area into the engaging cup.

7. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein the base wall is formed with an opening adapted for passage of the laser beam, the opening including a shield preventing fluidal communication between the engaging cup and an inner space of the perforator containing the laser source and the focusing arrangement, the shield is made of a material translucent to the laser radiation.

8. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein an outer wall of the inner space is made of a transparent material and an inner surface of the inner space is formed having a testing arrangement adapted for testing of the blood samples.

9. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein the engaging cup is fanned with a substantially hollow inner space adapted for collection of blood samples.

10. The laser perforator of claim 3, wherein the engaging cup is positioned at a front end of the perforator, the engaging cup is formed with an engaging aperture having an outer and inner diameters, wherein the ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter is about 7:

3.

11. The laser perforator of claim 2, wherein the skin retaining arrangement further comprises a device for activation of the power supply unit.

12. The laser perforator of claim 1, wherein the skin retaining arrangement further comprises a pressure adjustment device.

13. The laser perforator of claim 12, wherein said pressure adjustment device is a valve.

14. A laser perforator for perforating a skin of a patient, the perforator comprising:

a laser light source for generating an output laser beam, a focusing arrangement for focusing the output laser beam at a skin area selected for perforation, a power supply unit,

a detecting arrangement for detecting an optimal distance between the focusing arrangement and the skin area selected for perforation, and an activating arrangement adapted to activate the power supply unit when the skin area selected for perforation is positioned at the optimal distance from the focusing arrangement, and

a replaceable engaging cup having a predetermined length, said optimal distance is between the focusing arrangement and a focal point of the output laser beam, said optimal distance is achieved by selection of said replaceable engaging cup having the predetermined length.

15. The laser perforator of claim 14, wherein said optimal distance is between the focusing arrangement and a focal point of the output laser beam, the focal point is located at an auxiliary light beam extending between an auxiliary light source and a receiver, so that the activating arrangement activates the power supply when the skin area selected for perforation blocks the auxiliary light beam.

16. The laser perforator of claim 14, wherein said optimal distance is between the focusing arrangement and a focal point of the output laser beam, the focal point is located at an auxiliary light beam extending between an auxiliary light source and a receiver, so that activation of the power supply by the activating arrangement occurs when the skin area selected for perforation is positioned in such a manner that the auxiliary light beam is reflected from the skin area and received by the receiver.

17. The laser perforator of claim 14, wherein said optimal distance is between the focusing arrangement and a focal point of the output laser beam, positioning of the focal point is controlled by an electrical capacity controlling arrangement, so that activation of the power supply by the activating arrangement occurs when the skin area selected for perforation is positioned in a close vicinity of the electrical capacity controlling arrangement, so as to activate a capacity sensor by a skin static and generate a respective electric signal.

18. The laser perforator of claim 14, wherein the optimal distance extends into the skin tissue at the depth between 0.12 and 1.5 millimeters from a surface of the skin.

19. The laser perforator of claim 14, wherein the activating arrangement activates the power supply when of the focal point of the laser beam is positioned at a predetermined depth within the skin tissue, so that the resulted cut within the tissue has a substantially triangular shape having a base located at a skin surface.

20. A laser perforator for perforating a skin or a patient, the perforator comprising:

a laser light source for generating an output laser beam, a focusing arrangement for focusing the output laser beam at a skin area selected for perforation, a power supply unit, and an optical member having a variable thickness along a longitudinal axis thereof, said optical member is made of a material having predetermined laser radiation transmission characteristics and being positioned between the skin area and the laser source,

whereby amount of energy delivered to the skin area by the output laser beam is adjusted by movement of the optical member with respect to the output laser beam.

21. The laser perforator of claim 20, wherein said optical member is positioned between the laser source and the focusing arrangement.

22. The laser perforator of claim 20, wherein said optical member is positioned between the focusing arrangement and the skin area selected for perforation.

23. The laser perforator of claim 20, wherein said optical member has a wedge-shaped configuration with a substantially cylindrical outer wall, said optical member being rotatably positioned between the laser source and the focusing arrangement.

24. The laser perforator of claim 20, wherein said optical member is formed having a wedge-shaped configuration with a substantially cylindrical outer wall and at least one base wall, said optical member is moved transversely to the direction of the laser beam between the laser source and the focusing arrangement.

25. The laser perforator of claim 20, wherein said optical member is formed having a wedge-shaped configuration with at least one base wall positioned at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the optical member, said optical member is rotated in such a manner that at least one inclined base wall is positioned transversely the direction of the laser beam.

26. A laser perforator for perforating a skin of a patient, the perforator comprising:

a laser light source for generating an output laser beam, a focusing arrangement for focusing the output laser beam at a skin area selected for perforation, a power supply unit and a skin retaining arrangement for retaining the skin area selected (or perforation, said retaining arrangement being defined by at least a side wall thereof with a substantially hollow cavity developed within the side wall, an engaging aperture provided within the side wall, the skin area protruding through the engaging aperture into the substantially hollow cavity, so that the output laser beam entering the cavity is directed transversely to the protruding skin area facilitating formation of an elongated slit within the skin area.

27. The laser perforator of claim 26, further comprising an elongated engaging cup being positioned at a front part of the perforator, said substantially hollow cavity being defined within the elongated engaging cup.