Clinical assessment of an intravenous catheter site
Inventors
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11541174-B2
Publication Date
2023-01-03
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system and method for assessing an intravenous catheter site is described in embodiments herein. An application accessible on a mobile device may be used to take calibrated photographs of an intravenous catheter site. The resulting calibrated image may be compared to previously taken calibrated images to determine a complication. Success of treatments to the complication may be tracked and the patient's electronic medical record may be updated.
Core Innovation
The document discloses a mobile-app system for assessing an intravenous catheter site and determining a blood vessel for receiving a medication via an intravenous catheter. It uses calibrated photographs and a calibration zone normalized to a calibration object, and it compares newly obtained calibrated images with baseline and previously stored calibrated images to detect complications. The detected visual findings include color variation, streaking, swelling, and hardness, and the system can optionally score or confirm complications such as phlebitis.
The system connects catheter-site assessment and decision support to computational blood-vessel modeling for selecting a blood vessel. It obtains blood vessel characteristics via ultrasonography, generates a blood vessel model based on the blood vessel characteristics, and simulates blood flow in the blood vessel model. It also simulates an introduction of the medication into the blood vessel model via the intravenous catheter and determines a medication effect on the blood vessel model.
Based on the determined medication effect, the system recommends the blood vessel for receiving the medication and may recommend an infusion rate. The medication effect is based at least in part on the effect of the medication flow and the blood flow on the blood vessel model, and in dependent aspects it includes changes such as pH, osmolality, and dissolved salt. The workflow can provide alerts to clinicians and emergency staff, suggest diagnosis and treatment, track treatment success, and update or store information in a patient electronic medical record (EMR) or a patient confidential database.
Claims Coverage
The provided independent claims cover methods on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media for determining a blood vessel for receiving an intravenous catheter medication using ultrasonography-derived vessel modeling and simulation, with recommendations that can include both the selected vessel and an infusion rate. Across the independent claims, five core inventive elements recur: ultrasonography-based vessel characterization, blood-vessel modeling, simulation of medication introduction and resulting effects, determining a medication effect, and recommending a blood vessel and, in some cases, an infusion rate.
Ultrasonography-based blood vessel modeling and simulation-driven vessel recommendation
A method performed by one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising obtaining blood vessel characteristics via ultrasonography; generating a blood vessel model based on the blood vessel characteristics; simulating blood flow in the blood vessel model; simulating an introduction of the medication into the blood vessel model via the intravenous catheter; determining a medication effect on the blood vessel model; and recommending the blood vessel for receiving the medication based at least in part on the medication effect, wherein the medication effect is based at least in part on an effect of the medication flow and the blood flow on the blood vessel model.
Simulation-based recommendation of blood vessel and infusion rate
A method performed by one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising obtaining blood vessel characteristics via ultrasonography; generating a blood vessel model based on the blood vessel characteristics; simulating blood flow in the blood vessel model; simulating an introduction of the medication into the blood vessel model via the intravenous catheter; determining a medication effect on the blood vessel model; recommending the blood vessel for receiving the intravenous catheter based at least in part on the simulation; and recommending an infusion rate of the medication into the blood vessel based at least in part on the simulation.
Simulation-based medication effect determination and blood vessel recommendation
A method performed by one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising obtaining blood vessel characteristics; generating a blood vessel model based on the blood vessel characteristics; simulating blood flow in the blood vessel model; simulating an introduction of the medication into the blood vessel model via the intravenous catheter; determining a medication effect on the blood vessel model; and recommending the blood vessel for receiving the medication based at least in part on the simulation.
Across the independent claims, the central coverage is a simulation-driven workflow in which ultrasonography provides blood vessel characteristics, a blood vessel model is generated, blood flow and medication introduction are simulated, a medication effect on the blood vessel model is determined, and a blood vessel is recommended based on that medication effect; one independent claim further requires recommending an infusion rate based at least in part on the simulation.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Determining a blood vessel for receiving a medication via an intravenous catheter based on ultrasonography-derived modeling and simulation.
Recommending an infusion rate for medication infusion into a blood vessel based at least in part on simulation.
Assessing an intravenous catheter site and tracking progress of the patient with stored assessments and simulation/recommendation data in a patient confidential database or patient EMR.
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