Implantable venous access port with remote physiological monitoring capabilities
Inventors
Skinner, Cathy • Welcher, Rosanne • Ali, Mohamed • Sawyer, Aenor
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11771880-B2
Publication Date
2023-10-03
Expiration Date
Abstract
An apparatus for an implantable venous access port with remote physiological monitoring capabilities is disclosed. A system and method also perform the functions of the apparatus. In one embodiment the apparatus includes a chemotherapy access port, a plurality of sensors integrated with the chemotherapy access port, where the plurality of sensors determine one or more chemotherapy-related physiological indicators and the one or more physiological indicators include at least parameters selected from red blood cell count, white blood cell count, platelets, and/or ejection fraction. The apparatus includes a communications module integrated with the chemotherapy access port, where the communications module is configured to communicate the one or more chemotherapy-related physiological indicators to a computing device.
Core Innovation
The disclosure relates to an implantable venous access port, or chemotherapy access port, with integrated physiological sensors and a communications module for remote monitoring. The sensors determine one or more chemotherapy-related physiological indicators including at least parameters selected from red blood cell count, white blood cell count, platelets, and/or ejection fraction, and communicate the indicators to a computing device for monitoring.
The sensor set includes an autofluorescence sensor configured to perform an in-vivo count of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The autofluorescence sensor includes a source configured to generate and emit excitation light within a predefined light wavelength range and a plurality of photosensors configured to detect, record, and quantify autofluorescence emitted by the red blood cells, the white blood cells, and/or the platelets in response to the excitation light.
Photosensors are placed at a predefined distance from one another so the predefined distance between at least two photosensors is used to calculate blood flow velocity, ejection time, ejection fraction, and cardiac output. The physiological indicators can be presented as plots over time and evaluated using threshold values to support patient health alerts sent to an authorized user.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims covering an implantable chemotherapy access port, an autofluorescence sensor arrangement, and a system for communicating physiological indicators. The inventive coverage centers on sensor-based determination of chemotherapy-related physiological indicators, including in-vivo autofluorescence measurement with multiple photosensors at predefined spacing to calculate blood-flow and cardiac metrics, and communication to a computing device.
Chemotherapy access port with integrated sensors and communications module
A chemotherapy access port; a plurality of sensors connected to a sensor interface integrated with the chemotherapy access port, the plurality of sensors configured to determine one or more chemotherapy-related physiological indicators including at least parameters selected from red blood cell count, white blood cell count, platelets, and/or ejection fraction; and a communications module integrated with the chemotherapy access port, the communications module configured to communicate the one or more chemotherapy-related physiological indicators to a computing device.
Autofluorescence sensor with excitation light and photosensor spacing for blood-flow and cardiac calculations
An autofluorescence sensor configured to perform an in-vivo count of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, with a source configured to generate and emit excitation light within a predefined light wavelength range and a plurality of photosensors configured to detect, record, and quantify autofluorescence emitted in response to the excitation light, the photosensors placed at a predefined distance from one another and used to calculate blood flow velocity, ejection time, ejection fraction, and cardiac output.
In-vivo autofluorescence quantification with communications to a computing device
Inserting an autofluorescence sensor that interfaces with an implantable venous access port, emitting excitation light within a predefined wavelength range, quantifying in vivo autofluorescence emitted by red blood cells, white blood cells and/or platelets using predefined distances and detection-time differences between at least two photosensors to calculate blood flow velocity, ejection time, ejection fraction, and cardiac output, and communicating the resulting physiological indicators to a computing device.
Across the independent claims, the core coverage is an implantable venous access port that integrates sensors to determine chemotherapy-related physiological indicators, including an autofluorescence sensor that uses excitation light and multiple photosensors with predefined spacing and detection-time differences to calculate blood flow velocity and related cardiac metrics, and a communications module that communicates the resulting indicators to a computing device.
Stated Advantages
Allows monitoring of chemotherapy-related physiological indicators by communicating sensor-determined indicators to a computing device.
Enables calculation of blood flow velocity, ejection time, ejection fraction, and cardiac output based on predefined photosensor distances and detection-time differences.
Supports patient health alerts when chemotherapy-related physiological indicators fall outside threshold values.
Enables secure/encrypted transmission of physiological indicators.
Provides visualization of blood indicators by plotting over time.
Documented Applications
Implantable venous access port monitoring for chemotherapy-related physiological indicators, including red blood cell count, white blood cell count, platelets, and/or ejection fraction.
In-vivo autofluorescence-based counting and cardiac-metric calculation in the superior vena cava using an implantable venous access port-integrated autofluorescence sensor.
Time-based plotting of red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and platelet count for monitoring.
Threshold-based patient health alerts to an authorized user based on chemotherapy-related physiological indicators deviating from threshold values.
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