Integrated fiber optic sensor umbilical catheter

Inventors

Rehan, Virender • Delgado, Jesus

Assignees

Intelligent Optical Systems Inc • Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to a catheter configured to detect at least one blood gas parameter present in blood in an artery of a patient, including, but not limited to, a catheter wall forming at least one lumen configured for umbilical arterial catheterization, at least one optical fiber incorporated in the catheter wall, wherein the at least one optical fiber is configured to detected the at least one blood gas parameter.

Core Innovation

The integrated fiber optic sensor umbilical catheter detects at least one blood gas parameter present in blood within a blood vessel of a neonate using embedded distributed fiber-optic chemical sensors for real-time continuous blood gas monitoring. The catheter combines routine umbilical arterial catheterization with an incorporated optical-fiber sensor segment to detect parameters including PaO2, PaCO2, and pH, with optional bicarbonate and temperature sensing.

The optical-fiber sensors are implemented using functionalized cladding and a permeable biocompatible window, together with distributed luminescent indicator chemical sensors embedded in a sensitive optical-fiber segment. Sensor spots are formed in cladding wells filled with parameter-sensitive materials, enabling sensing through an optical transmission segment and detection by a photodetector.

To address a wall effect, the catheter uses distributed sensing over a larger effective sensing length and includes redundant O2 sensing fibers placed on opposite sides of the catheter cross-section. Processor-based detection and data fusion omit or filter erroneous O2 readings, and emission lifetime detection is used to support calibration-free operation; the disclosed system also reports stable readings during patient movement and optionally integrates temperature sensing via a thermocouple.

Claims Coverage

The document provides two independent claims: one for a catheter and one for a method for providing the catheter. Across these claims, the core inventive coverage is centered on incorporating at least one optical fiber on an exterior surface of a catheter wall, where the optical fiber includes at least one blood gas parameter sensor configured to detect blood gas parameters.

Overall, independent claim coverage requires a catheter wall with a lumen for catheterization and at least one optical fiber on the exterior surface that carries a blood gas parameter sensor for detection. Dependent claim refinements described in the document further cover specific blood-gas targets, multi-fiber and cross-sectional placement, sensorized lumens with embedded optical fibers, thermocouple temperature sensing, and cladding-well-based distributed fiber-optic sensing.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications