Probe for monitoring wet or moist environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11179074-B1
Application number	US-47935909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 5, 2009
Priority date	May 8, 2009
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A sensor probe has a sensor unit which is embedded in a sheath member which is suturable. The sheath member allows the sensor unit to be sutured and secured to any tissue even in a wet or moist environment. The sensor probe in accordance with the present invention is particularly useful as an intraoral sensor probe for measuring oxygen saturation of a flap tissue inside the oral cavity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor probe comprising:
a sensor unit comprising a first source structure and a first detector structure on a scanning surface of the sensor unit, wherein the first source structure comprises an opening that is coupled to a distal end of a first optical fiber, and the first detector structure comprises an opening that is coupled to a distal end of a second optical fiber;
an elastomeric sheath member comprising a silicone-based material and having a recessed region for embedding the sensor unit and a lip region surrounding the scanning surface of the sensor unit,
wherein the elastomeric sheath member comprises an elastomeric material having greater elasticity than the sensor unit and the elastomeric sheath member comprises a solid translucent material, without prefabricated suture openings extending through, adapted for suturing the elastomeric sheath member with the sensor unit onto tissue,
the recessed region comprises an opening and an inside surface, opposite to the opening,
the scanning surface of the sensor unit comprising the first source structure and first detector structure faces in a direction away from the inside surface, and
when the first source structure and first detector structure of the scanning surface are placed against a tissue to be evaluated, the first source structure emits a first light into the tissue without passing through the elastomeric sheath member, and the first detector structure receives a second light reflected from the tissue, and
the solid translucent material forms at least a portion of the lip region and the portion of the lip region comprising the solid translucent material is designed to be sutured from a first pierceable surface to a second pierceable surface, opposite of the first pierceable surface, of the lip region onto tissue without having sutures entering the recessed region where the sensor unit is embedded;
a cable connected to the sensor unit wherein the cable is configured to operably couple the sensor unit to a system unit, wherein the cable comprises the first optical fiber that couples the first source structure to a first light emitter diode and the second optical fiber that couples the first detector structure to a first photodetector;
a first tubing sleeve, covering a first portion of the cable, wherein the first tubing sleeve comprises a channel through which the cable passes through, and a first position is separated from the elastomeric sheath member by a first gap; and
a second tubing sleeve, covering a second portion of the cable, wherein the second tubing sleeve comprises a channel through which the cable passes through, a second position is separated from the first tubing sleeve by a second gap, larger than the first gap, and the first tubing sleeve is between the elastomeric sheath member and the second tubing sleeve.

2. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the second light reflected from the tissue is received by the first detector structure without passing through the elastomeric sheath member.

3. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the lip region of the sheath member can be pierced by a surgical needle.

4. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the sheath member is comprised of a silicone material.

5. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the sensor probe is an intraoral sensor probe, and the elastic sheath member is suturable to tissue of an oral cavity.

6. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the sheath member has a slot which is interconnected to the recessed region on a bottom wall of the sheath member, wherein the slot is configured to fit a portion of the cable proximate to the sensor unit.

7. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the elastomeric material is elongated in at least one direction to an elongation from at least about 50 to about 700 percent.

8. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein a portion of the cable proximate to the sensor unit is flattened, and the flattened cable fits into a rectangular slot of the elastomeric sheath member.

9. The sensor probe of claim 1 further comprising the first tubing sleeve, covering a first portion of the cable nearby the sensor unit, wherein the first tubing sleeve is suturable, and comprises a transparent or translucent material.

10. The sensor probe of claim 9 further comprising the second tubing sleeve, covering a second portion of the cable, which is located nearby the first tubing sleeve, and the second tubing sleeve is slidably coupled to the cable to alter a distance from the first tubing sleeve, whereby the second tubing sleeve cushions the cable from the effect of mouth bite pressure on the cable.

11. The sensor probe of claim 10 wherein the first tubing sleeve, the second tubing sleeve, or both comprise a silicone material.

12. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the sensor unit further comprises a second source structure and a second detector structure,
wherein a first distance is between the first source structure and the first detector structure, a second distance is between the first source structure and the second detector structure, a third distance is between the second source structure and the first detector structure, a fourth distance is between the second source structure and the second detector structure, and
the first distance is not equal to the fourth distance and the second distance is not equal to the third distance.

13. The sensor probe of claim 12 wherein the sensor unit further comprises a third detector structure and a fourth detector structure which are located between the first detector structure and the second detector structure, wherein all of the detector structures are linearly aligned with respect to one another, wherein
a distance between the first detector structure and the second detector structure is 5 millimeters,
a distance between adjacently located detector structures is 5/3 millimeters, and
a distance between the first detector structure and the first source structure is 5 millimeters.

14. A method comprising:
contacting the scanning surface of the sensor probe of claim 1 on a tissue;
securing the sensor probe on the tissue by piercing and suturing the lip region of the elastomeric sheath member to the tissue with a suturing needle;
transmitting the first light through the first source structure into the tissue;
receiving the second light transmitted through the tissue at the detector structure; and
determining an oxygen saturation value for the tissue based on values for the first and second light.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the tissue is a flap tissue inside an oral cavity.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the sensor probe further comprises the first tubing sleeve covering a first portion of the cable nearby the sensor unit, wherein the first tubing sleeve comprises a transparent or translucent material, and wherein the method further comprises suturing the first tubing sleeve to the flap tissue or a tissue adjacent to the flap tissue.

17. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein a back surface of the sensor unit, opposite to the scanning surface, is positioned against the inside surface of the recess,
whereby when the sensor probe is placed against a tissue to be evaluated, the inside surface of the recess urges, via the back surface, the scanning surface of the sensor unit against the tissue.

18. The sensor probe of claim 1 wherein the scanning surface of the sensor unit protrudes from the opening of the recessed region such that the scanning surface is not flush with a bottom surface of the sheath member.

Assignees

• Lash Robert E
• Heaton Ii Larry C
• Keller Alex
• Vioptix Inc

Inventors

• Lash Robert E
• Heaton Ii Larry C
• Keller Alex

Classifications

• A61B5/14551 Primary

  for measuring blood gases · CPC title

• A61B5/413

  Monitoring transplanted tissue or organ, e.g. for possible rejection reactions after a transplant · CPC title

• A61B5/0066 Primary

  Optical coherence imaging · CPC title

• A61B1/00096

  Optical elements · CPC title

• A61B1/00172

  with means for scanning · CPC title