Electronic catheter stethoscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782145-B2
Application number	US-201615362001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2010
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

An electronic catheter stethoscope measures and analyzes acoustic fields and dynamic pressure variations in the gaseous or liquid fluid inside a conventional medical catheter that is positioned in a patient's urologic, digestive, reproductive, cardiovascular, neurological or pulmonary system. Measurement transducers are installed in a housing connectable to multiple preselected medical catheters. The transducers detect bodily functions that are transmitted to the preselected catheter from within the body. The transducers, housing, electrical interface and signal processing electronics are positioned outside the body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for measurement and analysis of bodily functions using an electronic catheter stethoscope configured to connect to a plurality of types of catheters, comprising the steps of:
connecting a housing of said electronic catheter stethoscope to a valve of a medical catheter selected from said plurality of types of catheters, wherein the valve is disposed on a proximal end of said medical catheter,
wherein a purge/fill valve is mounted on said housing;
inserting a distal end of said medical catheter into a patient's body while maintaining said proximal end and said housing outside the patient's body, wherein an interior of said medical catheter is in fluid communication with bodily fluids in said patient's body;
said housing enclosing at least one transducer therewithin so that said at least one transducer is in communication with said interior of said medical catheter of said medical catheter and thus also in fluid communication with said bodily fluids in said patient's body,
said at least one transducer sensing an acoustic field, a pressure, or a combination thereof of gaseous or liquid fluids within said medical catheter;
introducing said gaseous or liquid fluids from said medical catheter into said housing through said purge/fill valve;
purging said gaseous or liquid fluids from said medical catheter from said housing through said purge/fill valve;
monitoring acoustic fields and pressure variations of said gaseous or liquid fluids within said medical catheter due to said bodily functions affecting said bodily fluids within said patient, wherein said gaseous or liquid fluids within said medical catheter are affected by changes in said bodily fluids within said patient's body and wherein said gaseous or liquid fluids within said medical catheter may include said bodily fluids as well depending on the bodily function being measured and analyzed;
providing a data acquisition system for conditioning, amplifying and converting analog measurement signals generated by said at least one transducer to digital signals;
positioning said data acquisition system externally of said housing; and
providing electrical communication between said at least one transducer and said data acquisition system and said at least one transducer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said gaseous or liquid fluids within said catheter includes said bodily fluids.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
mounting a Luer-type connector on a distal end of said housing;
opening said valve mounted on said proximal end of said catheter by employing said Luer-type connector to connect said housing to said proximal end of said medical catheter.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of:
filling or purging said housing and medical catheter with said gaseous or liquid fluids when said valve mounted on said proximal end of said catheter is opened by said Luer-type connector.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
selecting said medical catheter from the group consisting of a urinary (foley) catheter, an intravenous catheter, an arterial catheter, a cardiac catheter, a pulmonary catheter, a bronchial catheter, an esophageal catheter, and a colon catheter.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
providing said at least one transducer in the form of an acoustic transducer or a pressure transducer;
selecting as said medical catheter said urinary catheter having a balloon formed integrally therewith;
connecting said housing to a proximal end of said urinary catheter;
positioning a distal end of said urinary catheter within the bladder of a patient; and
directly measuring acoustic fields and dynamic pressure variations in said gaseous or liquid fluids that fill said balloon with said acoustic transducer and said pressure transducer.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
selecting as said medical catheter an intravenous catheter or an arterial line;
inserting a distal end of said intravenous catheter or said arterial line into a blood vessel; and
monitoring and measuring fetal heartrates, fetal heart tones and a mother's heart rate with said at least one transducer by connecting said housing to a proximal end of said heart-monitoring catheter.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
providing said electrical communication through a wired or wireless transmission of transducer signals to said data acquisition system.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
mounting a membrane within said housing to shield said at least one transducer from said gaseous or liquid fluids within said medical catheter while allowing passage of acoustic and pressure variations and disturbances in the blood flow.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
providing a data analysis system;
connecting said data analysis system to said data acquisition system for processing digital measurement signals and for removing and isolating extraneous noises; and
processing said digital measurement signals with said data acquisition system to monitor and analyze said bodily functions.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
storing raw or processed measurement signal data in a digital memory device.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of:
displaying said stored raw or processed measurement signal data in a graphical display.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
providing said data acquisition system in the form of a hand-held computational device.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
covering said housing with sound absorbing materials to shield said housing from ambient noise.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
actively cancelling ambient noise by employing at least one external microphone in combination with said at least one transducer.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of:
actively cancelling extraneous body noises or pressure fluctuations by employing at least one acoustic or at least one pressure measurement transducer positioned externally on a patient's body in combination with said at least one transducer.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
providing said at least one transducer in the form of a Doppler ultrasound transceiver.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
providing said at least one transducer in the form of a single transducer capable of measuring both said acoustic fields and said pressure variations of said gaseous or liquid fluids within said catheter.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
providing said at least one transducer in the form of an acoustic transducer and a pressure transducer both enclosed within said housing and measuring said acoustic fields and said pressure variations, respectively.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
disconnecting said housing of said electronic catheter stethoscope from said proximal end of said medical catheter; and
connecting said housing of said electronic catheter stethoscope to a proximal end of a second medical catheter selected from said plurality of types of catheters,
wherein said medical catheter and said second medical catheter have differing uses within said patient's body.

Assignees

• Univ South Florida
• Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc

Inventors

• Hart Stuart
• Dileo Gerard Michael
• Weitzenfeld Alfredo
• Hipol Philip James
• Sweeney Mark Xavier
• Sinatra Francy Lorena
• Hufford Kevin Andrew
• Lai-Yuen Susana K

Classifications

• A61B5/6875

  Uterus · CPC title

• A61B5/6874

  Bladder · CPC title

• A61B5/6853

  with a balloon · CPC title

• A61B5/4356

  Assessing uterine contractions (A61B5/033 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/08

  Measuring devices for evaluating the respiratory organs · CPC title