System and methods for positioning an intubation tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9826956-B2
Application number	US-201615080891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

This document describes a system for determining positioning of an intubation tube in a patient. The system can include a first acoustic sensor configured to be disposed to listen to one of a lung and a stomach of the patient and to provide a first signal. The system includes a signal processing unit, coupled to the first acoustic sensor, configured to analyze spectral components of the first signal and determine whether a frequency of the spectral components of the first signal are characteristic of sounds induced by ventilation via the intubation tube of airflow to the lung or the stomach of the patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for determining positioning of an intubation tube in a patient, comprising:
an intubation tube;
at least one acoustic sensor configured to provide sensor outputs indicative of acoustic vibration of the patient and indicative of a displacement of a location on the patient; and
a signal processor that determines the positioning of the intubation tube in the patient, the signal processor being coupled to the at least one acoustic sensor, the signal processor being configured to:
receive the sensor outputs representing a first signal indicative of the acoustic vibration of the patient and a second signal indicative of the displacement of the location on the patient,
analyze spectral components of the first signal indicative of the acoustic vibration of the patient to estimate whether a frequency of the spectral components of the first signal are characteristic of sounds induced by ventilation, via the intubation tube, of airflow to a lung or a stomach of the patient;
analyze the second signal indicative of the displacement of the location on the patient; and
generate an output estimation of the positioning of the intubation tube in the patient based on the analyses of the first signal indicative of the acoustic vibration of the patient and the second signal indicative of the displacement of the location on the patient.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to provide an instruction to relocate the at least one acoustic sensor responsive to the estimate.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to provide an instruction to relocate the at least one acoustic sensor at one of a third left intercostal region, a third right intercostal region, a sixth left intercostal region, a sixth right intercostal region, and a stomach region of the patient.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one acoustic sensor includes an;
acoustic sensor that is configured to be disposed to listen to one of the lung and the stomach of the patient and to provide a third signal,
wherein the signal processor is further coupled to the acoustic sensor, and configured to analyze spectral components of the third signal and estimate whether a frequency of the spectral components of the third signal are characteristic of sounds induced by ventilation, via the intubation tube, of airflow to the lung or the stomach of the patient.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to determine whether an amplitude of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are substantially equal, and provide an instruction to relocate a position of the intubation tube in the patient in response to a determination that the amplitude of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are substantially unequal.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising:
an additional acoustic sensor coupled to the signal processor and configured to be disposed at approximately a stomach region of the patient and to provide a fourth signal,
wherein the signal processor is further configured to analyze spectral components of the fourth signal.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to analyze spectral componets of the fourth signal and estimate whether a frequency of the spectral components of the fourth signal are characteristic of sounds induced by ventilation, via the intubation tube, of airflow to the stomach of the patient.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air flow sensor configured to detect airflow through the intubation tube,
wherein the signal processor is coupled to the air flow sensor and further configured to analyze the spectral components of the first signal responsive to detecting the airflow through the intubation tube.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air flow sensor is positioned at a distal tip of the intubation tube.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air flow sensor is positioned at a proximal tip of the intubation tube.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air flow sensor includes a differential air flow sensor.

12. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first pressure sensor positioned at a proximal tip of the intubation tube; and
a second pressure sensor positioned at a distal tip of the intubation tube,
wherein the signal processor is coupled to the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor and configured to analyze a pressure differential between a first pressure detected by the first pressure sensor and a second pressure detected by the second pressure sensor.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to filter vibrational noise transduced into the first signal from chest compressions delivered to the patient.

14. A system for determining positioning of an intubation tube in a patient, comprising:
an acoustic sensor configured to provide sensor outputs indicative of acoustic vibration of the patient and indicative of a displacement of a location on the patient;
an additional acoustic sensor configured to be disposed to listen to one of a lung and a stomach of the patient; and
a signal processor that determines the positioning of the intubation tube in the patient, the signal processor being coupled to the acoustic sensor and the additional acoustic sensor, the signal processing unit being configured to:
receive the sensor outputs representing a first signal indicative of the acoustic vibration of the patient and a second signal indicative of the displacement of the location on the patient,
analyze spectral components of the first signal indicative of the acoustic vibration of the patient, the second signal indicative of the displacement of the location on the patient, and a third signal provided by the additional acoustic sensor to determine that the intubation tube is properly disposed in the patient in response to a determination that a frequency of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are characteristic of sounds of airflow to the lung or the stomach of the patient.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to determine whether the frequency of the spectral components of the first signal and third signal are above a determined threshold and an amplitude of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are substantially equal, and determine that the intubation tube is properly disposed in the patient in response to a determination that the frequency of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are above the determined threshold and the amplitude of the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal are substantially equal.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
an air flow sensor configured to detect airflow through the intubation tube,
wherein the signal processor is coupled to the air flow sensor and further configured to analyze the spectral components of the first signal and the third signal responsive to detecting the airflow through the intubation tube.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising the intubation tube, wherein the air flow sensor is positioned at a distal tip of the intubation tube.

18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising the intubation tube, wherein the air flow sensor is positioned at a proximal tip of the intubation tube.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the air flow sensor includes

Assignees

• Zoll Medical Corp

Inventors

• Freeman Gary A
• Herken Ulrich
• Silver Annemarie

Classifications

• A61B7/008 Primary

  Detecting noise of gastric tract, e.g. caused by voiding · CPC title

• A61M2016/0027

  pressure meter · CPC title

• A61M2205/3375

  Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means · CPC title

• A61B7/003

  Detecting lung or respiration noise · CPC title

• A61M2016/0036

  in the breathing tube and used in both inspiratory and expiratory phase · CPC title