Visual-Assisted Insertion Device
OwnerJoseph Choate BURKETTinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A visual-assisted insertion device for ensuring accurate and repeatable needle insertion into the human body regardless of skill or training. A user of the visual-assisted insertion device may accurately perform inter-organ needle insertion by determining a desired needle-insertion point on an ultrasound display screen, wherein the insertion point and angle of the needle is automatically calculated and mechanically adjusted to correspond to the desired needle-insertion point. Accordingly, unsuccessful inter-organ needle insertion is minimized through a handheld, visual-assisted insertion device which simplifies the inter-organ needle insertion process.
Claims38
A method of inserting a needle into a lumen of a blood vessel using a visual-assisted insertion device (VAID), the VAID comprising:
- a housing, wherein the housing comprises a body contact area configured to contact a subject;
- an ultrasound imaging mechanism operatively coupled to the housing, wherein the ultrasound imaging mechanism provides a live view showing interior structures in a human body of the subject;
- a peripheral sweep bar operatively coupled to said at least one imaging mechanism for controlling control a position of said the ultrasound imaging mechanism with respect to the housing, wherein the first controller moves the ultrasound mechanism along the body contact area without moving the housing;
- a display screen provided on the housing to display the live view showing interior structures of the subject and a target indicator depicting a target within the subject;
- a motorized needle guide coupled to a needle;
- a first controller comprising directional controls and a needle-insertion button, wherein manipulation the directional controls adjust the target indicator and the motorized needle guide;
- the method comprising:
- placing the body contact area of the VAID device on a body surface of the subject;
- identifying interiors structures below the body surface using the ultrasound imaging mechanism and the display screen;
- determining a horizontal angle of the blood vessel using the peripheral sweep bar;
- centering the target indicator within the blood vessel using the direction controls;
- and
- inserting the needle to the target using the needle-insertion button.
A visual-assisted insertion device (VAID), comprising:
- a housing;
- a needle-insertion apparatus housed in the housing comprising
- at least one imaging mechanism operatively coupled to the housing, wherein said at least one imaging mechanism provides a live view showing-interior structures in a human body of the subject, and
- a motorized needle guide for housing and positioning a needle, the motorized needle guide coupled to the at least one imaging mechanism;
- a first controller operatively coupled to said at least one imaging mechanism and configured to control a position of said at least one imaging mechanism with respect to the housing, wherein the housing comprises a body contact area configured to contact the subject, and wherein the first controller moves said at least one imaging mechanism along the body contact area without moving the housing;
- a display screen provided on the housing to display the live view showing interior structures of the subject and a target indicator depicting a target within the subject, wherein movement of the at least one imaging mechanism updates a position of at least the interior structures of the subject with respect to the target indictor;
- a second controller operatively coupled to the motorized needle guide and configured to move the needle to the target and
- wherein an initial insertion of the needle into a lumen of the subject is performed by placing the target indicator at a location within the lumen, wherein an insertion point and angle of the needle is automatically calculated and mechanically adjusted to correspond to the target indicator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.