Spring wing assembly for photoplethysmorgraphic sensor
AssigneeKestrel Labs, Inc.
InventorsJonas Alexander Pologe, Theodore Philip Delianides
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photoplethysmographic sensor designed for use on the presenting portion of a fetus during labor and delivery. The sensor has a non-deployed state in which the sensor presents a smaller footprint, or cross sectional area, for transvaginal insertion. Once the sensor is applied to the fetal tissue it is moved into the deployed state, which has a larger footprint or cross sectional area, than the sensor does in the non-deployed state. The deployed state optimizes the physical distance between the light emitter and the photodetector to maximize the photoplethysmographic measurement accuracy from the fetal tissue.
Claims18
A transvaginal sensor for measuring one or more blood analyte levels or one or more hemodynamic parameters in a tissue-under-test, comprising:
- a light emitter for delivery of light to a tissue-under-test,
- a photodetector for reception of light from the tissue-under-test,
- a sensor body,
- a needle attached to the sensor body designed to adhere the sensor body to the tissue-under-test,
- the needle housing one of the light emitter for subcutaneous delivery of light to the tissue-under-test or the photodetector for subcutaneous reception of light from the tissue-under-test,
- a deployable member housing the other of the light emitter to deliver light to the tissue-under-test or the photodetector to receive light from the tissue-under-test, the deployable member movably attached to the sensor body, the other of the photodetector or light emitter housed in the deployable member set at a distance from the one of the photodetector or light emitter housed in the needle that is greater than a distance from any point on the tissue-under-test contacting surface of the sensor body to the photodetector or light emitter housed in the needle when the sensor is in a deployed state, and
- a plurality of conductors for conducting signals to the light emitter and from the photodetector.
A transvaginal sensor for measuring one or more blood analyte levels or one or more hemodynamic parameters in a tissue-under-test, comprising:
- a light emitter for subcutaneous delivery of light to a tissue-under-test,
- a photodetector for conversion of light received from the tissue-under-test into an electronic signal,
- a sensor body designed to incorporate a helical needle to adhere to the tissue-under-test, the helical needle designed to incorporate the light emitter,
- a deployable member housing the photodetector, the photodetector housed in the deployable member at a distance from the light emitter greater than about one cm when the sensor is affixed to the tissue-under-test, the deployable member movably attached to the sensor body, and
- a plurality of conductors for conducting signals to the light emitter and from the photodetector.
A method for sensing one or more blood analyte levels or one or more hemodynamic parameters in a tissue-under-test, comprising the steps of:
- providing a light emitter in a sensor to emit light into a tissue-under-test, providing a needle affixed to the sensor to house the light emitter and to emit light subcutaneously to the tissue-under-test, movably attaching a deployable member to the sensor, providing a photodetector for reception of light from the tissue-under-test, housing the photodetector in the deployable member, positioning the photodetector in the deployable member to provide a pathlength from the light emitter of at least one centimeter when the sensor is in a deployed state, inserting the sensor transvaginally to the tissue-under-test, deploying the deployable member against the tissue-under-test, conducting at least one of electrical and optical signals to the light emitter and from the photodetector through a plurality of conductors.
A method for sensing one or more blood analyte levels or one or more hemodynamic parameters in a tissue-under-test, comprising the steps of:
- providing a helical needle in a sensor for adhering to a tissue-under-test,
- housing a light emitter in the helical needle to emit light subcutaneously into the tissue-under-test and to adhere the sensor to the tissue-under-test,
- movably attaching a deployable member to the sensor,
- housing a photodetector in the deployable member to receive light from the tissue-under-test,
- selecting the position of housing of the photodetector in the deployable member to provide a distance between the photodetector and the light emitter greater than about one centimeter when the sensor is affixed to the tissue-under-test,
- passing the sensor transvaginally to the tissue-under-test, and
- deploying the deployable member against the tissue-under-test.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.