Ultrasound guided vascular puncture device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasound-guided blood vessel puncture device, comprising: an ultrasound probe, the ultrasound probe being used for transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals; a needle slot, the needle slot being connected with the ultrasound probe, and the extending direction of the needle slot being the same as the extending direction of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe; and a puncture needle, the puncture needle being slidably arranged in the needle slot. In the ultrasound-guided blood vessel puncture device provided by the embodiments of the present application, the needle slot with the same extending direction as the extending direction of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe is arranged, and the puncture needle is arranged in the needle slot, so that, in the process of ultrasound guidance, after the ultrasound probe finds an angle suitable for puncture, the puncture needle can directly complete the puncture along the angle, without the need to adjust the angle of the puncture needle, thereby simplifying the puncture operation, and there is no visual blind area in the puncture process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of medical device technology, specifically to an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device. Background Technology

[0002] Ultrasound-guided vascular puncture is a necessary step in many interventional diagnostic and treatment procedures. The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture devices provided in related technologies usually have a structure on the ultrasound probe to guide the puncture needle, which facilitates the operation. However, these guiding structures are usually located on one side of the ultrasound probe, which results in a large deviation between the puncture needle entry point and the ultrasound probe. The operator needs to determine the puncture angle of the puncture needle based on experience, and there are blind spots in the field of vision during the puncture process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present invention is proposed to provide an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device that overcomes or at least partially solves the above problems.

[0004] An embodiment of this application provides an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device, comprising: an ultrasound probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals; a needle groove connected to the ultrasound probe, the extension direction of the needle groove being the same as the extension direction of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe; and a puncture needle slidably disposed in the needle groove.

[0005] The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device provided in this application embodiment has a needle groove whose extension direction is the same as the extension direction of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe, and the puncture needle is placed in the needle groove. Thus, during the ultrasound guidance process, after the ultrasound probe finds a suitable puncture angle, the puncture needle can directly complete the puncture along that angle without adjusting the angle of the puncture needle, which simplifies the puncture operation. Furthermore, there is no blind spot in the field of vision during the puncture process. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0007] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0008] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the needle hole according to an embodiment of this application;

[0009] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the needle hole according to another embodiment of this application;

[0010] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the force feedback device and pressure measuring device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the determined puncture point;

[0013] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the puncture point aligned with the puncture target according to an embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the change in length of the blood vessel to be punctured in a measured image during the rotation of the ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the cross-sectional change of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image when the angle between the ultrasonic signal detection axis of the ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of this application and the body surface changes. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] An embodiment of this application provides an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device, referring to... Figure 1 It includes an ultrasound probe 10, a needle groove 20, and a puncture needle 30.

[0018] The ultrasonic probe 10 is used to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic probe 10 typically includes an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting ultrasonic signals and an ultrasonic sensor for receiving ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic transducer can be, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic disk transducer, which can convert the input electrical power into ultrasonic signals and propagate them outward. The ultrasonic sensor can be embedded in the ultrasonic transducer.

[0019] In the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture devices provided in related technologies, the puncture needle and ultrasound probe are set up relatively independently. After the operator uses the ultrasound probe to locate the blood vessel to be punctured, they need to determine the puncture direction and angle based on their experience. The puncture direction refers to the direction of the projection of the puncture needle onto the plane of the body surface during puncture, and the puncture angle refers to the angle between the puncture needle and the plane of the body surface during puncture. Generally, it is required that the puncture direction is approximately the same as the direction of the blood vessel's projection on the body surface, and the puncture angle is approximately 45 degrees to the blood vessel wall.

[0020] During the puncture, the ultrasound probe needs to be kept in a position where the blood vessel to be punctured can be observed. Due to the limited size of the ultrasound probe itself, the operator needs to avoid the location of the ultrasound probe during the needle insertion process and choose to insert the needle from another direction, such as from the side of the ultrasound probe. This further increases the control requirements for the puncture direction and requires the operator to have relatively rich operating experience.

[0021] In this embodiment, a needle groove 20 is provided to connect with the ultrasonic probe 10, and its extension direction is the same as the extension direction of the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10. The ultrasonic signal transmission axis refers to the propagation axis of the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic probe 10. The puncture needle 30 is slidably disposed in the needle groove 20, that is, during the puncture process, the movement direction of the puncture needle 30 is the same as the propagation direction of the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10.

[0022] Therefore, when using the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device provided in this embodiment for puncture, after locating the blood vessel to be punctured by holding the ultrasound probe 10, the operator can align the puncture needle 30 with the location of the blood vessel, adjust the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 to be parallel to the direction of blood vessel extension, and adjust the angle between the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface to a suitable angle. Then, the puncture needle 30 can be pushed to slide in the needle groove 20 to complete the puncture. There is no need to convert the puncture orientation of the puncture needle 30.

[0023] In actual operation, it is easy for the operator to judge whether the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the location of the blood vessel to be punctured, whether the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is aligned with the extension direction of the blood vessel to be punctured, and whether the angle between the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface is appropriate. For example, the operator can determine whether the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the location of the blood vessel to be punctured based on the relative position of the needle groove 20 and the ultrasound probe 10, and the position of the blood vessel to be punctured in the ultrasound image. The operator can determine whether the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is aligned with the extension direction of the blood vessel to be punctured based on the orientation of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image. When the ultrasound signal transmission axis is aligned with the extension direction of the blood vessel, the two walls of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image should be approximately vertical. The angle between the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface should be approximately the same as the angle between the puncture needle and the body surface when the operator holds the puncture needle for puncture.

[0024] Understandably, after the puncture needle 30 successfully enters the blood vessel to be punctured, subsequent operations may need to be performed through the lumen of the puncture needle 30, such as delivering a guidewire or performing an injection. When performing these subsequent operations, ultrasound guidance may no longer be required, or at least not at the blood vessel to be punctured. Therefore, in some embodiments, the puncture needle 30 can be configured to slide completely out of the needle groove 20. This allows the puncture needle 30 to be fixed in place after entering the blood vessel, while the ultrasound probe 10 is moved, causing the puncture needle 30 to slide completely out of the needle groove 20. This allows the ultrasound probe 10 to be removed, leaving only the puncture needle 30, facilitating subsequent operations.

[0025] In some embodiments, reference may still be made to Figure 1 The ultrasonic probe 10 may include a handle 11 and an ultrasonic part 12. The ultrasonic part 12 is connected to one end of the handle 11. The extension direction of the handle 11 is the same as the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10. A needle groove 20 is provided on the handle 11. The ultrasonic part 12 is provided with a needle outlet hole 13 that communicates with the needle groove 20.

[0026] The ultrasonic unit 12 refers to the component in the ultrasonic probe 10 used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals. As described above, it may include an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting ultrasonic signals and an ultrasonic sensor for receiving ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic unit 12 is connected to one end of the handle 11. In actual use, the operator can hold the handle 11 to adjust the axis of the ultrasonic unit 12 that transmits ultrasonic signals.

[0027] The extension direction of the handle 11 is the same as the extension direction of the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10. The needle groove 20 is connected to the handle 11, which makes it easier for the operator to adjust the posture of the ultrasonic probe 10 during actual operation, and also ensures that the setting of the needle groove 20 does not increase the volume of the ultrasonic probe 10.

[0028] In some embodiments, the needle groove 20 may be disposed within the handle 11, and the ultrasonic unit 12 may be provided with a needle outlet 13 communicating with the needle groove 20. Although opening the needle outlet 13 on the ultrasonic unit 12 may affect the range of ultrasonic signals emitted by the ultrasonic unit 12 to some extent, those skilled in the art can use the ultrasonic signal processing methods provided in the related art to compensate for the influence caused by the needle outlet, thereby ensuring that the ultrasonic image meets the requirements. The specific compensation methods will not be described in detail here.

[0029] In this embodiment, the puncture needle 30 can be directly inserted through the needle outlet 13 on the ultrasonic unit 12, so that the position of the ultrasonic unit 12 does not need to be adjusted to expose the puncture point during actual puncture. Furthermore, the puncture needle 30 will always remain in the ultrasound image after it is inserted, without any blind spots.

[0030] In some embodiments, the needle groove 20 may be provided with a pusher for pushing the puncture needle 30 to slide in the needle groove. The pusher may be provided with a handle that can extend to the outside of the handle 11, thereby facilitating the operator to complete the puncture operation.

[0031] In some other embodiments, reference is made to Figure 2 The needle groove 20 can also be provided on the outer surface of the handle 11, and the opening of the needle groove 20 can be provided on the edge of the ultrasonic part 12. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to start the needle hole 13 on the ultrasonic part 12, thereby saving costs. However, this also means that after the puncture needle 30 is inserted, it can only appear at the relative edge of the ultrasonic image, and the field of vision is relatively poor.

[0032] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 3 The needle outlet 13 can be located at the detection center of the ultrasound unit 12. The detection center of the ultrasound unit 12 refers to the center of the coverage area of ​​the ultrasound signal it emits, that is, the center of the ultrasound image generated based on the ultrasound signal received by the ultrasound unit 12. One advantage of setting the needle outlet 13 here is that, in actual operation, it is only necessary to adjust the blood vessel to be punctured to the center of the ultrasound image to ensure that the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the blood vessel to be punctured, making the operation more convenient. Another advantage of setting the needle outlet 13 here is that its influence on the ultrasound signal emission range of the ultrasound unit 12 can be minimized.

[0033] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 The ultrasonic unit 12 may include a first ultrasonic element 121 and a second ultrasonic element 122 arranged side by side, with a gap between them. A pinhole 13 is disposed in this gap. The first ultrasonic element 121 and the second ultrasonic element 122 may be two ultrasonic transducers whose ultrasonic signal emission ranges overlap. In this embodiment, the pinhole 13 is disposed in the gap so that it does not affect the ultrasonic signal emission range of each of the two ultrasonic elements. In actual use, the ultrasonic signals of the two ultrasonic elements can be fitted to generate an ultrasonic image. The specific fitting method can be referred to the relevant technology in this field, and will not be elaborated here.

[0034] In some other embodiments, the ultrasonic unit 12 may include an annular ultrasonic transducer, and the pinhole 13 may be disposed in a hollow portion in the center of the annular ultrasonic transducer. In some other embodiments, the pinhole 13 may also be disposed by making an opening in the ultrasonic transducer. There is no limitation on this.

[0035] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 5The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device may also include a force feedback element 40, which is connected to the puncture needle 30 to measure the force on the tip of the puncture needle 30. The force feedback element 40 can be, for example, a pressure sensor, and those skilled in the art can determine its installation location based on the specific type of force feedback element 40 selected; there are no limitations on this. In this embodiment, the addition of the force feedback element 40 enables the operator to accurately determine whether the puncture needle has pierced the blood vessel wall or whether it has encountered resistance on the other side of the blood vessel wall after entering the blood vessel.

[0036] In some embodiments, the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device may further include a pressure sensor 50 connected to the lumen of the puncture needle 30 to measure the lumen pressure of the puncture needle 30. The pressure sensor 50 may be, for example, a hydraulic sensor. As an example, the pressure sensor 50 may communicate with the lumen of the puncture needle 30, and when blood flows into the lumen of the puncture needle 30, the pressure sensor 50 will sense the increase in hydraulic pressure. As described above, after puncture, a guidewire or medication is typically delivered through the lumen of the puncture needle 30. To avoid the pressure sensor 50 affecting the delivery of the guidewire, the puncture needle 30 may be provided with a three-way valve structure. The pressure sensor 50 may be connected to the lumen through one opening, while the guidewire or the like may enter the lumen through the other opening. In this embodiment, a pressure measuring device is added to help the operator more accurately determine whether the puncture needle 30 has entered the blood vessel and whether it has traveled to the appropriate position in the blood vessel. Specifically, after the puncture needle 30 enters the blood vessel, the influx of blood will cause the pressure measured by the pressure measuring device 50 to rise. The continued travel of the puncture needle 30 in the blood vessel will cause the pressure measured by the pressure measuring device 50 to change. Preferably, the puncture needle 30 should be kept at the position where the pressure measured by the pressure measuring device 50 is the greatest.

[0037] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 6 The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device may also include a robotic arm 60 connected to the ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30 to adjust the orientation of the ultrasound probe 10 and control the sliding of the puncture needle 30 in the needle groove 20.

[0038] The robotic arm 60 can be any suitable robotic arm available in the art, and can be configured to drive the ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30 to perform any necessary movement operations during ultrasound-guided vascular puncture. As an example, the robotic arm 60 has multiple interconnected arms, which can be connected by bearings, slide rails, etc., allowing the arms to slide, rotate, etc., to drive the connected ultrasound probe 10 to move in multiple degrees of freedom.

[0039] The ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30 can be connected to two independent robotic arms 60, or the ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30 can be connected to different arms of the same robotic arm 60, without limitation.

[0040] In actual use, patient 1 can lie on examination bed 2 (operating bed), and one end of robotic arm 60 can be fixed at any suitable position near examination bed 2 (e.g., the headboard or edge of the examination bed, or fixed to base 3 near examination bed 2), as long as the range of movement of the ultrasound probe 10 and puncture needle 30 can cover the area to be examined. In some embodiments, one end of robotic arm 60 can be fixed to a movable base, so that ultrasound probe 10 can be moved to any suitable position for operation according to actual usage needs.

[0041] In this embodiment, the operator can control the movement of the robotic arm 60 to achieve ultrasound-guided vascular puncture. Compared with the operator holding the ultrasound probe 10 and puncture needle 30, the robotic arm 60 will not shake during the operation, resulting in a lower error rate.

[0042] In some embodiments, the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device may further include one or more processors 70, which may be electrically connected to the ultrasound probe 10 and the robotic arm 60 to control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30, control the ultrasound probe 10 to emit and receive ultrasound signals, etc., thereby automatically completing the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture.

[0043] One or more processors 70 can be integrated into a terminal device, which can be a computer, tablet, mobile phone, or any other terminal capable of performing related functions. This terminal device can be electrically connected to the robotic arm 60 and the ultrasound probe 10 via any suitable connection method, such as wired or wireless connection, to achieve electrical connection between the one or more processors 70 and the robotic arm 60 and the ultrasound probe 10. In some other embodiments, one or more processors 70 can also be integrated into the robotic arm 60 or the ultrasound probe 10; this is not limited. One or more processors 70 can interact with the user in a suitable manner; for example, one or more processors 70 can be connected to a suitable interaction device, such as a mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen.

[0044] In actual use, one or more processors 70 can obtain the blood vessel to be punctured input by the user. The following description will mainly take the femoral artery or femoral vein as the blood vessel to be punctured as an example for more detailed description. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the blood vessel to be punctured can be any blood vessel that needs to be punctured.

[0045] After obtaining the user-inputted blood vessel to be punctured, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the corresponding surface landmark and emit an ultrasound signal. For example, when puncturing the femoral artery or femoral vein, the robotic arm 60 can be controlled to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the patient's groin. Determining the surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured is a general skill that should be possessed by those skilled in the art. The correspondence between these blood vessels and surface landmarks can be pre-stored in a database associated with one or more processors 70. One or more processors 70 can call the relevant data to determine the surface landmark, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0046] Next, one or more processors 70 can generate a measured image based on the ultrasonic signal received by the ultrasonic probe 10. The measured image is obtained by analyzing and processing the ultrasonic signal received by the ultrasonic probe 10 in real time. The specific analysis and processing methods can refer to the ultrasonic signal processing methods provided in the relevant art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] Next, one or more processors 70 can identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image to determine the puncture point.

[0048] Image recognition technology can be used to identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image. For example, image recognition technology based on a neural network model can be used to identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image. Specifically, ultrasound images of the blood vessel to be punctured can be collected using big data and the neural network model can be trained to enable the neural network model to identify the blood vessel to be punctured. Several methods for identifying the blood vessel to be punctured will be described in detail in the relevant sections below, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] After identifying the blood vessel to be punctured, the puncture point can be determined. For example, a point on the central axis of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image can be determined as the puncture point. Alternatively, those skilled in the art can select the rules for determining the puncture point according to the specific needs of the actual puncture, without any limitation.

[0050] After determining the puncture point, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10, so that the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the determined puncture point. Understandably, the one or more processors 70 determine the puncture point in the ultrasound image; therefore, they need to determine the path for moving the ultrasound probe 10 based on the position of the puncture point in the ultrasound image, the position of the ultrasound probe 10, the positional relationship between the ultrasound image and the ultrasound probe 10, and the positional relationship between the needle groove 20 and the ultrasound probe 10, so that the puncture needle 30 can be aligned with the puncture point. As described above, in some embodiments, the ultrasound part 12 of the ultrasound probe 10 has a needle outlet 13 at its detection center. In these embodiments, one or more processors only need to move the ultrasound probe 10 so that the determined puncture point is in the center of the measured image to ensure that the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the puncture point.

[0051] After the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the puncture point, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to move the puncture needle 30 to slide in the needle groove 20, thereby completing the puncture.

[0052] In this embodiment, one or more processors 70 are used to control the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device to automatically complete the vascular puncture without the need for manual operation, thus saving labor costs.

[0053] In some embodiments, the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device further includes a positioning element for providing positional information of a surface landmark corresponding to the vessel to be punctured. One or more processors 70, when controlling the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the surface landmark corresponding to the vessel to be punctured, can control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the surface landmark based on the positional information provided by the positioning element. In some embodiments, the positioning element may be a laser positioning device disposed above the examination bed, which can examine the body structure of the subject by emitting a laser to obtain the positioning information of the surface landmark. In some embodiments, the positioning element may be a device capable of transmitting its own positional information, which can be pre-placed by the operator at the location of the surface landmark.

[0054] In some other embodiments, instead of a positioning element, a camera can be mounted on the robotic arm 60 or the ultrasound probe 10. One or more processors 70 can identify the location of surface landmarks based on the images acquired by the camera, and then control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10. In these embodiments, easily recognizable markings, such as black markers, can be pre-marked at the surface landmarks to improve the efficiency of one or more processors in recognizing surface landmarks.

[0055] In some embodiments, when one or more processors 70 identify the blood vessel to be punctured in a test image, they may first acquire a standard image, which includes the blood vessel to be punctured and the surrounding tissue of the blood vessel to be punctured. Then, one or more processors 70 may identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image based on the standard image.

[0056] The standard image referred to here is the image that should be acquired when performing an ultrasound examination of the vessel to be punctured in accordance with relevant standards in this field. Since a single vessel is usually not distinctive, the standard image should include not only the vessel to be punctured but also the surrounding tissue. This ensures that there are significant differences between the standard images of different vessels to be punctured, and also allows one or more processors to more quickly identify the vessel to be punctured with the assistance of these surrounding tissues. These surrounding tissues can be muscle tissue, organs, or other blood vessels surrounding the vessel.

[0057] The morphology of the blood vessels selected during the puncture procedure shows a high degree of similarity in ultrasound images among different patients. Therefore, standard images can be obtained through big data analysis, and the same standard image can be used to identify the blood vessel to be punctured for different patients. Standard images of different blood vessels to be punctured can be pre-stored in memory, databases, or other locations associated with one or more processors 70. After receiving the blood vessel to be punctured input by the user, one or more processors 70 can retrieve the standard image corresponding to that blood vessel through retrieval.

[0058] In some other embodiments, the standard image of the vessel to be punctured may also correspond to a specific patient; that is, each patient uses a different standard image. This increases the workload of preoperative preparation but also improves the accuracy of identification. In these embodiments, the operator may need to perform an ultrasound examination on the patient beforehand to obtain a standard image, and then associate the standard image with patient information and store it in a memory, database, or other location associated with one or more processors 70. When the user inputs the vessel to be punctured, the patient information should also be entered, so that one or more processors 70 can retrieve the standard image of the vessel to be punctured associated with that patient information.

[0059] When identifying a blood vessel to be punctured based on a standard image, one or more processors 70 can perform comparative analysis between the measured image and the standard image to find the blood vessel in the measured image that corresponds to the blood vessel to be punctured in the standard image. This blood vessel is the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image. As an example, one or more processors 70 can compare and analyze the feature points of each tissue in the measured image with the feature points of each tissue in the standard image to determine the blood vessel in the measured image that corresponds to the blood vessel to be punctured in the standard image.

[0060] In some embodiments, one or more processors 70 may also acquire the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image, and control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasonic probe 10 based on the matching degree until the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image is higher than a preset value.

[0061] Understandably, in the above embodiments, one or more processors 70 only control the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the body surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured. This cannot ensure that the measured image is close enough to the standard image, so the blood vessel to be punctured may not be successfully identified in the measured image. Therefore, in this embodiment, the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image is further obtained, and then the position of the ultrasound probe 10 is adjusted based on the matching degree until the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image is higher than a preset value, so as to ensure that the blood vessel to be punctured can be identified from the measured image.

[0062] In some embodiments, when the robotic arm 60 moves the ultrasonic probe 10 based on the matching degree, the range of movement can be determined based on the matching degree. For example, when the matching degree is relatively low, a relatively large range of movement can be selected, while when the matching degree is relatively high, a relatively small range of movement can be selected, thereby improving the efficiency of adjustment.

[0063] When controlling the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10, any suitable movement method can be used. For example, the ultrasound probe 10 can be rotated, translated, or rotated relative to the body surface.

[0064] In some embodiments, when identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image, one or more processors 70 may also control the ultrasound probe to emit Doppler ultrasound signals, and then identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image based on the Doppler ultrasound signals received by the ultrasound probe. Doppler ultrasound signals can display the blood flow and direction in the image; therefore, one or more processors 70 can identify the blood vessels in the measured image based on the Doppler ultrasound signals, and further distinguish between arteries and veins according to the blood flow direction, thereby identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image.

[0065] Using Doppler ultrasound signals to identify the vessel to be punctured can avoid misidentifying other tissues as blood vessels. Furthermore, it can prevent confusion between the vessel to be punctured and surrounding vessels; for example, the femoral artery and femoral vein are usually parallel, but they will show significant differences under Doppler ultrasound signals.

[0066] Those skilled in the art can use both Doppler ultrasound signals and standard images to identify the blood vessel to be punctured, or they can use either one alone to identify the blood vessel to be punctured, or they can use other suitable methods to identify the blood vessel to be punctured, without any limitation.

[0067] In some embodiments, after controlling the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the body surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe 10 so that the length direction of the ultrasound probe 10 is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured.

[0068] You can refer to Figure 7 The ultrasound probe 10 typically has a length direction and a width direction. One or more processors 70 adjust the initial detection posture of the ultrasound probe 10 to a direction in which the length direction is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured. At this time, the measured image will show a transverse section of the blood vessel 4 to be punctured. The transverse section occupies a relatively small area in the entire measured image. Therefore, there is still a large space in the measured image to show other tissues around the blood vessel 4 to be punctured, which makes it convenient to use the method described above to identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image.

[0069] The length direction here refers to the length direction of the detection surface (i.e., the plane emitting ultrasound signals) of the ultrasound probe 10. The orientation of the blood vessel to be punctured is relatively fixed. Those skilled in the art can pre-set the posture parameters of the ultrasound probe 10 for each blood vessel based on relevant anatomical knowledge. Therefore, the length direction of the ultrasound probe 10 can be adjusted to be approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured based on these posture parameters. These posture parameters can be set relative to surface landmarks. For example, when performing femoral artery or femoral vein puncture, since the femoral artery or femoral vein is usually perpendicular to the inguinal ligament, the ultrasound probe 10 can be moved to the groin and its length direction adjusted to be parallel to the inguinal ligament.

[0070] As described above, in some embodiments, the movement of the ultrasound probe 10 needs to be based on the matching degree. However, in this embodiment, since the ultrasound probe 10 is already in a suitable orientation, when controlling the movement of the ultrasound probe 10 based on the matching degree, it is not necessary to change the ultrasound of the ultrasound probe 10, but to move it mainly by translation.

[0071] As described above, one or more processors 70, after determining the puncture point, refer to... Figure 8 The robotic arm 60 can be further controlled to move the ultrasound probe 10, aligning the puncture needle 30 with the puncture point 5, and then performing the puncture. During the puncture, it is generally desirable that the puncture direction of the puncture needle 30 is roughly the same as the direction of the blood vessel extension, so as to avoid it touching the blood vessel wall when traveling in the blood vessel.

[0072] In some embodiments described above, the ultrasound probe 10 is adjusted to a position in which its length direction is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured. In this position, the width direction of the ultrasound probe 10 should be approximately parallel to the blood vessel to be punctured. However, it is understood that the above position is determined based on surface landmarks and anatomical knowledge, and may have a large error in some cases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the orientation of the ultrasound probe 10 during puncture is further determined more accurately by rotating the ultrasound probe 10.

[0073] Specifically, refer to Figure 9 After the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the puncture point 5, the robotic arm 60 can be further controlled to rotate the ultrasound probe 10 around the puncture point on the body surface. During the rotation, one or more processors can determine the length change of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image and control the robotic arm 60 to rotate the ultrasound probe 10 to the position where the blood vessel to be punctured is at its longest in the measured image. Next, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to rotate the ultrasound probe 10 90 degrees around the puncture point on the body surface.

[0074] Understandably, during the rotation of the ultrasound probe 10, the coverage area of ​​the ultrasound probe 10 changes, thereby changing the length of the blood vessel 4 to be punctured in the measured image. When the length of the blood vessel 4 to be punctured in the measured image is at its longest, the length direction of the ultrasound probe 10 is parallel to the blood vessel to be punctured. In this embodiment, after rotating the ultrasound probe 10 to this position, it is further controlled to rotate 90 degrees around the puncture point. At this time, the width direction of the ultrasound probe 10 is parallel to the blood vessel to be punctured, and the length direction is perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured. This ensures that the puncture needle 30 can be punctured in the same direction as the extension direction of the blood vessel.

[0075] In some embodiments, one or more processors 70 may first rotate the ultrasound probe 10 by 90 degrees, that is, rotate the ultrasound probe 10 so that its length direction is approximately parallel to the blood vessel to be punctured, and then perform a small range of rotation to improve the efficiency of adjustment.

[0076] In some other embodiments, one or more processors 70 may also adjust the orientation of the ultrasound probe 10 based on the orientation of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image.

[0077] In some embodiments, after controlling the robotic arm 60 to move the ultrasound probe 10 to the body surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, one or more processors 70 can also control the robotic arm 60 to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe 10 so that the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is approximately perpendicular to the body surface.

[0078] The ultrasonic signal transmission axis here refers to an axis parallel to the direction of ultrasonic signal propagation. In some embodiments described above, adjusting the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 10 to be approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured actually adjusts the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 10 on the body surface. (Referring to...) Figure 10 In this embodiment, the angle between the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10 and the body surface is adjusted, that is, the tilt angle of the ultrasonic probe 10 relative to the body surface. Therefore, there is no conflict between the two. The posture of the ultrasonic probe 10 can be adjusted to simultaneously achieve that the length direction is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured, and the ultrasonic signal transmission axis is approximately perpendicular to the body surface.

[0079] from Figure 10 As can be clearly seen, due to the certain burial depth of the blood vessel, even if the ultrasound probe 10 is placed correctly, the blood vessel 4 to be punctured will not appear in the measured image at certain tilt angles. However, in this embodiment, the initial tilt angle of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is set to be approximately perpendicular to the body surface. At this angle, as long as the ultrasound probe 10 is in a suitable position, a cross section of the blood vessel 4 to be punctured will definitely be observed in the ultrasound probe 10, thus avoiding the situation where the blood vessel 4 to be punctured is completely absent from the measured image.

[0080] Similarly, in these embodiments, if it is necessary to move the ultrasound probe 10 based on the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image, the angle between the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface can be maintained, and the adjustment can be mainly made by translation.

[0081] In some embodiments, one or more processors 70 can also determine the initial angle between the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface when the puncture needle 30 is aligned with the puncture point, as described above. Then, the robotic arm 60 is controlled to rotate the ultrasound probe 10 around the puncture point, changing the angle between the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 and the body surface. During rotation, one or more processors 70 can track the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image to determine the termination angle, which is the angle between the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe and the body surface when the blood vessel to be punctured disappears in the measured image. Then, one or more processors 70 can determine the intermediate angle between the initial angle and the termination angle, and control the robotic arm 60 to rotate the ultrasound probe 10 so that the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is at this intermediate angle.

[0082] Reference Figure 10The ultrasound probe 10 is initially positioned at the leftmost position in the diagram. During rotation, the cross-section of the blood vessel displayed in the measured image will change. When rotated to the rightmost position in the diagram, since the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is approximately parallel to the blood vessel wall, the cross-section of the blood vessel in the measured image will disappear. One or more processors 70 can record the angle between the ultrasound signal transmission axis and the body surface at this time as the termination angle. Then, the intermediate angle between the initial angle and the termination angle can be determined. It can be understood that since the initial angle of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10 is approximately perpendicular to the body surface, it can be assumed that the ultrasound signal transmission axis is also approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel wall. When the blood vessel to be punctured disappears in the measured image (i.e., when the ultrasound signal transmission axis is at the termination angle), it can be assumed that the ultrasound signal transmission axis is approximately parallel to the blood vessel wall. Therefore, the angle between this intermediate angle and the blood vessel wall is close to 45 degrees. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe 10 is adjusted to the intermediate angle, which also means that the insertion angle of the puncture needle 30 is adjusted to the intermediate angle, thereby ensuring that the puncture needle 30 is inserted into the blood vessel to be punctured at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the blood vessel wall.

[0083] Understandably, the steps of rotating the ultrasound probe 10 to adjust the puncture orientation and rotating the ultrasound probe 10 to adjust the puncture angle do not conflict. The process of rotating the ultrasound probe 10 does not change the angle of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10, nor does it change the orientation of the ultrasound probe 10. Those skilled in the art can choose to adjust the orientation or the angle first according to actual needs, without any restrictions.

[0084] In some embodiments, as described above, the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device further includes a force feedback element 40. In these embodiments, when one or more processors 70 control the robotic arm 60 to drive the puncture needle 30 for puncture, they can control the puncture stroke of the puncture needle based on the needle tip force measured by the force feedback element 40. As an example, when the puncture needle 30 punctures the blood vessel wall, a sudden change in force will occur. One or more processors 70 can determine whether the puncture needle 30 has entered the blood vessel based on this sudden change. When the puncture needle 30 continues to travel until the needle tip force increases, it means that the puncture needle 30 has reached the blood vessel wall on the other side. At this time, one or more processors 70 can prevent the puncture needle 30 from continuing to travel to avoid the puncture needle 30 puncturing the blood vessel.

[0085] In some embodiments, as described above, the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device may further include a pressure measuring element 50. In these embodiments, one or more processors 70 may determine the puncture endpoint of the puncture needle 30 based on the needle cavity pressure measured by the pressure measuring element 50 when controlling the robotic arm 60 to drive the puncture needle 30 for puncture.

[0086] Specifically, in some embodiments, when the robotic arm 60 drives the puncture needle 30 to perform puncture, one or more processors 70 can monitor the changes in the force on the needle tip measured by the force feedback device. When it is determined that a sudden change occurs in the force on the needle tip, the first position of the puncture needle 30 is recorded. This first position is the position where the puncture needle 30 just enters the blood vessel to be punctured.

[0087] Next, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to move the puncture needle 30 a predetermined distance from the first position to the second position. This predetermined distance can be determined based on the diameter of the blood vessel to be punctured, and care should be taken to avoid the puncture needle 30 pressing against the vessel wall on the other side to prevent puncture. In some other embodiments, one or more processors 70 can also continuously monitor the force on the needle tip measured by the force feedback device 40, and determine the position of the puncture needle 30 when the force on the needle tip increases as the second position.

[0088] Next, one or more processors 70 can control the robotic arm 60 to drive the puncture needle 30 to reciprocate between the first position and the second position, and monitor the needle cavity pressure measured by the pressure measuring device 50 during the movement, and determine the position with the highest needle cavity pressure as the puncture endpoint of the puncture needle 30.

[0089] Embodiments of this application also provide a control method for an ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device. The control method can be executed by one or more processors, which can be integrated into the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device, or one or more processors can be integrated into a terminal device that can be electrically connected to the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device, so that one or more processors can control the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device.

[0090] The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device includes an ultrasound probe 10, a needle groove 20, a puncture needle 30, and a robotic arm 60. The ultrasound probe 10 is used to transmit and receive ultrasound signals. The needle groove 20 is connected to the ultrasound probe 10, and the extension direction of the needle groove 20 is the same as the extension direction of the ultrasound signal transmission axis of the ultrasound probe 10. The puncture needle 30 is slidably disposed in the needle groove 20. The robotic arm 60 is connected to the ultrasound probe 10 and the puncture needle 30 to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe 10 and control the sliding of the puncture needle 30 in the needle groove 20.

[0091] The method specifically includes: acquiring the blood vessel to be punctured input by the user; controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe to the surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, and controlling the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound signals; generating a measured image based on the ultrasound signals received by the ultrasound probe; identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image to determine the puncture point; controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe so that the puncture needle is aligned with the puncture point; and controlling the robotic arm to slide the puncture needle in the needle groove to complete the puncture.

[0092] In some embodiments, identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image includes: acquiring a standard image, the standard image including the blood vessel to be punctured and the surrounding tissue of the blood vessel to be punctured; and identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the test image based on the standard image.

[0093] In some embodiments, identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image further includes: obtaining the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image; and controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe based on the matching degree until the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image is higher than a preset value.

[0094] In some embodiments, identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image further includes: controlling the ultrasound probe to emit a Doppler ultrasound signal; and identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image based on the Doppler ultrasound signal received by the ultrasound probe.

[0095] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe to a surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, controlling the robotic arm to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe so that the length direction of the ultrasound probe is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured.

[0096] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after the needle groove is aligned with the puncture point, controlling the robotic arm to drive the ultrasound probe to rotate around the puncture point on the body surface; determining the length change of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image during the rotation; controlling the robotic arm to rotate the ultrasound probe to the position where the blood vessel to be punctured is the longest in the measured image, and controlling the robotic arm to drive the ultrasound probe to rotate 90 degrees around the puncture point on the body surface.

[0097] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe to a surface landmark corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, controlling the robotic arm to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe so that the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe is approximately perpendicular to the body surface.

[0098] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after aligning the needle groove with the puncture point, determining the initial angle between the ultrasonic signal emission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface; controlling the robotic arm to rotate the ultrasonic probe, thereby changing the angle between the ultrasonic signal emission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface; tracking the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image during the rotation to determine the termination angle, which is the angle between the ultrasonic signal emission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface when the blood vessel to be punctured disappears in the measured image; determining the intermediate angle between the initial angle and the termination angle; and controlling the robotic arm to rotate the ultrasonic probe so that the ultrasonic signal emission axis of the ultrasonic probe is at the intermediate angle.

[0099] The control method of the ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device provided in the embodiments of this application has been described above. Some specific technical details can be referred to the description of the relevant parts of the ultrasound device above, and will not be repeated here.

[0100] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the method described in any of the foregoing embodiments. Specific implementations of the computer-readable storage medium can be found in the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0101] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods.

[0102] Any references to memory, storage, database, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this invention may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and RAMbus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0103] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered within the scope of this specification. The above embodiments only illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device, characterized in that, It includes: An ultrasonic probe, used to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals; A needle groove is connected to the ultrasonic probe, and the extension direction of the needle groove is the same as the extension direction of the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe. as well as A puncture needle is slidably disposed in the needle groove; The ultrasound-guided vascular puncture device further includes: robotic arm One or more processors, Wherein, the one or more processors are used for: Obtain the blood vessel to be punctured, as input by the user; The robotic arm is controlled to move the ultrasound probe to the surface marker corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, and the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound signals. A measured image is generated based on the ultrasonic signal received by the ultrasonic probe. Identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image to determine the puncture point; The robotic arm is controlled to move the ultrasound probe so that the puncture needle is aligned with the puncture point; The robotic arm is controlled to move the puncture needle in the needle groove to complete the puncture; The one or more processors are further configured to: After the needle groove is aligned with the puncture point, the initial angle between the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface is determined. The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the ultrasonic probe, thereby changing the angle between the ultrasonic signal emission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface. During the rotation, the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image is tracked to determine the termination angle, which is the angle between the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe and the body surface when the blood vessel to be punctured disappears in the measured image. Determine the intermediate angle between the initial angle and the termination angle; The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the ultrasonic probe so that the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe is at the intermediate angle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The ultrasonic probe includes a handle and an ultrasonic part. The ultrasonic part is connected to one end of the handle. The extension direction of the handle is the same as the ultrasonic signal transmission axis of the ultrasonic probe. The needle groove is connected to the handle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The needle groove is disposed inside the handle, and the ultrasonic part is provided with a needle outlet hole communicating with the needle groove.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The needle outlet is located at the detection center of the ultrasonic unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The ultrasonic unit includes a first ultrasonic element and a second ultrasonic element arranged side by side, with a gap between the first ultrasonic element and the second ultrasonic element, and the needle outlet is disposed in the gap.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A force feedback device is connected to the puncture needle to measure the force on the tip of the puncture needle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: A pressure measuring element is connected to the cavity of the puncture needle to measure the pressure in the cavity of the puncture needle.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, When the one or more processors identify the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image, they are specifically used for: Acquire a standard image, the standard image including the blood vessel to be punctured and the surrounding tissue of the blood vessel to be punctured; The blood vessel to be punctured is identified in the measured image based on the standard image.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more processors are also used for: Obtain the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image; Based on the matching degree, the robotic arm is controlled to move the ultrasonic probe until the matching degree between the measured image and the standard image is higher than a preset value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, When identifying the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image, the one or more processors are further configured to: Control the ultrasonic probe to emit Doppler ultrasonic signals; The blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image is identified based on the Doppler ultrasound signal received by the ultrasound probe.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are also used for: After controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe to the surface marker corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, the robotic arm is controlled to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe so that the length direction of the ultrasound probe is approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel to be punctured.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The one or more processors are also used for: After the needle groove is aligned with the puncture point, the robotic arm is controlled to drive the ultrasound probe to rotate around the puncture point on the body surface. During the rotation process, the length change of the blood vessel to be punctured in the measured image is determined; The robotic arm is controlled to rotate the ultrasound probe to the position where the length of the blood vessel to be punctured is the longest in the measured image, and the robotic arm is controlled to drive the ultrasound probe to rotate 90 degrees around the puncture point on the body surface.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The one or more processors are also used for: After controlling the robotic arm to move the ultrasound probe to the surface marker corresponding to the blood vessel to be punctured, the robotic arm is controlled to adjust the posture of the ultrasound probe so that the ultrasound signal emission axis of the ultrasound probe is approximately perpendicular to the body surface.

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