Ultrasound catheter

Abstract

The utility model provides an ultrasonic catheter. The ultrasonic catheter comprises a catheter body, a processor, a pressure sensor and an elastic piece. The processor is arranged outside the catheter body far away from the top end area; the pressure sensor and the elastic piece are sequentially arranged in the probe-in direction of the catheter and located inside or outside the catheter body, and the pressure sensor is connected to the processor through an optical fiber; wherein the elastic piece extrudes the pressure sensor in a state that the ultrasonic catheter stretches into a body and touches a target object; the pressure sensor is used for collecting corresponding pressure data and sending the pressure data to the processor in the state that the ultrasonic catheter stretches into the body and touches a target object; the processor is used for carrying out obstacle avoidance reminding based on the pressure data. The obstacle avoidance device based on the pressure sensor is integrated on the catheter head, friction and collision of the head of the ultrasonic catheter are detected in time, and damage to tissues such as blood vessels, heart cavities and valves in the body caused by operation of the ultrasonic catheter is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an ultrasonic catheter. Background Art

[0002] Cardiac interventional surgery has gradually become an important means of treating cardiovascular diseases with its advantages of minimally invasive, short hospital stay, and good treatment effect. During the operation, the surface blood vessels must be punctured, and the cardiac catheter is delivered to the diagnosis and treatment site along the blood vessels under the continuous projection of digital silhouette DSA (digital silhouette-angiography). Without the injection of contrast agent, digital silhouette cannot show the blood vessel wall and blood vessel shape, so the delivery of the cardiac catheter is a nearly "blind" process that depends on the doctor's feel and experience.

[0003] Intracardiac ultrasound catheters integrate transducer arrays into the side wall of the front end of the catheter or distribute them in a ring along the cross section of the catheter. The transducer array of the intracardiac ultrasound catheter can emit ultrasonic sound beams and receive echoes reflected from tissues in the direction of the sound beam, thereby imaging the anatomical structure. However, since existing ultrasound catheters cannot image the anatomy in the direction of the catheter tip, there is a possibility that the catheter tip rubs and touches the blood vessel wall, heart cavity wall, valve, etc. during the delivery of the intracardiac ultrasound catheter, and even causes medical accidents such as punctured blood vessels and instrumental thrombosis. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an ultrasonic catheter to overcome the defect that the ultrasonic catheter in the prior art cannot determine the obstacles in the direction of the catheter head, which causes the catheter head to easily rub and touch the blood vessel wall, heart cavity wall, valve and other parts, causing damage to the human body structure.

[0005] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present disclosure provides an ultrasonic catheter, which includes a catheter body, a processor, a pressure sensor and an elastic member;

[0007] The processor is disposed outside the catheter body at a region away from the top end;

[0008] The pressure sensor and the elastic member are sequentially arranged along the insertion direction of the catheter and are located inside or outside the catheter body, and the pressure sensor is connected to the processor via an optical fiber;

[0009] Wherein, the elastic member squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object;

[0010] The pressure sensor is used to collect corresponding pressure data when the ultrasound catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object, and send the pressure data to the processor;

[0011] The processor is used to perform obstacle avoidance reminder based on the pressure data.

[0012] Preferably, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises a first connecting member;

[0013] The elastic member is connected to the pressure sensor via the first connecting member;

[0014] The elastic member does not contact the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter does not penetrate into the body and touch the target object, and contacts and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter penetrates into the body and touches the target object.

[0015] Preferably, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises a second connecting member;

[0016] The elastic member is connected to the pressure sensor via the second connecting member;

[0017] The elastic member contacts the pressure sensor but does not squeeze the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has not penetrated into the body and touched the target object, and contacts the pressure sensor and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has penetrated into the body and touched the target object.

[0018] Preferably, the elastic member is attached to the pressure sensor;

[0019] The elastic member contacts the pressure sensor but does not squeeze the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has not penetrated into the body and touched the target object, and contacts the pressure sensor and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has penetrated into the body and touched the target object.

[0020] Preferably, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises a traction handle, and at least one traction control line is arranged inside the catheter body;

[0021] The control line and the handle are used to adjust the moving direction of the ultrasound catheter inside the target object.

[0022] Preferably, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises a pressure reminder device;

[0023] The pressure reminder device is arranged on the traction handle, and the pressure reminder device is connected to the processor via a data transmission line;

[0024] The pressure reminder device is used to receive the pressure exceeding standard data sent by the processor to issue a corresponding pressure reminder signal to perform obstacle avoidance reminder.

[0025] Preferably, the pressure reminder device includes at least one of a buzzer, an indicator light, a display screen, and a voice broadcast module.

[0026] Preferably, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises an ultrasonic transducer;

[0027] The ultrasonic transducer is disposed at the top end region within the catheter body, and the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the processor via a coaxial cable;

[0028] The ultrasonic transducer is used to collect imaging data of a target detection part in the body and send it to the processor.

[0029] Preferably, when the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged in the catheter body, the pressure sensor is attached to the ultrasonic transducer.

[0030] Preferably, when the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged outside the catheter body, the pressure sensor is welded to the outer side wall of the top end of the catheter body;

[0031] A first packaging layer is laid on the outer surfaces of the elastic member and the pressure sensor to cover the elastic member and the pressure sensor.

[0032] Based on the common sense in the art, the above-mentioned implementation modes can be arbitrarily combined to obtain preferred embodiments of the present utility model.

[0033] The positive progressive effect of the present disclosure is that by integrating an obstacle avoidance device based on a pressure sensor in the catheter head, the friction and collision of the ultrasound catheter head are detected in time to avoid damage to blood vessels, heart chambers, valves and other tissues in the body caused by the operation of the ultrasound catheter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a module of the ultrasonic catheter disclosed in the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a first connection schematic diagram of the pressure sensor and the elastic body in the ultrasonic catheter of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a second connection schematic diagram of the pressure sensor and the elastic body in the ultrasonic catheter of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a third connection schematic diagram of the pressure sensor and the elastic body in the ultrasonic catheter of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ultrasonic catheter disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] A preferred embodiment is given below, and the present disclosure is described more clearly and completely in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0040] It should be noted that if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0041] In addition, the technical solutions between the various implementation methods can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in this field. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this disclosure.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] This embodiment provides an ultrasonic catheter, such as Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasonic catheter includes a catheter body 1, a processor 2, a pressure sensor 3 and an elastic member 4.

[0044] The processor 2 is disposed outside the catheter body 1 at a region away from the top end.

[0045] The pressure sensor 3 and the elastic member 4 are sequentially arranged along the insertion direction of the catheter and are located inside or outside the catheter body. The pressure sensor 3 is connected to the processor 2 via an optical fiber.

[0046] The elastic member 4 squeezes the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasonic catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object.

[0047] The pressure sensor 3 is used to collect corresponding pressure data when the ultrasound catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object, and send the pressure data to the processor 2;

[0048] Processor 2 is used to provide obstacle avoidance reminder based on pressure data.

[0049] Specifically, the pressure sensor is set at the head of the ultrasonic catheter, and the pressure generated by the ultrasonic catheter touching the target objects such as the blood vessel wall, the heart cavity wall, and the valve is obtained when the ultrasonic catheter is inserted into the body. In order to prevent the ultrasonic catheter from directly touching and causing friction or damaging the tissue in the body, an elastic member is set at the front end of the pressure sensor. When the elastic member touches the target object, it will touch the pressure sensor and produce squeezing. At this time, the pressure sensor obtains the pressure data, including the size and direction of the pressure, and sends it to the processor. The processor prompts the operator to take corresponding operations on the ultrasonic catheter based on the pressure data. For example, when the pressure is high, the operator is prompted to stop forwarding the ultrasonic catheter.

[0050] In this solution, by setting a pressure sensor and an elastic part at the head of the ultrasonic catheter, the pressure data of the head of the ultrasonic catheter can be obtained in time to determine whether the catheter touches the blood vessel wall, heart cavity wall, valve and other tissue parts in the body. When the pressure at the head of the ultrasonic catheter reaches a certain value, the operator is prompted not to move the ultrasonic catheter forward, so as to improve the safety of the ultrasonic catheter and avoid medical accidents.

[0051] In one feasible solution, Figure 2 As shown, the ultrasonic catheter further includes a first connecting member 5;

[0052] The elastic member 4 is connected to the pressure sensor 3 via a first connecting member 5 .

[0053] The first connecting member 5 may be made of elastic plastic, clamping both sides of the elastic member 4 and connected to the pressure sensor 3 without contact. Of course, the first connecting member may also be other structures that can achieve corresponding functions.

[0054] The elastic member 4 does not contact the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasonic catheter does not penetrate into the body and touch the target object, but contacts and squeezes the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasonic catheter penetrates into the body and touches the target object.

[0055] In one feasible solution, Figure 3 As shown, the ultrasonic catheter further includes a second connecting member 6;

[0056] The elastic member 4 is connected to the pressure sensor 3 via the second connecting member 6 .

[0057] The second connecting member 6 can also be made of elastic plastic, clamping both sides of the elastic member 4 and being connected to the pressure sensor 3 in a contacting manner. Of course, the second connecting member can also be other structures that can achieve corresponding functions.

[0058] The elastic member 4 contacts the pressure sensor 3 but does not squeeze the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasonic catheter has not penetrated into the body and touched the target object; and contacts the pressure sensor 3 and squeezes the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasonic catheter has penetrated into the body and touched the target object.

[0059] In one feasible solution, Figure 4 As shown, the elastic member 4 is attached to the pressure sensor 3 .

[0060] Specifically, the elastic member 4 can be attached to the pressure sensor 3 by welding or gluing. The elastic member 4 contacts the pressure sensor 3 but does not squeeze the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasound catheter does not penetrate into the body and touch the target object, and contacts the pressure sensor 3 and squeezes the pressure sensor 3 when the ultrasound catheter penetrates into the body and touches the target object.

[0061] The above three connection methods between the elastic member and the pressure sensor can enable the ultrasound catheter to obtain pressure data of the catheter head by the elastic member touching and squeezing the pressure sensor when the ultrasound catheter is inserted into the body to contact the target object.

[0062] In the above three solutions, by arranging an elastic body at the front end of the pressure sensor, the contact of the ultrasonic catheter with the internal tissues can be buffered when it is inserted into the body, thereby avoiding damage to the internal tissues.

[0063] In an implementable solution, the ultrasonic catheter further comprises a traction handle, and at least one traction control wire is disposed inside the catheter body;

[0064] The control wire and handle are used to adjust the direction of movement of the ultrasound catheter inside the target object.

[0065] Specifically, the number of traction control lines may be one or more. In a cardiac ultrasound catheter, the number of traction control lines is usually four, so that the cardiac ultrasound catheter can move and detect at various directions and angles in the atrium.

[0066] In this solution, by providing a traction handle and a traction control line, the ultrasound catheter can be switched in direction and moved within the body of the target object, thereby facilitating detection of the target object.

[0067] In an practicable solution, the ultrasonic catheter further includes a pressure reminder device;

[0068] The pressure reminder device is arranged on the traction handle, and the pressure reminder device is connected to the processor via a data transmission line;

[0069] The pressure reminder device is used to receive the pressure exceeding standard data sent by the processor to send out a corresponding pressure reminder signal for obstacle avoidance reminder.

[0070] In this solution, by setting a pressure reminder device on the traction handle, a pressure reminder signal can be issued when the pressure at the head of the ultrasonic catheter exceeds the standard, prompting the operator to switch the operation in time to avoid the ultrasonic catheter being further delivered into the body and causing damage to the internal tissues.

[0071] In an implementable solution, the pressure reminder device includes at least one of a buzzer, an indicator light, a display screen, and a voice broadcast module.

[0072] Of course, the pressure reminder device includes but is not limited to the above types.

[0073] In this solution, by arranging pressure reminder devices such as buzzers, indicator lights, display screens, and voice broadcast modules on the traction handle, the operator can be reminded in time when the pressure exceeds the standard, thereby ensuring the safety of medical operations.

[0074] In one feasible solution, the ultrasound catheter further includes an ultrasound transducer;

[0075] The ultrasonic transducer is disposed at the top end region of the catheter body, and the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the processor via a coaxial cable;

[0076] The ultrasonic transducer is used to collect imaging data of the target detection part in the body and send it to the processor.

[0077] For example, when the ultrasound catheter is a cardiac ultrasound catheter, ultrasound imaging data of intracardiac anatomical structures such as the heart and cardiac great blood vessels can be collected by an ultrasound transducer to perform anatomical imaging of the heart.

[0078] In this solution, since the ultrasonic transducer is provided on the ultrasonic catheter, it can collect imaging data of the target object and realize medical imaging detection of the target object.

[0079] In one feasible solution, when the elastic member and the pressure sensor are disposed in the catheter body, the pressure sensor is attached to the ultrasonic transducer.

[0080] The pressure sensor can be attached to the outer surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

[0081] In this solution, the space of the ultrasound catheter can be saved by attaching the pressure sensor to the ultrasound transducer.

[0082] In an practicable solution, when the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged outside the catheter body, the pressure sensor is welded to the outer side wall of the top end of the catheter body;

[0083] The first packaging layer is laid on the outer surfaces of the elastic member and the pressure sensor to cover the elastic member and the pressure sensor.

[0084] In addition, when the pressure sensor is welded to the outer wall of the catheter body, there are two ways to route the optical fiber: one is to open a wall hole at the welding position on the catheter body, and the optical fiber enters the interior of the catheter body through the wall hole and is connected to the coaxial cable; the other is to connect the optical fiber along the outer wall of the catheter body to the processor. At this time, a second packaging layer is required to cover the optical fiber to prevent the optical fiber from causing damage to the target object's internal tissue and to prevent the internal tissue fluid from corroding the optical fiber.

[0085] In this solution, when the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged on the outer wall of the catheter body, a first packaging layer is required for packaging to prevent the elastic member and the pressure sensor from causing damage to the body tissue and to prevent the body tissue fluid from corroding the elastic member and the pressure sensor.

[0086] like Figure 5 As shown, the structure and function of the ultrasound catheter provided in this embodiment are introduced below by taking a specific ultrasound catheter as an example.

[0087] The distal end of the ultrasonic catheter body 1 is an elastic member 4, which is fixed to the pressure sensor 3 (which may be an optical fiber sensor) by a first connecting member 5 (here only one connection method is used as an example). The elastic member 4 and the pressure sensor 3 constitute a mechanical obstacle avoidance device. When the pressure sensor is an optical fiber sensor, the optical fiber sensor detects the magnitude and direction of the pressure through the principle of optical interference. The processor 2 includes an optical fiber sensor conversion unit 201 and an ultrasonic transducer conversion unit 202.

[0088] When there is no obstacle, the elastic member 4 does not contact the pressure sensor 3; after encountering an obstacle, the elastic member 4 contacts the pressure sensor 3 to generate pressure, and the pressure data is transmitted by the multi-core optical fiber 7 and connected to the demodulator through the optical fiber sensor conversion unit 201. The multi-core optical fiber 7 does not generate electromagnetic interference.

[0089] The ultrasonic transducer 8 is used to obtain ultrasonic imaging data, and the ultrasonic transducer 8 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer conversion unit 202 through a coaxial cable 9. The multi-core optical fiber 7 can be pressed together with the transducer cable to form the coaxial cable 9. The coaxial cable 9 has a dense mesh braided layer 10 and a traction control line 11 (at least four). The distal end and the middle of the catheter are connected to the proximal traction handle 13 through a packaging layer 12. The ultrasonic transducer conversion unit 202 is connected to the ultrasonic imaging device to realize ultrasonic imaging; the optical fiber sensor conversion unit 201 is connected to the demodulator to indicate the collision and direction of the catheter head end. The optical fiber sensor conversion unit 201 and the ultrasonic transducer conversion unit 202 are connected to the imaging device through a plug-in, and the plug-in includes but is not limited to a PCB (printed circuit board).

[0090] The ultrasonic catheter provided in this embodiment integrates an obstacle avoidance device based on a pressure sensor in the catheter head to timely detect the friction and collision of the ultrasonic catheter head, so as to avoid damage to blood vessels, heart chambers, valves and other tissues in the body caused by the operation of the ultrasonic catheter.

[0091] Although the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described above, those skilled in the art should understand that this is only an example, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present disclosure, but these changes and modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic catheter, characterized in that: The ultrasonic catheter comprises a catheter body, a processor, a pressure sensor and an elastic member; The processor is disposed outside the catheter body at a region away from the top end; The pressure sensor and the elastic member are sequentially arranged along the insertion direction of the catheter and are located inside or outside the catheter body, and the pressure sensor is connected to the processor via an optical fiber; Wherein, the elastic member squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object; The pressure sensor is used to collect corresponding pressure data when the ultrasound catheter is inserted into the body and touches the target object, and send the pressure data to the processor; The processor is used to perform obstacle avoidance reminder based on the pressure data.

2. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 1, characterized in that The ultrasonic catheter also includes a first connecting member; The elastic member is connected to the pressure sensor via the first connecting member; The elastic member does not contact the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter does not penetrate into the body and touch the target object, and contacts and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter penetrates into the body and touches the target object.

3. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic catheter further includes a second connecting member; The elastic member is connected to the pressure sensor via the second connecting member; The elastic member contacts the pressure sensor but does not squeeze the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has not penetrated into the body and touched the target object, and contacts the pressure sensor and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has penetrated into the body and touched the target object.

4. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic member is attached to the pressure sensor; The elastic member contacts the pressure sensor but does not squeeze the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has not penetrated into the body and touched the target object, and contacts the pressure sensor and squeezes the pressure sensor when the ultrasonic catheter has penetrated into the body and touched the target object.

5. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic catheter further comprises a traction handle, and at least one traction control line is arranged inside the catheter body; The control line and the handle are used to adjust the moving direction of the ultrasound catheter inside the target object.

6. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 5, characterized in that The ultrasonic catheter also includes a pressure reminder device; The pressure reminder device is arranged on the traction handle, and the pressure reminder device is connected to the processor via a data transmission line; The pressure reminder device is used to receive the pressure exceeding standard data sent by the processor to issue a corresponding pressure reminder signal to perform obstacle avoidance reminder.

7. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pressure reminder device includes at least one of a buzzer, an indicator light, a display screen, and a voice broadcast module.

8. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic catheter also includes an ultrasonic transducer; The ultrasonic transducer is disposed at the top end region within the catheter body, and the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the processor via a coaxial cable; The ultrasonic transducer is used to collect imaging data of a target detection part in the body and send it to the processor.

9. The ultrasonic catheter according to claim 8, characterized in that When the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged in the catheter body, the pressure sensor is attached to the ultrasonic transducer.

10. The ultrasonic catheter according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: When the elastic member and the pressure sensor are arranged outside the catheter body, the pressure sensor is welded to the outer side wall of the top end of the catheter body; A first packaging layer is laid on the outer surfaces of the elastic member and the pressure sensor to cover the elastic member and the pressure sensor.

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