Medical detection system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a medical detection system. The medical detection system comprises a console, a reusable probe and a power-on device. The probe is for connection to a console and includes use of a counting device. The power-on device is used for being connected to a console and comprises a power interface, a console interface, an electrical conductor, a switching unit located between the two ends of the electrical conductor, a reading device and a control unit. The electrical conductor has both ends connected to the power interface and the console interface, respectively, to transfer power from the power interface to the console interface. And the reading device is used for reading the counting value from the use counting device of the probe. The control unit is used for being in communication coupling with the switch unit and the reading device and is configured to be used for controlling the switch unit to switch on or switch off electric connection between the power interface and the console interface. By using the medical detection system disclosed by the invention, the operation cost and the operation risk can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular to a medical detection system for detecting parathyroid glands. Background Art

[0002] During thyroid or parathyroid surgery, identifying the parathyroid glands has always been a major challenge for surgeons. The parathyroid glands are part of the human endocrine glands, located on the back of the thyroid gland and shaped like a flat oval. They are primarily responsible for regulating blood calcium levels and play a vital role in maintaining the internal environment. A normal human body has four parathyroid glands, which are small and have a variable anatomical location. They closely resemble surrounding tissues such as lymph nodes, making their identification difficult. If surgeons mistakenly remove a parathyroid gland or damage its blood supply during surgery, the patient can suffer severe and irreversible hypocalcemia, leading to symptoms such as numbness in the hands and feet, convulsions in the limbs, and even respiratory failure, severely impacting their safety and quality of life. Therefore, intraoperative identification of the parathyroid glands has always been a key concern for thyroid surgeons.

[0003] Currently, a parathyroid gland detection system based on autofluorescence imaging technology (e.g., PTeye TM Parathyroid detection systems have been widely used clinically, helping doctors identify parathyroid glands in real time during thyroid or parathyroid surgery. Existing parathyroid detection systems typically consist of a console and a probe. The probe detects fluorescence signals, while the console receives and processes the signals. Because the autofluorescence of parathyroid tissue is significantly higher than that of the thyroid gland, parathyroid tissue can be detected. During use, the probe must penetrate deep into the patient's body and come into contact with tissues such as the parathyroid glands. Therefore, to reduce the risk of surgical infection, the probe is typically disposable. However, this increases surgical costs and burdens patients. Some have proposed sterilizing and reusing the probe in parathyroid detection systems to reduce surgical costs. However, multiple sterilizations of the probe make it impossible to ensure surgical safety. Furthermore, doctors often struggle to determine whether the probe is still suitable for the procedure. Even if they determine it is unsuitable, there is currently no way to prevent them from continuing to use it. These issues undoubtedly increase the risks of thyroid or parathyroid surgery.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to improve the existing parathyroid gland detection system or other medical detection systems based on autofluorescence imaging technology to reduce surgical risks and / or reduce surgical costs. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical solution proposed in the present invention is intended to solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems existing in the existing medical detection system.

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a medical detection system is provided, which includes: a console; a reusable probe for connecting to the console and including a usage counting device; and a power-on device for connecting to the console and including: a power interface configured to be adapted for connection to a power source; a console interface configured to be adapted for connection to an electrical input interface of the console; an electrical conductor, both ends of which are respectively connected to the power interface and the console interface to transmit power from the power interface to the console interface; a switch unit located between the two ends of the electrical conductor; a reading device for reading a count value from the usage counting device of the probe; and a control unit for being communicatively coupled to the switch unit and the reading device and configured to control the switch unit to connect or disconnect the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface.

[0007] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the power-on device includes a housing, and the switch unit, the reading device, and the control unit are encapsulated in the housing.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, an outer surface of the housing has an opening, and the console interface is positioned as one of the following: located inside the housing and exposed to the outside through the opening; or located outside the housing.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the power-on device further includes a transformer, which is located between the power interface and the console interface, and is used to convert the voltage from the power supply to meet the voltage requirement of the console.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the count value is determined based on the number of times the probe has been sterilized or the number of remaining sterilizations.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the usage counting device is an RFID tag, which is used to record the number of times the probe has been disinfected or the remaining number of times it has been disinfected; the reading device is an RFID reader, which is used to read the RFID tag, and is communicatively coupled to the control unit and configured to: when the distance between the RFID tag on the probe and the RFID reader is less than a predetermined value, read the number of times the probe has been disinfected or the remaining number of times it has been disinfected recorded by the RFID tag; send the read number of times the probe has been disinfected or the remaining number of times it has been disinfected to the control unit; and after reading the number of times the probe has been disinfected or the remaining number of times it has been disinfected recorded by the RFID tag, add one to the number of times the probe has been disinfected or subtract one from the remaining number of times the probe has been disinfected recorded by the RFID tag.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the control unit of the power-on device is further configured to: determine the current state of the probe based on the number of times the probe has been disinfected or the remaining number of times of disinfection received from the RFID reader, the current state including a reusable state and a non-reusable state; in response to determining that the probe is in a reusable state, control the switch unit to connect the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface; and in response to determining that the probe is in a non-reusable state, control the switch unit to cut off the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the control unit of the power-on device is further configured to: determine that the probe is in a non-reusable state when the number of times the probe has been sterilized reaches an upper limit value or the remaining number of sterilizations is zero; and determine that the probe is in a reusable state when the number of times the probe has been sterilized is less than the upper limit value or the remaining number of sterilizations is greater than zero, wherein the upper limit value or the initial remaining number of sterilizations is greater than 1.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the power-on device further comprises a display screen, which is located on the outer surface of the shell and is used to display at least one of the following: the current status of the probe; and the number of times the probe has been sterilized or the number of remaining sterilization times.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the medical detection system is a parathyroid detection system.

[0016] The technical solution proposed by this utility model allows the use of reusable probes, which can reduce surgical costs and alleviate the burden on patients. In addition, the setting of the power-on device can realize intelligent control of the power supply of the console, preventing users from using probes with infection risks, thereby reducing surgical risks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of the various embodiments of the present invention, a more detailed description of the various embodiments of the present invention will be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings only depict typical embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of protection claimed in the present invention.

[0018] Figure 1 The figure shows a structural diagram of a parathyroid gland detection system according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of a console according to an embodiment of the present utility model is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A rear view of a console according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a power-on device according to an embodiment of the present utility model is shown.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic control logic block diagram of a parathyroid gland detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0024] This application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of the application. For example, "one embodiment," "other embodiments," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment," "other embodiments," or "some embodiments" mentioned twice or multiple times in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application may be appropriately combined.

[0025] It should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the present disclosure and thus facilitate understanding of one or more embodiments, the present disclosure may sometimes combine multiple features into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the present application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims.

[0026] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a parathyroid gland detection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the parathyroid detection system 100 may include a console 10, a probe 20, and a power-on device 30. The probe 20 may be connected to the front side 11 of the console 10, and the power-on device 30 may be connected to the back side 13 of the console 10.

[0027] Figure 2 FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a console 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the console 10 may include a probe interface 12. The probe 10 can be connected to the console 10 via the probe interface 12. The probe 20 can be used to detect the autofluorescence reaction of biological tissue, and the detected fluorescence signal can be transmitted to the console 10 for processing by the console 10. The console 10 can receive the fluorescence signals from the probe 20 and process these signals to detect parathyroid tissue. Since the autofluorescence of parathyroid tissue is significantly higher than the autofluorescence of the thyroid gland, the console 10 can use the fluorescence signal from the probe 20 to distinguish between thyroid tissue and parathyroid tissue, thereby detecting parathyroid tissue. When the console 10 detects parathyroid tissue, the console 10 can display the detection results to the user (e.g., a clinician or other operator) through the screen 14 on its front side 11. The console 10 described herein may be a PTeye from Medtronic Inc. TM The console in the parathyroid testing system.

[0028] Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the console 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the console 10 may include an electrical input interface 16 . A powered device 30 may be connected to the console 10 via the electrical input interface 16 .

[0029] Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a power-on device 30 according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 4As shown, the power-on device 30 may include a housing 31, and an outer surface 311 of the housing 31 may have an opening 313. The power-on device 30 may also include a console interface 33, and the console interface 33 may be configured to be adapted for connection with the electrical input interface 16 of the console 10. Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the console interface 33 is shown as being located within the housing 31, and the console interface 33 is exposed to the outside via an opening 313 of the housing 31, allowing the electrical input interface 16 of the console 10 to protrude into the housing 31 and connect to the console interface 33. In other embodiments, the console interface 33 may be located outside the housing 31, and the electrical input interface 16 of the console 10 may be directly adapted to connect to the console interface 33 outside the housing 31.

[0030] See also Figure 4 The power-on device 30 may further include a power interface 35, which may be configured to be adapted to connect to a power source (not shown). Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the power interface 35 is schematically shown as a three-wire plug. In other embodiments, the power interface 35 can be configured as other interface structures, such as a type-C interface, as long as the power interface 35 can be connected to a power source that provides power. Figure 4 The power-on device 30 may further include an electrical conductor 37, the ends of which may be connected to the console interface 33 and the power interface 35, respectively, to transmit power from the power interface 35 to the console interface 33. When the console interface 33 is connected to the power input interface 16 of the console 10 and the power interface 35 is connected to a power source, power may flow from the power source through the power interface 35, through the electrical conductor 37, through the console interface 33, through the power input interface 16 of the console 10, and finally be transmitted to the console 10, thereby powering the console 10. In some embodiments, the power-on device 30 may further include a transformer 39, which may be located between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35 to convert the voltage from the power source (e.g., converting the AC power from the power source into DC power, reducing the voltage from the power source, etc.), thereby meeting the voltage requirements of the console 10.

[0031] Figure 5 FIG. 4 shows a schematic control logic block diagram of a parathyroid detection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 The direction of the arrow in the figure may indicate the direction of flow of information or control signals.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, the power-on device 30 in the parathyroid gland detection system 100 may further include a control unit 32 and a switch unit 34. In one embodiment, the control unit 32 and the switch unit 34 may be packaged in Figure 4The housing 31 of the power-on device 30 shown in FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a power-on device 30. The switch unit 34 may be located between the two ends of the electrical conductor 37 of the power-on device 30, that is, between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35 of the power-on device 30, for connecting or disconnecting the electrical connection between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35. The switch unit 34 may be a switch device or apparatus commonly used in the electrical field and will not be described in detail herein. The control unit 32 may be communicatively coupled with the switch unit 34 and may be configured to control the switch unit 34 to connect or disconnect the electrical connection between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35. In some embodiments, the control of the switch unit 34 by the control unit 32 may be based on the count value of the usage counting device 22 of the probe 20. The count value may be used to determine the current state of the probe 20.

[0033] In the present invention, the probe 20 is a reusable probe, and the reusability of the probe means that the probe can be used again after being sterilized. However, there is an upper limit to the number of times a reusable probe can be sterilized. Once the number of sterilizations exceeds the upper limit, the risk of infection when the probe is used during surgery will greatly increase, beyond the controllable range, and the safety of the use of the probe cannot be ensured. Therefore, when the number of sterilizations of a reusable probe reaches the upper limit or the remaining number of sterilizations is zero, the user should be prompted that the probe cannot be used again and / or the user should be prevented from using the probe again. When the number of sterilizations of a reusable probe is less than the upper limit or the remaining number of sterilizations is greater than zero, the probe should be allowed to be sterilized and used again. The probe 20 described herein may be roughly similar to the PTeye from Medtronic Inc. TM The difference between the probes in the parathyroid gland detection system and the probe 20 described herein is that it is a reusable probe, while the currently available PTeye TM The probe in the parathyroid test system is a single-use probe.

[0034] See also Figure 5 , the probe 20 may include a usage counting device 22. The count value of the usage counting device 22 may be determined based on the number of times the probe 20 has been sterilized or the number of remaining sterilization times. The initial value of the number of sterilization times may be set to zero, and the initial value of the number of remaining sterilization times may be set to the upper limit of the number of sterilization times, for example, an integer value greater than 1. Each time the probe 20 is sterilized and used, the count value recorded by the usage counting device 22 may be increased by one (in the case where the count value represents the number of sterilization times, it is increased by one) or decreased by one (in the case where the count value represents the number of remaining sterilization times, it is decreased by one). In some embodiments, the usage counting device 22 may be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, i.e., a radio frequency identification tag. The RFID tag may be affixed to the probe 20. See. Figure 5The power-on device 30 may further include a reading device 36, which may be configured to read the count value from the usage counting device 22 of the probe 20. In some embodiments, the reading device 36 may be an RFID reader and may be packaged in a Figure 4 The housing 31 of the power-on device 30 shown in FIG. When a user (e.g., a clinician or other operator) brings the probe 20 close to the housing 31 of the power-on device 30, such that the distance between the RFID tag on the probe 20 and the RFID reader in the housing 31 is less than a predetermined value (the predetermined value may depend on the communication distance of the RFID), the RFID reader may read the number of sterilizations or the number of remaining sterilizations of the probe 20 recorded on the RFID tag. After reading the number of sterilizations or the number of remaining sterilizations of the probe 20 recorded on the RFID tag, the RFID reader may further increase the number of sterilizations recorded on the RFID tag by one or decrease the number of remaining sterilizations recorded on the RFID tag by one.

[0035] The reading device 36 may also be communicatively coupled with the control unit 32 and may be configured to send the read number of sterilization times or the remaining number of sterilization times of the probe 20 to the control unit 32. After receiving the number of sterilization times or the remaining number of sterilization times of the probe 20, the control unit 32 may determine the current state of the probe 20 based on the received number of sterilization times or the remaining number of sterilization times of the probe 20, which current state may include a reusable state and a non-reusable state. When the number of sterilization times of the probe 20 reaches the upper limit value or the remaining number of sterilization times is zero, the control unit 32 may determine that the probe 20 is in a non-reusable state. When the number of sterilization times of the probe 20 is less than the upper limit value or the remaining number of sterilization times is greater than zero, the control unit 32 may determine that the probe 20 is in a reusable state. In addition, the control unit 32 may further control the switch unit 34 to connect the electrical connection between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35 in response to determining that the probe 20 is in the reusable state; and in response to determining that the probe 20 is in the non-reusable state, control the switch unit 34 to disconnect the electrical connection between the console interface 33 and the power interface 35. In this way, the power-on device 30 can control the power supply to the console 10 based on the current state of the probe 20 (for example, a reusable state or a non-reusable state), which allows the use of reusable probes to reduce surgical costs while preventing users from mistakenly using the probe 20 in a non-reusable state, thereby reducing the risks of thyroid surgery or parathyroid surgery.

[0036] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 The power-on device 30 may further include a display screen 38. The display screen 38 may be located on the outer surface 311 of the housing 31 (see FIG. Figure 4 ) and can be communicatively coupled to the control unit 32 (see Figure 4In some embodiments, the display screen 38 may display the current state of the probe 20 (e.g., reusable state or non-reusable state) and / or the number of times the probe 20 has been sterilized or the number of remaining sterilization times. When the probe 20 is in the non-reusable state, the user can be informed of this information through the display screen 38 and replace the probe 20 accordingly to continue the surgery.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 32 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a circuit implemented by a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a microcontroller unit (MCU), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In other embodiments, the control unit 32 may include a central processing unit (CPU).

[0038] Although the present invention is described above in the context of parathyroid gland detection, the present invention is not limited thereto. The system described herein may be a medical detection system that utilizes autofluorescence imaging technology to detect other biological tissues.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, it is not intended to be limited thereto, but rather to be limited only by the scope set forth in the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A medical detection system, characterized in that: The medical detection system comprises: console; a reusable probe for connection to said console and including a usage counter; and A power-on device for connecting to the console and comprising: A power interface configured to be connected to a power source; A console interface, configured to be adapted to connect with an electrical input interface of the console; an electrical conductor, two ends of which are respectively connected to the power interface and the console interface to transmit power from the power interface to the console interface; a switch unit located between the two ends of the electrical conductor; a reading device for reading a count value from the usage counting device of the probe; and A control unit is communicatively coupled to the switch unit and the reading device and is configured to control the switch unit to connect or disconnect the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface.

2. The medical detection system according to claim 1, wherein: The power-on device includes a housing, and the switch unit, the reading device, and the control unit are encapsulated in the housing.

3. The medical detection system according to claim 2, wherein: The outer surface of the housing has an opening, and the console interface is positioned as one of the following: Located in the housing and exposed to the outside through the opening; or Located outside the housing.

4. The medical detection system according to claim 2, wherein: The power-on device further includes a transformer, which is located between the power interface and the console interface. The transformer is used to convert the voltage from the power supply to meet the voltage requirement of the console.

5. The medical detection system according to claim 2, wherein: The count value is determined based on the number of sterilizations completed or the number of remaining sterilizations of the probe.

6. The medical detection system according to claim 5, wherein: The usage counting device is an RFID tag, and the RFID tag is used to record the number of times the probe has been sterilized or the number of remaining sterilization times. The reading device is an RFID reader, which is used to read the RFID tag and is communicatively coupled to the control unit and configured to: When the distance between the RFID tag on the probe and the RFID reader is less than a predetermined value, reading the number of disinfections completed or the number of remaining disinfections of the probe recorded on the RFID tag; Sending the read number of sterilizations completed or remaining for the probe to the control unit; and After reading the number of times the probe has been sterilized or the number of times remaining for sterilization recorded on the RFID tag, the number of times the probe has been sterilized recorded on the RFID tag is increased by one or the number of times remaining for sterilization recorded on the RFID tag is decreased by one.

7. The medical detection system according to claim 6, wherein: The control unit of the power-on device is further configured to: Determining a current state of the probe based on the number of sterilizations or the number of remaining sterilizations of the probe received from the RFID reader, the current state including a reusable state and a non-reusable state; In response to determining that the probe is in a reusable state, controlling the switch unit to connect the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface; and In response to determining that the probe is in a non-reusable state, the switch unit is controlled to cut off the electrical connection between the power interface and the console interface.

8. The medical detection system according to claim 7, wherein: The control unit of the power-on device is further configured to: When the number of times the probe has been sterilized reaches an upper limit or the number of remaining sterilization times is zero, determining that the probe is in a non-reusable state; and When the number of times the probe has been sterilized is less than the upper limit or the number of remaining sterilizations is greater than zero, it is determined that the probe is in a reusable state. Wherein the upper limit value or the initial remaining number of disinfection times is greater than 1.

9. The medical detection system according to claim 7, wherein: The power-on device further includes a display screen, which is located on an outer surface of the housing and is configured to display at least one of the following: the current state of the probe; and The number of times the probe has been sterilized or the number of times remaining to be sterilized.

10. The medical detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The medical detection system is a parathyroid detection system.

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