Apparatus and method for confirming placement of intraosseous catheter

Abstract

An apparatus and method for quickly determining whether an intraosseous (IO) catheter is correctly placed is provided. The device of the present invention is a portable device (300) configured to be directly connected to an intraosseous catheter and provide a clinician with actionable information utilizing the presence or absence of an arterial pressure waveform (308) to determine whether the catheter is correctly placed, e.g., whether the catheter is located within the medullary cavity of a bone. A method of the present invention for assessing placement of an intraosseous catheter includes coupling a pressure transducer to an intraosseous catheter placed in tissue, obtaining a continuous pressure waveform from a pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer, and assessing placement of the catheter based on the continuous pressure waveform.

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 178,175, filed April 22, 2021, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Intraosseous (IO) catheters allow medical personnel to rapidly administer fluids and medications to critically ill patients when intravenous (IV) access is unavailable or difficult to obtain. IO catheters are recommended in advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines published by the American Heart Association and are used by many clinicians in both out-of-hospital emergency care and inpatient settings. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] This technology relates to methods and devices for rapidly confirming the placement of intraosseous (IO) catheters. Such IO catheters are used in emergency medical situations to provide vascular access to administer medications and fluids when IV or central venous access is unavailable. Accurate placement of IO catheters is important, and rapid determination of correct placement is often required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] One embodiment of the present invention is a single-use, small, sterile device that connects to an IO catheter and provides actionable information to a clinician to help the clinician determine whether the catheter is correctly placed, for example, in the intramedullary cavity of a bone. The device uses a novel concept to provide this information, utilizing the presence or absence of a pulsatile pressure waveform, for example an arterial pressure waveform.

[0005] Another embodiment is a method of assessing placement of an intraosseous catheter comprising coupling a pressure transducer to an intraosseous catheter disposed in tissue and obtaining a continuous pressure waveform from a pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer, wherein placement of the catheter is assessed based on the continuous pressure waveform.

[0006] Evaluating placement of the catheter may include visually inspecting the continuous pressure waveform, determining whether a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform, determining the similarity of the continuous pressure waveform to an arterial pressure waveform, or a combination thereof.

[0007] The presence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform indicates that the catheter is located within the medullary canal of a bone, and the absence of a pulsatile waveform indicates that the catheter is located within soft tissue.

[0008] Determining that a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform may include detecting rhythmic pulsations in the continuous pressure waveform, detecting a peak-trough pressure difference of 5 mmHg or more, or both.

[0009] The pressure transducer may be incorporated into a portable device having a display, and acquiring the continuous pressure waveform may include displaying the continuous pressure waveform on the display.

[0010] A device for assessing placement of an intraosseous catheter includes a housing, a display incorporated in the housing, a first connection means for connecting to an intraosseous catheter placed in tissue on a first side of the housing, an internal flow path within the housing in fluid communication with the connection means, and a pressure transducer configured to sample pressure from the internal flow path and provide a pressure signal based on the sampled pressure. A processor is provided configured to obtain a continuous pressure waveform from the pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer and to cause the display to display the continuous pressure waveform, the displayed continuous pressure waveform being indicative of the catheter being located in the tissue.

[0011] The presence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform, e.g., the displayed continuous pressure waveform, indicates that the catheter is located within the medullary canal of a bone. The absence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform, e.g., the displayed continuous pressure waveform, indicates that the catheter is located within soft tissue.

[0012] The device may include a second connecting means on a second side of the housing in fluid communication with the flow path in the housing. The flow path may extend between the first and second connecting means. The device may further include a lid for closing the second connecting means.

[0013] A method for placing an intraosseous catheter includes placing an intraosseous catheter in tissue, coupling a pressure transducer to the intraosseous catheter placed in tissue, obtaining a continuous pressure waveform from a pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer, evaluating the placement of the catheter in the tissue based on the continuous pressure waveform by determining whether a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform, and adjusting a position of the catheter in the tissue if a pulsatile waveform is not present.

[0014] The foregoing will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference characters refer to the same structures / components throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an example of placement of an intraosseous (IO) catheter for intraosseous infusion. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 shows an example of an arterial line pressure waveform and an intraosseous line pressure waveform with correct placement. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic external view showing an example of a device for evaluating the placement of an IO catheter. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic internal view of the example device of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example device and its connection to an IO catheter placed in a bone. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for assessing IO catheter placement through pressure waveform display and interpretation. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 shows several examples of pulsatile waveforms (indicating correct placement of the IO catheter). [Figure 8] FIG. 13 shows several examples of non-pulsatile waveforms (indicating an IO catheter is not correctly placed). [Figure 9A] FIG. 1 is a table showing the results of a diagnostic accuracy study comparing methods to confirm correct placement of an intraosseous (IO) catheter. [Figure 9B] FIG. 11 is another table showing the results of a diagnostic accuracy study comparing methods to confirm correct placement of an intraosseous (IO) catheter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] In the following, exemplary embodiments are described.

[0017] Intraosseous (IO) catheters are used in emergency care to deliver medications and fluids directly into the bone marrow in patients who do not have access to IV or central venous access. It is often necessary to quickly and definitively determine whether an IO catheter is correctly placed.

[0018] A variety of IO catheters are used routinely in both prehospital and inpatient settings around the world. Teleflex, the manufacturer of the popular EZ-IO catheter in the United States, announced that it sold more than 3 million units in 2017.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows an example of placement of an intraosseous (IO) catheter for intraosseous infusion. In this example, an IO catheter 100 is placed at the proximal end of a humerus 105. The IO catheter 100 has a needle 102 inserted through the cortical bone 110 into the medullary cavity 115 of the bone 105. The needle is typically inserted using a stylet (not shown). After the needle is placed in the bone, the stylet is removed. The proximal end of the needle 102 is provided with a connection means 104 for connecting a fluid line. Typically, the IO catheter is placed at the proximal or distal end of a long bone. The medullary cavity of such a long bone contains a vascular system. These blood vessels are connected to extraosseous arteries and veins (120) through canals in the cortical bone 110.

[0020] Currently, there is no easy way to assess correct placement of an IO catheter. Generally, healthcare professionals assess IO catheter placement by one or more of the following: a) The return of bone marrow following aspiration; b) blood becomes visible on the stylet; c) The needle is firmly placed in the bone; d) smooth delivery of fluid flush; and e) Verify IO flow by manually compressing the area around the IO (see, e.g., Jacob Avila et al., “Trick of the Trade: Squeeze test for confirmation of IO placement”, Aliem, July 22, 2015 (available online at https: / / www.aliem.com / trick-of-the-trade-squeeze-test-for-confirmation-of-io-placement / ); Strausbaugh et al., “Circumferential pressure as a rapid method to assess intraosseous needle placement.” Pediatric Emergency Care 1995;11(5):274-276).

[0021] Clinicians who routinely place IO catheters report that the current methods used to determine correct placement are unsatisfactory. Although IO catheters are quite safe, there have been numerous reported adverse events related to improper placement or dislodgement of catheters (see, for example, Greenstein et al., Crit Care Med 2016; 44(9):e904-e909).

[0022] The methods and associated devices described herein allow clinicians to better determine whether an IO catheter is correctly placed, and further allow clinicians to use the devices to perform spot checks over time to determine whether the catheter is correctly placed.

[0023] The presence of arterial waveforms in pressure measurements from indwelling IO catheters has been described in previous research papers (see, for example, Frascone RJ et al., “Use of an intraosseous device for invasive pressure monitoring in the ED” Am J Emerg Med Jun 1, 2014, 692.e3-692.e4 (https: / / doi.org / 10.1016 / j.ajem.2013.12.029 (online publication date: December 19, 2013)); Salzman JG et al., “Intraosseous Pressure Monitoring in Health Volunteers” Prehosp Emerg Care 2017; 21:567-574).

[0024] A successful case of intraosseous pressure (IOP) monitoring with an intraosseous device during patient resuscitation is described in a paper by Franscone et al. (Frascone RJ et al. “Use of an intraosseous device for invasive pressure monitoring in the ED” Am J Emerg Med June 1, 2014, 692.e3-692.e4). In another paper by Franscone et al., it is reported that the intraosseous (IO) waveform is most similar to the arterial pressure waveform, including the presence of a dicrotic notch (Frascone RJ et al. “Evaluation of intraosseous pressure in a hypovolemic animal model” Journal of Surgical Research 193(2015) 383-390).

[0025] A technique for measuring intraosseous pressure by inserting a small transducer directly into the intraosseous space has been described by McDermotte et al. (McDermott AG, Yabsley RH, and Leahey JL, "A new method to measure intraosseous pressures" (1986) Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. Jul;(208):25-7).

[0026] These studies do not describe the use of intraosseous pressure waveforms to determine correct placement of an IO catheter, but rather, they only mention the potential relationship between intraosseous pressure and systemic blood pressure.

[0027] Due to the presence of an arteriolar network in the intraosseous space (e.g., the medullary cavity), a properly placed IO catheter will produce a pulsatile waveform when attached to a pressure transducer. Systolic, diastolic, and mean pressure readings from an IO catheter will be variable. However, despite this variability in pressure readings, a properly placed IO catheter will produce a consistent pulsatile waveform when attached to a pressure transducer. Thus, demonstration of a pulsatile waveform from an IO catheter confirms accurate intraosseous placement because it records objective data directly from the intraosseous space.

[0028] It should be noted that "pulseless" patients will not exhibit arterial or intraosseous pressure waveforms; rather, they will exhibit "flatline" waveforms. In these patients, assessment of IO catheter placement based on continuous pressure waveform analysis is unlikely to work, and confirmation of IO catheter placement using an alternative approach is required.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows an example of an arterial line pressure waveform and an IO line pressure waveform displayed on a patient monitor together with other vital signs. From top to bottom, the display unit 200 displays first and second ECG waveforms 202 and 204, a radial artery line pressure waveform 206, an IO line pressure waveform 208, an oxygen saturation (SPO2) waveform 210, and a respiratory rate waveform 212. In this case, the intraosseous pressure waveform 208 looks similar to the arterial line pressure waveform 206. When the IO catheter is accurately placed in the intrathecal cavity, the arterial pressure waveform is clearly displayed when the catheter is converted into a signal by a general pressure transducer. A typical pressure transducer that can provide this useful information is cumbersome to install and requires a skilled nurse and a dedicated bedside monitor. The Transpac IV device from ICU Medical (https: / / www.icumed.com / products / critical-care / blood-pressure-monitoring / transpac-iv) is one example of a disposable pressure transducer that can be used to measure intraosseous pressure, but placement is tedious and time-consuming, which can pose risks in the emergency setting.

[0030] The disclosed technology relates to a rapid and reliable method for assessing correct placement of an IO catheter. A disposable pressure transducer is connected to the IO catheter, calibrated for use in the intraosseous space, and used to provide a continuous intraosseous pressure waveform that, if similar to the arterial waveform, indicates that the IO catheter is correctly placed.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic external view of an example of an apparatus 300 for assessing the placement of an IO catheter. The apparatus 300 includes a housing 302 having two connection ports (e.g., first and second connection means), a female luer lock tip connection 304 and a male luer lock tip connection 306, and a digital display 310 for displaying, for example, in real time, a pressure waveform 308 obtained from an internal pressure transducer (see FIG. 4, reference numeral 424). Here, the illustrated waveform 308 resembles an arterial waveform. The waveform has a peak pressure 311 and a trough pressure 309. Generally, a pressure difference between the peak pressure and the trough pressure of 5 mmHg or more represents a pulsatile waveform. The display may also display the actual pressure value measured by the transducer. The display may display such pressure measurements as systolic pressure (in this example, 22 mmHg) and diastolic pressure (in this example, 12 mmHg) (reference numeral 312). Display 310 may be a touch-sensitive display that allows user interaction such as adjusting display parameters, for example vertical and horizontal scaling of the displayed waveform, pausing, resetting the display, etc.

[0032] A power button 316 is provided for turning the device on and off. The power button 316 may have a 60 second automatic power off function. A removable cap 314 is provided on the female luer lock connection 304. When the device 300 is connected to an IO catheter via the male luer lock tip connection 306 during pressure measurement, the female luer lock connection 304 may be covered with the cap 314 or a syringe (not shown) may be attached to the female luer lock connection. The device has a small and portable size. In the illustrated example, the length dimension of the device is L and the width dimension is W. For example, L may be about 2.5 inches (about 6.35 cm) and W may be about 1.125 inches (about 2.86 cm). The device 300 may be a single-use sterile medical device (although it may be used multiple times on the same patient).

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic internal view of the example device 300 of FIG. 3. As shown, the device includes an internal flow path 420 in communication between the female luer lock connection 304 and the male luer lock connection 306. A pressure transducer 424 samples pressure from the internal flow path 420 via an interface 422. The device includes electronics, such as a processor 426, configured to receive a pressure signal from the transducer 424 and cause the display 310 (FIG. 3) to display a pressure waveform based on the received pressure signal. The processor may be configured to adjust the display of the waveform automatically or in response to a user action. The processor is also operatively connected to other components of the device, such as a memory storage unit, the display 310, the power button 316, the pressure transducer 424, and a wireless input / output (I / O) unit 430. The wireless unit 430 is configured to transmit and receive data wirelessly via an appropriate wireless network / communication protocol, such as WIFI or BLUETOOTH. A power source 428, such as a battery, powers the electronics, including the processor, the pressure transducer, the radio, and the display.

[0034] The assessment of the placement of the catheter can be performed visually by the clinician. It is also conceivable that the analysis can be automated. The clinician can check for the presence or absence of a pulsatile waveform. The clinician can make a decision based only on the intraosseous pressure waveform, without the need for an arterial waveform to also be present. If the catheter is not correctly placed, i.e., not within the medullary cavity of the bone, the device will not display a pulsatile waveform. In this case, the clinician must adjust the position of the IO catheter or remove it and place another catheter.

[0035] Advantageously, the pressure transducer may be calibrated for use in intraosseous spaces. Based on literature and clinical experience, a suitable pressure range is believed to be 20 mmHg to 60 mmHg. A wider range, for example 0 mmHg to 120 mmHg, may also be applied. In this case, it is preferable that the device (e.g., the processor, etc.) is capable of adjusting the scale of the waveform displayed on the display, for example automatically based on the peak pressure of the waveform, or in response to a user operation, for example via a button or user interface, so that the user can infer the presence or absence of a pulsatile waveform. If the scale is too large, the waveform will appear non-pulsatile (i.e. flat).

[0036] An embodiment of the present invention may be of similar dimensions and connection interfaces to a commercially available small, portable, single-use pressure transducer called COMPASS (Centurion Medical Products, Inc.) (http: / / compass.centurionmp.com / ). The device has a male luer lock tip connection and a female luer lock tip connection with a cap. The device weighs 16 grams. The COMPASS device is marketed for central venous access, lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, and compartment pressure monitoring. Although the device is easy to use, it does not provide a pressure waveform. The COMPASS device displays a pressure value representing the average pressure over a 3 second period, updated twice per second. In contrast, the present approach provides a continuous waveform display, updated much faster, for example in real time.

[0037] The device includes a pressure transducer that is calibrated for use within the intraosseous space. Rather than providing the clinician with just a numerical value for the measured pressure, the device provides the clinician with a continuous pressure waveform on a display based on the measured pressure. The clinician can review the waveform to determine whether it is an arterial waveform or resembles an arterial waveform, indicating proper placement of the catheter within the bone.

[0038] 5 shows an example of a disposable pressure transducer device 300 connected to an IO catheter 500 placed in a long bone 105. The disposable pressure transducer device is connected to the IO catheter tubing 502 via a luer lock connection 306, calibrated for use in the intraosseous space, and used to provide a continuous intraosseous pressure waveform that resembles an arterial waveform, indicating that the IO catheter is correctly placed. The techniques of the present disclosure provide a fast and reliable method of assessing correct placement of an IO catheter.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 illustrating an example of a method for assessing IO catheter placement by displaying and interpreting a pressure waveform. At 602, the clinician powers on the device and connects the device to the IO catheter, for example, by connecting a luer lock connection of the device to a corresponding connection means of the IO catheter. At 604, the device detects the pressure from the IO catheter in analog form. At 606, the device converts the analog pressure signal into a waveform and displays it on the device. The displayed waveform can then be evaluated. If the displayed waveform is a pulsatile waveform (608), this indicates that the IO catheter is correctly placed (610). If the displayed waveform is not a pulsatile waveform (612), this indicates that the IO catheter is not correctly placed (614). If the IO catheter is not correctly placed, the clinician can reposition the IO catheter. Steps 604 and following steps can be repeated until correctly placed.

[0040] Figure 7 shows several example pulsatile waveforms 702, 704, 706, and 708 obtained from an IO catheter, each of which is characterized by a pulsatile waveform, e.g., rhythmic pulsations with evenly spaced peaks and troughs, suggesting accurate placement of the catheter within the intraosseous space.

[0041] 8 shows several examples of non-pulsatile waveforms 802, 804, 806, 808 that indicate an IO catheter was not placed correctly. Each waveform is from an IO catheter that was not placed correctly, resulting in the catheter being in the soft tissue rather than in the intraosseous space.

[0042] Figures 9A and 9B are tables showing the results of a diagnostic accuracy study comparing methods for confirming correct placement of intraosseous (IO) catheters. As summarized in the table in Figure 9A, in this analysis, 24% of IO catheters were incorrectly placed out of 42 IO catheter insertions. The method based on pressure waveform analysis identified all catheters that were incorrectly placed, whereas the common method identified only 30% of them (McNemar: p<0.01). In this study, a categorical decision (yes / no) was used to determine correct IO catheter placement. In the common method, an IO catheter was considered to be correctly placed (yes) if the physician who placed the IO catheter answered "yes" to all of the following questions 1, 2, and 3: 1. Is the IO catheter capable of standing up without assistance? (yes / no); 2. Was bone marrow or blood aspirated with a syringe attached to the IO catheter? (yes / no); and 3. Is there any visible or obvious extravasation around the IO catheter site when flushed with a 10 mL prefilled syringe of saline? (yes / no)

[0043] In the waveform analysis-based approach, the IO catheter was deemed to be correctly placed (yes) if the physician confirmed a pulsatile waveform on a monitor that displayed the pressure waveform from the IO catheter along with numerical values ​​for systolic, diastolic, and mean pressure while the IO catheter was undergoing signal conversion.

[0044] The results, summarized in the table in Figure 9B, show that the pressure waveform-based method demonstrated substantial interrater reliability with 10 of 12 inaccurate placement agreements and 28 of 30 correct placement agreements (Kappa coefficient: 0.77, p<0.001).

[0045] These are unpublished results from the intraosseous catheter confirmation study, registered as Clinical Trial NCT03908879. Additional information about the trial can be found on clinicaltrials.gov (available online at clinicaltrials.gov / ct2 / show / NCT03908879 (accessed April 19, 2022)).

[0046] All patents, published patent applications and literature references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for their teachings.

[0047] Although exemplary embodiments have been shown and described in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the embodiments encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for assessing placement of an intraosseous catheter, comprising: Coupling a pressure transducer to an intraosseous catheter disposed within the tissue; obtaining a continuous pressure waveform from a pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer; assessing placement of the catheter in the tissue based on the continuous pressure waveform; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing placement of the catheter comprises visually reviewing the continuous pressure waveform.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein assessing placement of the catheter comprises determining whether a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform indicates that the catheter is located within the medullary canal of a bone, and the absence of a pulsatile waveform indicates that the catheter is located within soft tissue.

5. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform comprises detecting rhythmic pulsations in the continuous pressure waveform.

6. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that a pulsatile waveform is present in the continuous pressure waveform comprises detecting a peak-to-trough pressure difference of 5 mmHg or more.

7. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein assessing the placement of the catheter comprises determining a similarity of the continuous pressure waveforms to an arterial pressure waveform.

8. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure transducer is incorporated into a portable device having a display, and acquiring the continuous pressure waveform includes displaying the continuous pressure waveform on the display.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pressure transducer is connected to the intraosseous catheter via a connection means of the portable device, the connection means being in fluid communication with an internal flow path of the portable device, and the pressure transducer is configured to sample pressure from the internal flow path and provide the pressure signal.

10. 1. A device for assessing placement of an intraosseous catheter, comprising: Housing and A display unit incorporated in the housing; a first connection means for connecting to an intraosseous catheter disposed in tissue on a first side of the housing; an internal flow passage within said housing in fluid communication with said connecting means; a pressure transducer configured to sample pressure from the internal flow passage and to provide a pressure signal based on the sampled pressure; a processor configured to obtain a continuous pressure waveform from the pressure signal provided by the pressure transducer and to cause the display to display the continuous pressure waveform; wherein the continuous pressure waveform displayed indicates that the catheter is positioned within the tissue.

11. 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the presence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform indicates that the catheter is located within the medullary canal of a bone, and the absence of a pulsatile waveform in the continuous pressure waveform indicates that the catheter is located within soft tissue.

12. 12. The apparatus of claim 10 or 11, further comprising a second connection means on a second side of the housing in fluid communication with the flow path within the housing.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the flow path extends between the first and second connecting means.

14. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a lid for closing said second connecting means.

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