Blood vessel position indicator

Abstract

Provided is a blood vessel position indicator capable of displaying with high precision the position of puncture point on the surface of the skin. A blood vessel position indicator 10 comprises: an imaging unit 22 which contacts the surface of the skin and acquires a sectional image of a human body; a control unit 30 which detects a blood vessel position from the sectional image and calculates, from the detected blood vessel position, the position of a puncture point on the surface of the skin; and a display unit 28 which emits laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by the control unit 30 so as to display the position of the puncture point on the surface of the skin.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blood vessel position indicator that detects the position of a blood vessel from an image acquired by an ultrasound device and displays a puncture point based on the detected blood vessel position. [Background technology]

[0002] Vessel puncture involves inserting an injection needle into the human body to secure an access site for drug administration or intravascular treatment. During vascular puncture, the surgeon cannot see the blood vessels from the surface of the skin, so they must estimate the location of the blood vessels using standard knowledge of the blood vessel course and skills such as palpation of vascular pulsation. However, vascular puncture often fails, causing physical and mental distress to the patient.

[0003] In recent years, technologies for visualizing blood vessel positions, such as near-infrared imaging, ultrasound echo, and optical reverberation imaging, have been used to identify the puncture position. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that uses an ultrasound echo device to display a cross-sectional image of the arm on a monitor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Republished Patent No. 2017 / 022073 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The aforementioned technology for visualizing blood vessel position makes it possible to identify the blood vessel position during puncture, but since the positional relationship between the visualized image and the skin surface is not always clear, a certain level of skill is required to determine the puncture position. In particular, when puncturing using an ultrasound echo device, a cross-sectional image acquired by the ultrasound echo device is displayed on a monitor, and the surgeon must visualize the puncture position on the patient's arm from the cross-sectional image while performing the puncture. In addition, near-infrared images can project blood vessel images onto the skin surface, but because near-infrared rays are reflected and attenuated inside the body, the positioning accuracy is low and there is a high possibility of deviation from the actual blood vessel position.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a blood vessel position indicator that can display the position of the puncture point on the skin surface with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above object, the blood vessel position indicator according to the present invention comprises: an imaging unit that contacts the skin surface to acquire cross-sectional images of the human body; a control unit that detects a blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates a position of a puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position; a display unit that irradiates laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by the control unit and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface; and With death, the control unit detects the blood vessel diameter in addition to the blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image, and calculates the puncture depth from the skin surface; The display unit displays the blood vessel diameter and the puncture depth on the skin surface together with the display of the puncture point. do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The blood vessel position indicator configured as described above identifies the blood vessel position with high accuracy from the cross-sectional image acquired by the imaging unit and displays the puncture point on the skin surface, so the surgeon does not need to shift his or her gaze to a monitor or the like and can concentrate on the puncture operation, ensuring reliable puncture regardless of the surgeon's skill. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the blood vessel position indicator of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a side view of the blood vessel position indicator. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the underside of the blood vessel position indicator, illustrating the positional relationship with the arm from which cross-sectional images are acquired. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view of the blood vessel position indicator displaying on the surface of the skin of the arm. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing displays on a display unit, showing different displays of puncture depth and blood vessel diameter. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a plurality of patterns of the direction display section. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing modified examples of displays on the display unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a blood vessel position indicator. [Figure 9] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating examples of images acquired by an imaging unit. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the blood vessel, the imaging position, and the puncture point when the probe body is parallel to the skin surface in a case where the puncture angle is fixed and the puncture position is displayed. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the arm fixing part and the arm and blood vessel position indicator. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the blood vessel, the imaging position, and the puncture point when the probe body is tilted relative to the skin surface in a case where the puncture angle is fixed and the puncture position is displayed. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the blood vessel, the imaging position, and the puncture point when the probe body is parallel to the skin surface, in a case where the puncture position is fixed to one end of the probe body and displayed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the blood vessel, the imaging position, and the puncture point when the probe body is tilted relative to the skin surface, in a case where the puncture position is fixed to one end of the probe body and displayed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings may be exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0011] The blood vessel position indicator according to an embodiment of the present invention is used when puncturing a human arm, acquiring a cross-sectional image of the arm to detect the blood vessel position, and projecting the puncture position calculated based on the blood vessel position onto the surface of the skin.

[0012] 1 and 2, the blood vessel position indicator 10 has a probe main body 20 having an imaging unit 22 that contacts the skin surface to acquire cross-sectional images of the human body, and an extension 26 that protrudes in one direction from the top of the probe main body 20. A display unit 28 that irradiates laser light diagonally downward is provided at the tip of the extension 26. The tip of the extension 26 is formed wide along the X direction in the drawings, and the display unit 28 can move along the X direction on the extension 26.

[0013] The probe main body 20 has an imaging unit 22 at its lower end and a vertically long handle 24 at its upper end that is held by the surgeon. The handle 24 may be fixed to a robot. If the handle 24 is fixed to a robot, the handle 24 may have a shape other than vertically long. As shown in FIG. 3, the imaging unit 22 is provided at the center of the underside of the probe main body 20 so as to span substantially the entire width. The imaging unit 22 is an ultrasound device that has a transducer that generates ultrasound waves and detects the reflected waves to obtain cross-sectional images of the inside of the human body. In this embodiment, cross-sectional images perpendicular to the axial direction of the blood vessels are obtained, and therefore the imaging unit 22 is positioned so that its length is perpendicular to the length of the arm H.

[0014] 4, with the imaging unit 22 in contact with the skin surface of the arm H, the blood vessel position display device 10 irradiates the skin surface with laser light L from the display unit 28 and displays the position of the puncture point. In this example, the irradiation angle of the laser light with respect to the perpendicular to the skin surface is constant at 30°.

[0015] The information displayed on the skin surface by display unit 28 includes the puncture depth and blood vessel diameter, as well as the puncture point position. As shown in Fig. 5(a), display unit 28 displays two lines in a T-shape on the skin surface. The point where the two lines intersect represents puncture point 50.

[0016] The line extending horizontally from the puncture point 50 is a direction display unit 51 that indicates the puncture depth and puncture direction. The direction display unit 51 indicates the puncture direction by its direction, and the puncture depth by its length. Here, the puncture depth refers to the distance from the puncture point 50 to the center of gravity of the blood vessel when the puncture is performed at an angle of 30°, which is the laser light irradiation angle from the puncture point 50. However, the puncture depth may also be displayed as the length of a straight line extending from the puncture point 50 to the center of gravity of the blood vessel, projected onto the skin surface. As shown in FIG. 5(b), for example, when the puncture depth is smaller than in FIG. 5(a), the direction display unit 51 is displayed shorter.

[0017] The line extending vertically from the puncture point 50 is a blood vessel diameter display section 52 that indicates the blood vessel diameter. The blood vessel diameter display section 52 expresses the blood vessel diameter by its length. As shown in Fig. 5(c), for example, when the blood vessel diameter is larger than in Fig. 5(a), the blood vessel diameter display section 52 is displayed longer.

[0018] The wavelength of the laser light emitted by display unit 28 may be in the visible light range, but is preferably green (532 nm) for easy discrimination from blood and skin tissue. The color may also be changed depending on the display area. For example, the color of blood vessel diameter display unit 52 may be different from the color of other areas. The line width of the laser light emitted by the display unit is 5 mm or less, taking into account the blood vessel diameter, and is preferably 1.5 mm or less, which is the same as the outer diameter of the puncture needle, and 0.3 mm or more for ease of viewing.

[0019] Modifications of the direction display unit 51 will be described. In each of the three direction display units in Fig. 6(a) to (c), the lower the display, the deeper the puncture depth. As explained above, the direction display unit 51 in Fig. 6(a) represents the puncture depth by the length of the line. The direction display unit 55 in Fig. 6(b) is a line that becomes thinner toward the tip, and its length represents the puncture depth. The direction display unit 56 in Fig. 6(c) represents different puncture depths by changing its shape while maintaining a constant length.

[0020] A modified example of the overall display by display unit 28 will be described. In the display of Fig. 7(a), the point where direction display unit 61 and blood vessel diameter display unit 62 intersect represents puncture point 60, and the direction of direction display unit 61 represents the puncture direction. The puncture depth is displayed numerically in depth display unit 63 located at the top. By displaying the puncture depth numerically in this way, the surgeon can accurately grasp the puncture depth.

[0021] In the display of FIG. 7(b), the center of the circular portion represents the puncture point 64, and the diameter of the circle represents the blood vessel diameter. The direction display portion 65 has a shape that tapers toward the tip. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the display may be configured to display only the outline. In this case, the center of the circular portion is the puncture point 66. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(d), the puncture point 68 may be displayed as a dot. In this case, the dot representing the puncture point 68 may be displayed in different colors from the rest of the outline. In the other examples described so far, visibility can be improved by changing the colors of the puncture point, direction display portion, and blood vessel diameter display portion.

[0022] Display unit 28 can use, for example, a diffraction grating (not shown) to change the emitted laser light into any shape. The diffraction grating is formed by carving grooves or the like into the surface of a transparent plate. The surface of the transparent plate has areas where a diffraction grating is formed and areas where it is not formed, and as the laser light passes through the transparent plate, the emitted laser light is branched into multiple beams, forming a shape that is projected onto the skin surface. In this case, it is preferable to provide multiple diffraction gratings or to make the position of the diffraction grating variable in order to change the shape and size of the beam projected onto the skin surface.

[0023] A lens (not shown) or a slit (not shown) may be used by the display unit 28 to change the shape of the laser light. When a lens is used, the shape of the laser light can be changed by placing the lens between the emission position of the laser light and the projection position on the skin surface. When a lens is used, it is desirable that the projection shape be a simple shape such as a cross or T-shape. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide multiple lenses or to make the position of the lens variable in order to change the projection shape. The length of the direction display unit 51 can be changed by independently moving some of the multiple lenses.

[0024] When using a slit, the shape of the laser light can be changed by placing the slit between the laser light emission position and the projection position on the skin surface. The shape of the slit can be set arbitrarily, and is suitable for projecting complex shapes such as an arrow shape.

[0025] Next, a method for detecting the blood vessel position and identifying the puncture position will be described. As shown in Fig. 8, blood vessel position indicator 10 has an imaging unit 22 that contacts the skin surface to acquire a cross-sectional image of the human body, a control unit 30 that detects the blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position, and a display unit 28 that irradiates laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by control unit 30 and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface. Control unit 30 is connected to imaging unit 22 via transmission unit 32 and reception unit 34, and can cause imaging unit 22 to acquire cross-sectional images and receive the acquired cross-sectional images.

[0026] The control unit 30 is connected to a power supply unit 37 made up of a rechargeable battery via a charging circuit 36. The control unit 30 is also connected to an inclination detection unit 38 made up of a gyro sensor.

[0027] The control unit 30 acquires a cross-sectional image as shown in Fig. 9 from the imaging unit 22. The horizontal direction in the cross-sectional image, i.e., the width direction of the arm, is defined as the X direction, the vertical direction in the cross-sectional image, i.e., the depth direction of the arm, is defined as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of the cross-sectional image, i.e., the length direction of the arm, is defined as the Z direction. The coordinates of the top left point in this cross-sectional image are defined as the origin (0,0,0).

[0028] The control unit 30 detects the location of blood vessels in the image by analyzing the acquired cross-sectional image. The control unit 30 detects areas recognized as blood vessels in the image and defines the center of gravity 70 as the location of the blood vessel. To detect areas recognized as blood vessels in the image, machine learning or deep learning techniques can be used by preparing a large number of similar images. Alternatively, the imaging unit 22 can detect areas with blood flow using the Doppler method and recognize these areas as blood vessel areas. When detecting blood vessel areas from cross-sectional images, it is necessary to distinguish between arteries and veins. Arteries and veins can be distinguished based on the position of the arm bone H that appears in the cross-sectional image. Furthermore, when areas with blood flow are detected using the Doppler method, arteries and veins can also be distinguished based on the direction of blood flow. The coordinates of the center of gravity 70 of the detected blood vessel are defined as (x, y, 0). The control unit 30 also detects the diameter of the blood vessels detected from the cross-sectional image.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 10 , the Z-axis coordinate z of the puncture position is the horizontal distance between the imaging position 71 captured by the imaging unit 22 and the puncture point 72, and is calculated as z = y tan θ. The puncture depth a is calculated as a = y / cos θ. In this example, θ is 30°. This defines the coordinates (x, 0, z) of the puncture point 72 and the puncture depth a. The position of the puncture point 72 corresponds to the point where a line extending from the blood vessel center of gravity position 70 in a direction perpendicular to the skin surface intersects with the skin surface. The control unit 30 directs the display unit 28 to irradiate the calculated puncture point 72 with laser light, and displays the position of the puncture point, the puncture depth, and the blood vessel diameter. At this time, the display unit 28 moves to the X-axis coordinate position x of the puncture point 72 and then irradiates the laser light. The operator can easily perform the puncture using the display projected on the skin surface.

[0030] When using the blood vessel position indicator 10, the arm H can be fixed to an arm fixture 40, as shown in FIG. 11. The arm fixture 40 has a cylindrical base 41 and an expansion / contraction section 43 that can be expanded and contracted by air pressure at the bottom of the inner surface 42. By expanding the expansion / contraction section 43 with the arm H inserted through the base 41, the arm H is pressed against the upper wall of the inner surface 42 and fixed. In this state, the upper surface of the arm H to be punctured is parallel to the inner surface 42 of the base 41. In this state, the imaging section 22 can be tilted and pressed against the arm H, as shown in FIG.

[0031] The tilt of the probe main body 20 can be detected by the tilt detection unit 38. The reference for tilt is the vertical direction, which is perpendicular to the horizontal direction defined by the base 41. As described above, the upper surface of the arm H fixed to the base 41 is parallel to the inner surface 42 of the base 41 and faces along the horizontal direction. Therefore, by detecting the tilt with respect to the vertical direction using the tilt detection unit 38, the tilt of the blood vessel position indicator 10 with respect to the normal to the skin surface can be detected. In this example, the tilt detection unit 38 detects that the blood vessel position indicator 10 is tilted by an angle of φ.

[0032] In this case, too, the control unit 30 first acquires a cross-sectional image from the imaging unit 22. In the cross-sectional image, the Y direction is inclined at an angle of φ with respect to the perpendicular to the skin surface. The control unit 30 also acquires the inclination φ of the blood vessel position indicator 10 using the inclination detection unit 38. The control unit 30 sets the upper left corner position of the acquired cross-sectional image as the origin (0,0,0). Using this origin as a reference, the control unit 30 detects the center of gravity position 70 of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and sets the coordinates of the detected center of gravity position 70 of the blood vessel as (x,y,0). The control unit 30 also detects the diameter of the blood vessel detected from the cross-sectional image.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 12, the Z-axis coordinate z of the puncture position can be calculated by z = y(sinφ + cosφ tan θ). Furthermore, the puncture depth a is calculated by a = y cosφ / cosθ. This defines the coordinates (x, 0, z) of puncture point 72 and the puncture depth a. As in the previous example, control unit 30 causes display unit 28 to irradiate laser light toward the calculated puncture point 72, and displays the position of the puncture point, the puncture depth, and the blood vessel diameter.

[0034] In the examples described so far, the position of the puncture point is displayed when puncturing is performed at a fixed angle relative to the center of gravity of the detected blood vessel, but the position of the puncture point can also be set to be along one end of probe main body 20. In this case, the puncture angle θ differs depending on the positional relationship between the center of gravity of the blood vessel and probe main body 20, so it is necessary to calculate the puncture angle θ.

[0035] In this case, the control unit 30 also acquires a cross-sectional image from the imaging unit 22, and sets the upper left corner position of the acquired cross-sectional image as the origin (0,0,0). Using this origin as a reference, the control unit 30 detects the center of gravity position 70 of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and sets the coordinates of the detected center of gravity position 70 of the blood vessel as (x,y,0). The control unit 30 also detects the diameter of the blood vessel detected from the cross-sectional image.

[0036] When the underside of probe main body 20 is in contact with and parallel to the skin surface and tilt detection unit 38 does not detect any tilt of probe main body 20, as shown in FIG. 13 , the Z-direction coordinate z of the puncture position is half the width W of probe main body 20, and is therefore calculated as z = W / 2. Puncture angle θ is calculated as θ = arctan(z / y). Puncture depth a is calculated as a = y / cos θ. These define the coordinates (x, 0, z) of puncture point 72 and the puncture depth a. As in the previous example, control unit 30 directs laser light toward the calculated puncture point 72 on display unit 28, and displays the position of the puncture point, the puncture depth, and the blood vessel diameter.

[0037] When the underside of probe main body 20 is inclined relative to the skin surface and inclination detection unit 38 detects an angle of inclination of φ with respect to the perpendicular to the skin surface, the Z-direction coordinate z of the puncture position is calculated as z = W / 2. The puncture angle θ is calculated as θ = arctan((zy·sinφ) / (y·cosφ)). The puncture depth a is calculated as a = y·cosφ / cosθ. This defines the coordinates (x, 0, z) of puncture point 72 and the puncture depth a. As in the previous example, control unit 30 directs laser light toward the calculated puncture point 72 onto display unit 28, and displays the position of the puncture point, the puncture depth, and the blood vessel diameter.

[0038] The direction of the blood vessel, which is displayed as a direction display area by the display unit 28, can be detected by bringing the probe main body 20 into contact with two or more different points on the skin. After the control unit 30 detects the position of the center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image acquired by the imaging unit 22, it stores the coordinates. After moving the probe main body 20 to bring it into contact with a different position on the skin surface and acquiring a cross-sectional image with the imaging unit 22, the control unit 30 detects the position of the center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image. The control unit 30 can calculate the direction of the blood vessel from the difference in the X and Y directions between the positions of the center of gravity of the blood vessel detected at different positions. The control unit 30 causes the display unit 28 to display the calculated direction of the blood vessel as a direction display area.

[0039] As described above, blood vessel position indicator 10 according to this embodiment includes imaging unit 22 that contacts the skin surface to acquire a cross-sectional image of the human body, control unit 30 that detects the blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position, and display unit 28 that irradiates laser light toward the puncture point position detected by control unit 30 and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface. This blood vessel position indicator 10 identifies the blood vessel position with high accuracy from the cross-sectional image acquired by imaging unit 22 and displays the puncture point on the skin surface, eliminating the need for the surgeon to shift their gaze to a monitor or the like and allowing them to concentrate on the puncture operation, thereby enabling reliable puncture regardless of the surgeon's skill.

[0040] Furthermore, the control unit 30 may detect the blood vessel diameter in addition to the blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculate the puncture depth from the skin surface, and the display unit 28 may display the blood vessel diameter and puncture depth on the skin surface along with the display of the puncture point. This allows the surgeon to be more informed of information for puncturing, thereby further improving the reliability of puncturing.

[0041] Display unit 28 may also display a directional indicator on the skin surface extending from the position of the puncture point along the puncture direction, allowing the surgeon to reliably grasp the puncture direction and further improving the reliability of puncture.

[0042] Furthermore, the display unit 28 may display the puncture depth by the length or shape of the directional display, thereby enabling the surgeon to intuitively grasp the puncture depth.

[0043] Furthermore, display unit 28 may be configured to display a direction indicator that tapers toward the tip, thereby improving the visibility of the puncture direction.

[0044] Furthermore, control unit 30 may detect the position of the center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and determine the point where a line extending from the position of the center of gravity at a certain angle relative to the normal to the skin surface intersects with the skin surface as the position of the puncture point on the skin surface. This makes it possible to accurately identify the position of the puncture point on the skin surface when the puncture angle is fixed.

[0045] Furthermore, display unit 28 may be configured to irradiate the laser light from a direction that forms a puncture angle with respect to the skin surface, thereby enabling the operator to easily grasp the puncture angle.

[0046] The control unit 30 may also detect the position of the center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and determine the position of the puncture point on the skin surface as the point where a line extending from the position of the center of gravity to one end of the probe main body 20 having the imaging unit 22 intersects with the skin surface. This makes it possible to accurately identify the position of the puncture point on the skin surface when puncturing along the blood vessel position indicator 10.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 30 may calculate the puncture angle as the angle between a line extending from the center of gravity of the blood vessel to one end of the imaging unit 22 and a perpendicular line to the skin surface, and the display unit 28 may display the puncture angle calculated by the control unit 30 on the skin surface. This allows the surgeon to reliably grasp the puncture angle when performing puncture along the blood vessel position indicator 10.

[0048] Furthermore, control unit 30 may calculate the distance from the center of gravity of the blood vessel to the position of the puncture point on the skin surface as the puncture depth, and display unit 28 may display on the skin surface the puncture depth calculated by control unit 30. This allows the surgeon to know how far the needle should be inserted, thereby enabling more reliable puncture.

[0049] Furthermore, instead of calculating the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position, control unit 30 may detect a position other than the center of gravity of the blood vessel to be punctured from the cross-sectional image and calculate the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the position other than the center of gravity of the blood vessel. This increases the distance between the puncture point and the blood vessel to be punctured, making it possible to prevent the needle from being further inserted and penetrating the blood vessel after the blood vessel has been punctured with the needle.

[0050] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the angle of the laser light emitted from the display unit 28 is the same as the puncture angle, but the laser light may be emitted at an angle different from the puncture angle. Since it is commonly recognized among medical professionals that the puncture angle should be approximately 30°, puncture can be performed without any problems even if the laser light irradiation angle is different from this. By making the puncture angle and the laser light irradiation angle different, it is possible to prevent the laser light from being blocked by the surgeon's hand, the puncture needle, etc.

[0051] Alternatively, a near-infrared camera and irradiation device may be provided separately, and a near-infrared image may be projected onto the skin surface together with the display of the puncture point on display unit 28. The near-infrared camera can capture a two-dimensional image of the arm's blood vessels, and by projecting this image onto the skin surface, the surgeon can more easily grasp the image of the puncture.

[0052] In addition, although a monitor for displaying the acquired cross-sectional images is not shown in the present embodiment, the blood vessel position display device 10 may be connected to a monitor so that the cross-sectional images can be viewed.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the center of gravity of the blood vessel to be punctured is detected from the cross-sectional image, and the position of the puncture point on the skin surface is calculated from the center of gravity. However, a position other than the center of gravity of the blood vessel to be punctured may be detected to calculate the position of the puncture point on the skin surface. For example, the control unit 30 may detect the inner surface J of the blood vessel located between the blood vessel to be punctured and the imaging unit 22 from the cross-sectional image, or a position K within the blood vessel membrane, and calculate the position of the puncture point based on the coordinates. The control unit 30 may also detect the inner surface J of the blood vessel located between the blood vessel to be punctured and the imaging unit 22 from the cross-sectional image, or a position K within the blood vessel membrane, and calculate the position of the puncture point from the coordinates of a position a certain distance away from this position. This increases the distance between the puncture point and the blood vessel to be punctured, preventing further insertion of the needle after puncturing the blood vessel and penetrating the blood vessel. The certain distance away is mainly a position away in the axial direction of the blood vessel. It may also be a position away in the radial direction.

[0054] When puncturing, the position of the blood vessel may change due to being pushed by the needle. To ensure that the target blood vessel is punctured reliably, the direction and extent of the change in the position of the blood vessel can be displayed on display unit 28.

[0055] The direction and degree of the change in the position of the blood vessel are detected by the control unit 30 by comparing the stored cross-sectional image before puncture with the cross-sectional image after puncture. Therefore, the control unit 30 can detect the direction and degree of the change in the position of the blood vessel regardless of the direction in which the position of the blood vessel changes. Once the direction and degree of the change in the position of the blood vessel are detected, the control unit 30 causes the display unit 28 to display the direction and degree of the change in the position of the blood vessel. The direction and degree of the change in the position of the blood vessel can be displayed using lines, arrows, or numerical values. In addition, the display mode may be changed, such as by changing the color or shade of the display, before and after the change in the position of the blood vessel.

[0056] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-5613 filed on January 18, 2021, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Blood vessel position indicator 20 Probe body 22 Imaging unit 24 Handle 26 Extension 28 Display section 30 Control Unit 32 Transmitter 34 Receiving unit 36 Charging circuit 37 Power supply section 38 Tilt detection unit 40 Arm restraint 41 Base 42 Inner 43 Expanding and contracting section 50 puncture points 51 Direction display 52 Blood vessel diameter display section 60 puncture points 61 Direction display 62 Blood vessel diameter display section 63 Depth display 70 Center of gravity position 71 Imaging position 72 Puncture point

Claims

1. an imaging unit that contacts the skin surface to acquire a cross-sectional image of the human body; a control unit that detects a blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates a position of a puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position; a display unit that irradiates laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by the control unit and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface; and and the control unit detects the blood vessel diameter in addition to the blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image, and calculates the puncture depth from the skin surface; The display unit is a blood vessel position indicator that displays the blood vessel diameter and puncture depth on the skin surface along with the puncture point.

2. The blood vessel position indicator according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays a direction indication extending along the puncture direction from the position of the puncture point on the skin surface.

3. The blood vessel position indicator according to claim 2 , wherein the display unit displays the puncture depth by the length or shape of the directional indication.

4. 4. The blood vessel position indicator according to claim 2, wherein the display unit displays the direction indication so that the direction becomes thinner toward the distal end.

5. An imaging unit that contacts the skin surface to acquire a cross-sectional image of the human body; a control unit that detects a blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates a position of a puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position; a display unit that irradiates laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by the control unit and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface; and and the control unit detects a center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and determines a point at which a line extending from the center of gravity in a direction at a certain angle relative to a normal to the skin surface intersects with the skin surface as a position of the puncture point on the skin surface; the control unit calculates the distance from the center of gravity of the blood vessel to the position of the puncture point on the skin surface as the puncture depth; The display unit is a blood vessel position indicator that displays the puncture depth calculated by the control unit on the surface of the skin.

6. 6. The blood vessel position indicator according to claim 5, wherein the display unit irradiates the laser light from a direction forming a puncture angle with respect to the skin surface.

7. An imaging unit that contacts the skin surface to acquire a cross-sectional image of the human body; a control unit that detects a blood vessel position from the cross-sectional image and calculates a position of a puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position; a display unit that irradiates laser light toward the position of the puncture point detected by the control unit and displays the position of the puncture point on the skin surface; and and the control unit detects a center of gravity of the blood vessel from the cross-sectional image, and determines a point where a line extending from the center of gravity to one end of a probe main body having the imaging unit intersects with the skin surface as a puncture point on the skin surface; the control unit calculates the distance from the center of gravity of the blood vessel to the position of the puncture point on the skin surface as the puncture depth; The display unit is a blood vessel position indicator that displays the puncture depth calculated by the control unit on the surface of the skin.

8. the control unit calculates, as a puncture angle, an angle formed by a line extending from a center of gravity of the blood vessel to one end of the imaging unit and a perpendicular line to a skin surface; The blood vessel position indicator according to claim 7 , wherein the display unit displays the puncture angle calculated by the control unit on the surface of the skin.

9. The blood vessel position display device of claim 1, wherein the control unit, instead of calculating the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the detected blood vessel position, detects a position other than the center of gravity of the blood vessel to be punctured from the cross-sectional image, and calculates the position of the puncture point on the skin surface from the position other than the center of gravity of the blood vessel.

Images