Medical tube positioning system

Abstract

Provided is a medical tube position confirmation system that makes it possible to easily identify the position of a medical tube that has been inserted into a body. A position confirmation system according to the present invention comprises a medical tube and a non-contact power supply power transmission device. The medical tube includes a tube body, a non-contact power supply power reception device that is provided near a first end part that is the end of the tube body on the side to be inserted into a body, an electroconductive line that is provided to the tube body along the extension direction of the tube body and transmits electromotive force produced at the power reception device by non-contact power supply, and a light-emitting body that is provided near a second end part that is the other end of the tube body and emits light by means of power supplied from the electroconductive line. The power transmission device supplies power to the power reception device from outside the body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for confirming the position of a medical tube. Mu

Background Art

[0002] In the medical field, various medical tubes are used. As a typical example, for patients who have difficulty in oral intake of food and drink, a method called nasogastric tube feeding is used to directly supply food and drink to the stomach by using a nasogastric tube. In nasogastric tube feeding, a nasogastric tube coated with lubricating jelly is inserted into the nasal cavity, and while gradually pushing one end (tip) of the nasogastric tube deeper, the patient is repeatedly asked to perform swallowing motions to guide the tip of the nasogastric tube to the esophageal side and reach the stomach, and a liquid food or nutrient is injected from the other end of the medical tube.

[0003] However, the insertion operation of the nasogastric tube is not always easy. For example, if food and drink accidentally enter the trachea or lungs, it may cause inflammation. Therefore, in nasogastric tube feeding, it is necessary to confirm that the tip of the nasogastric tube has reached the stomach before injecting a liquid food or nutrient.

[0004] By the way, the above confirmation has conventionally been performed using X-ray equipment. In addition, nasogastric tube feeding is often repeated over several days, and it has been an issue to reduce the burden on patients due to an increase in the X-ray exposure dose and the need to move to the X-ray equipment every time. Therefore, various mechanisms have been proposed to solve this problem.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system configured for the purpose of simply and accurately detecting the tip position of a medical tube. In the above system, a first alternating magnetic field whose magnetic field direction and intensity change over time is generated outside the body, a second alternating magnetic field generated from a detected object magnetized by the generated first alternating magnetic field is detected outside the body, and the position of the detected object is estimated based on the detection result.

Prior Art Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-085642 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a first alternating magnetic field is generated by an external detection device, a second alternating magnetic field is generated from an object to be detected inside the body due to magnetization by the first alternating magnetic field, and this second alternating magnetic field is detected externally by the detection device. Based on the detection result, the position of the object to be detected is estimated. Therefore, the detection device needs to be equipped with means for generating and detecting the alternating magnetic field, as well as means for estimating the position of the undetected object, resulting in a large and cumbersome device configuration. Furthermore, the user of the detection device needs to operate both the generating and detecting means during detection, making adjustment difficult and resulting in poor workability.

[0008] This invention was made in view of the above background, and makes it possible to easily identify the position of a medical tube inserted into the body. na medical System for confirming the position of medical tubes Mu The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One means to solve the above problem is a system for confirming the position of a medical tube inserted into the body, comprising a medical tube having a tube body, a non-contact power receiving device provided near a first end which is one end of the tube body that is inserted into the body, a conductive line provided on the tube body along the extension direction of the tube body and transmitting the electromotive force generated to the power receiving device by non-contact power supply, and a light-emitting body provided near a second end which is the other end of the tube body and emits light when power is supplied from the conductive line, and a non-contact power transmitting device that supplies power to the power receiving device from outside the body.

[0010] Further issues disclosed in this application, and methods for solving them, will be made clear in the section on embodiments for carrying out the invention and in the drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to easily identify the location of a medical tube inserted into the body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This diagram shows a schematic configuration of the location tracking system. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the structure of a medical tube as an example. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating a contactless power supply system. [Figure 4A] This figure shows an example of a power receiving coil. [Figure 4B] This figure shows another example of a power receiving coil. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates how to locate the tip of a medical tube. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely illustrative examples for explaining the present invention, and have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration of a medical tube positioning system (hereinafter referred to as "positioning system 1") as one embodiment of the present invention. Positioning system 1 includes a nasogastric feeding tube 10, which is an example of a medical tube used by being inserted into the body of a patient 50, and a power transmission device 20 for contactless power supply (also referred to as wireless power transfer, contactless power transmission, etc.) used outside the patient's body.

[0015] The nasal feeding tube 10 is used for the purpose of directly supplying food and drink to the stomach by nasogastric tube feeding for patients 50 who have difficulty in oral intake of food and drink. In nasogastric tube feeding, the user of the position confirmation system 1 such as medical staff applies lubricating jelly to the surface of the nasal feeding tube 10, then inserts one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 into the nasal cavity 51 of the patient 50, and repeats the swallowing motion for the patient while gradually pushing the one end (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 deeper, thereby guiding the one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 to the stomach 53 via the esophagus 52. At this time, the user checks the current position of the one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 at any time by means of the non-contact power supply mechanism described later so that the one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 can reach the stomach 53 safely. Then, when the user confirms that the one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10 has reached the stomach 53, a nasogastric tube line (not shown) is connected to the other end of the nasal feeding tube 10, and the injection of liquid food, nutritional agents, etc. into the nasal feeding tube 10 is started.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the nasal feeding tube 10 shown as an example. As shown in the figure, the nasal feeding tube 10 includes a tube body 11, a connector 12 provided at one end 11a of the tube body 11, a light emitter 13 provided in the vicinity of the connector 12 (for example, on the side surface of the tube body 11 in the vicinity of the connector 12, on the side surface of the connector 12), a power receiving device 14 for non-contact power supply provided in the vicinity of the other end 11b of the tube body 11 (the one end 11a (the tip) of the nasal feeding tube 10), and a conductive line 15 for transmitting the power of the power receiving device 14 to the light emitter 13.

[0017] The tube body 11 is a tubular body (catheter) and is made of a material such as a resin (for example, polyvinyl chloride) having flexibility confirmed for safety to the human body. Incidentally, the length in the extending direction of a general tube body 11 is about 350 to 1200 mm, the outer diameter is about 1.0 to 6.0 mm, and the inner diameter is about 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm.

[0018] The illustrated tube body 11 has an outlet 11c for a flowing substance such as a nutrient solution injected into the tube from the other end 11b of the tube body 11 on the side surface near one end 11a of the tube body 11. Note that the outlet 11c may be provided by opening the cross-section of one end 11a (tip) of the tube body 11.

[0019] The connector 12 is a member for connecting a nasogastric feeding line (not shown) that supplies liquid food, nutrient solutions, etc. to the tube body 11. The connector 12 may further include a cap, a syringe, or the like.

[0020] The light emitter 13 is an element that emits visible light by the power supplied from the power receiving device 14, and is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED: Light Emitting Diode).

[0021] The power receiving device 14 is an element of a non-contact power supply system 2 described later, and receives the power sent from the power transmission device 20 by non-contact power supply. The elements of the power receiving device 14 are embedded (embedded in the resin constituting the vicinity) near one end 11a (tip) of the tube body 11 so as not to directly touch the human body. <T

[0022] The conductive line 15 is provided on the tube body 11 along the extending direction of the tube body 11. The conductive line 15 is made of a conductor (conductor, electrical conductor) such as metal or carbon, and includes two wire materials that are electrically insulated from each other. One end of the conductive line 15 is connected to the power receiving device 14, and the other end is connected to the light emitter 13, whereby the conductive line 15 electrically connects the power receiving device 14 and the light emitter 13. The conductive line 15 is provided on the tube body 11 so as not to directly touch the human body (for example, by embedding it in the resin constituting the tube body 11). Further, the conductive line 15 is provided on the tube body 11, for example, by applying a conductive agent along the tube body 11 and coating its surface with resin.

[0023] [Non-contact power supply system] Figure 3 illustrates a contactless power supply system 2 comprising a power transmission device 20 and a power receiving device 14. In this embodiment, the power supply method of the contactless power supply system 2 is assumed to be a magnetic field coupling method (also referred to as electromagnetic induction method, magnetic field resonance method, etc.) as an example, but the power supply method of contactless power supply is not necessarily limited.

[0024] As shown in the figure, the power transmission device 20 includes a power supply unit 211, a control circuit 212, a power transmission capacitor 213, and a power transmission coil 214.

[0025] The transmission coil 214 is, for example, a conductor wire (such as copper enameled wire or copper litz wire) wound around a winding shaft a predetermined number of times. The transmission coil 214 may have a configuration (magnetic material (such as ferrite)) for adjusting the coupling coefficient and Q value with the receiving coil 141 (the counterpart to the transmission and reception of power). The transmission coil 214 and the transmission capacitor 213 constitute the transmission-side resonant circuit 210. The transmission capacitor 213 is not essential, and the capacitance of the transmission coil 214 (such as distributed capacitance or parasitic capacitance) may be used according to the resonant frequency of the transmission-side resonant circuit 210. The transmission-side resonant circuit 210 may also include electrical circuit elements (such as semiconductor elements) other than the transmission coil 214 and the transmission capacitor 213.

[0026] The power supply unit 211 includes a DC power supply (storage battery) and an AC / DC converter, and supplies the driving power for the power transmission side resonant circuit 210, that is, the power to be transmitted (contactlessly supplied) to the power receiving equipment 14.

[0027] The control circuit 212 includes, for example, a processor (microcomputer, etc.) and driver circuits (gate driver, half-bridge driver, etc.), and generates a predetermined frequency drive current to supply to the transmission coil 214 based on the power supplied from the power supply unit 211. Note that the processor is not necessarily required.

[0028] Each element of the power transmission device 20 (power supply unit 211, control circuit 212, power transmission capacitor 213, and power transmission coil 214) is housed and integrated (unitized) in a housing made of a material such as resin that minimizes attenuation of the electromagnetic field radiated from the power transmission side resonant circuit 210. The housing has a compact external shape that is easy for a person to grip and operate. The power transmission coil 214 and power transmission capacitor 213 are positioned and placed in appropriate locations within the housing so that the electromagnetic field radiated from the power transmission side resonant circuit 210 is efficiently radiated outside the housing.

[0029] In addition to the configuration described above, the power transmission device 20 may also include, for example, a power switch, a display device for power supply status and various operating statuses (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode, or organic electro-luminescence (EL) panel).

[0030] As shown in the figure, the power receiving device 14 includes a power receiving coil 141, a power receiving capacitor 142, and a rectifier circuit 143.

[0031] The receiving coil 141 is, for example, a conductor wire (copper enameled wire, copper litz wire, etc.) wound around a winding shaft a predetermined number of times. The receiving coil 141 may have a configuration (magnetic material (ferrite, etc.)) for adjusting the coupling coefficient and Q value with the paired transmitting coil 214 (the other party to which power is exchanged). The receiving coil 141 and the receiving capacitor 142 constitute the receiving-side resonant circuit 140. The receiving capacitor 142 is not essential, and the capacitance of the receiving coil 141 (distributed capacitance, parasitic capacitance, etc.) may be used according to the resonant frequency of the receiving-side resonant circuit 140. The receiving-side resonant circuit 140 may include electrical circuit elements (semiconductor elements, etc.) other than the receiving coil 141 and the receiving capacitor 142.

[0032] Furthermore, the combination of the number of transmitting coils 214 and receiving coils 141 that make up the pair is not limited to a one-to-one combination, but may be one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many combinations for the purpose of ensuring angular characteristics (directivity), etc.

[0033] Figure 4A shows the configuration of the power receiving coil 141 located near one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10. In this example, the power receiving coil 141 is embedded in the resin reservoir between one end 11a (tip) and the outlet 11c of the nasogastric feeding tube 10. To ensure ease of insertion of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 into the body, the outer diameter of the power receiving coil 141 shown in the example is preferably about the same as the outer diameter of the tube body 11. In this way, the power receiving coil 141 can be easily mounted on the nasogastric feeding tube 10 by utilizing the resin reservoir.

[0034] Figure 4B shows the configuration of the power receiving coil 141 when the outlet 11c is provided by opening the cross-section of one end 11a (tip) of the tube body 11. In this example, the power receiving coil 141 is embedded in the resin that makes up the side surface of the tube body 11. In this way, the power receiving coil 141 can be easily mounted on the nasogastric feeding tube 10 by utilizing the resin that makes up the side surface of the tube body 11.

[0035] It should be noted that the shape of the power receiving coil 141 and the method of mounting the power receiving coil 141 to the nasogastric feeding tube 10 shown above are merely examples.

[0036] Returning to Figure 3, the rectifier circuit 143 supplies DC power obtained by rectifying the AC power received by the power-receiving resonant circuit 140 to the light-emitting element 13 via the conductive line 15. The rectifier circuit 143 is composed of, for example, a full-wave rectifier circuit using a bridge diode.

[0037] [How to check the tip position] Next, we will explain a method for confirming the tip position of a nasogastric feeding tube 10 inserted into the body using the position confirmation system 1 consisting of the above configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "tip position confirmation method").

[0038] Figure 5 illustrates the method for confirming the tip position. The following explanation will be based on this figure.

[0039] First, the user inserts one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 into the patient's nasal cavity 51, and gradually advances the tip of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 further in while having the patient repeatedly perform swallowing movements, thereby guiding the tip of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 through the esophagus 52 to the stomach 53.

[0040] After the nasogastric feeding tube 10 is placed inside the patient 50, the user takes the power transmission device 20 in their hand and brings it close to the patient's body so that the direction of the electromagnetic field radiated from the power transmission side resonant circuit 210 is directed toward the patient's body, and moves the power transmission device 20 along the surface of the patient's body to search or track the position where the light-emitting element 13 lights up. Here, when the power transmission device 20 is positioned to receive power from the power receiving device 14 that is able to receive the power necessary to make the light-emitting element 13 light up, the light-emitting element 13 lights up, so the user can easily identify the position where one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 is located.

[0041] In this way, by using the position confirmation system 1, the user can easily know the position of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 inside the patient's body 50 after inserting it into the patient's nasal cavity. For example, it can detect if one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 has not been correctly inserted into the stomach 53, but has been mistakenly inserted into the trachea or elsewhere. In other words, by using the position confirmation system 1, the user can ultimately ensure that one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 safely reaches the stomach 53.

[0042] Furthermore, after one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 has reached the stomach 53, it may be necessary to reconfirm that one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 is correctly positioned in the stomach 53. In this case as well, the user can easily confirm that one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 is correctly positioned in the stomach 53 using the power transmission device 20.

[0043] [Technical effects, etc.] As described above, the position confirmation system 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to easily determine the current position of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 inserted into the body.

[0044] Furthermore, because it does not use mechanisms or equipment that have a significant impact on the human body, such as X-rays, the position of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 can be safely determined.

[0045] Furthermore, since there is no need to insert any devices other than the nasogastric feeding tube 10 into the patient's body, the position of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 can be confirmed without causing any burden to the patient.

[0046] Furthermore, in realizing the position confirmation system 1, only a simple configuration consisting of a power receiving device 14, a conductive line 15, and a light-emitting element 13 is required for the nasogastric feeding tube 10, and the position confirmation system 1 can be realized at low cost.

[0047] Furthermore, the above embodiments are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and equivalents thereof are also included.

[0048] For example, in the above description, the power supply method for the non-contact power supply system 2 was described as a magnetic field coupling method (electromagnetic induction method, magnetic field resonance method), but other types of power supply methods such as electric field coupling method, electromagnetic wave method, microwave method, and laser method may also be used.

[0049] Furthermore, although the above description has focused on the case where the medical tube is a nasogastric feeding tube 10, the present invention can be applied to various other types of tasks and situations that involve using medical tubes inserted into other parts of the human body, such as ureters, bile ducts, pancreatic ducts, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, etc.

[0050] Furthermore, although a light-emitting diode was used as the light-emitting element 13 in the above example, other types of elements such as light bulbs may also be used.

[0051] Furthermore, the presence of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 may be communicated to the user by means other than emitting light from the light-emitting element 13 (for example, by audio output or meter display).

[0052] Furthermore, for example, by using a highly directional power transmission coil 214, the accuracy of determining the current position of one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10 can be improved.

[0053] Furthermore, the accuracy of determining the current position can also be improved by, for example, weakening the power supplied to the transmission coil 214 within an appropriate range (weakening it to the extent that the light-emitting element 13 does not become unable to emit light).

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the power receiving device 14 is exemplified as being installed at one end 11a (tip) of the nasogastric feeding tube 10, but the power receiving device 14 can be installed at one or more arbitrary parts of the medical tube. If power receiving devices 14 are installed at each of multiple parts of the medical tube, for example, the resonant frequency can be changed for each power receiving device 14, and the resonant frequency transmitted from the power transmitting device 20 can be set to the resonant frequency of the power receiving device 14 to be identified, thereby allowing each power receiving device 14 to be identified. Alternatively, for example, each power receiving device 14 can be identified by providing a circuit that outputs a unique identification signal for each power receiving device 14, and changing the light emission pattern and color of the light emitter 13 according to the identification signal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Location Confirmation System 2. Contactless power supply system 50 patients 51 Nasal cavity 52 Esophagus 53 Stomach 10 Nasogastric feeding tube 11 Tube body 11a One end (tip) 11b Other end 11c Outlet 12 connectors 13. Luminous body 14 Power receiving device 140 Receiving side resonant circuit 141 Power receiving coil 142 Power receiving capacitor 143 Rectifier circuit 15 Conductive lines 20 Power transmission equipment 210 Transmission side resonant circuit 211 Power supply 212 Control circuits 213 Power transmission capacitor 214 Power transmission coil

Claims

1. A system for confirming the position of a medical tube inserted into the body, Tube body, A contactless power receiving device is provided near the first end, which is one end of the tube body that is inserted into the body. A conductive line is provided on the tube body along the extension direction of the tube body, which transmits the electromotive force generated to the power receiving device by contactless power supply, and A light-emitting element is provided near the second end, which is the other end of the tube body, and emits light when power is supplied from the conductive line. A medical tube having, A contactless power supply device that supplies power to the power receiving device from outside the body, A medical tube positioning system equipped with [feature / feature].

2. A medical tube positioning system according to claim 1, The power supply method for the aforementioned contactless power supply is a magnetic field coupling method. The power transmission device has a power transmission coil that constitutes a resonant circuit on the power transmission side, The power receiving device has a power receiving coil that constitutes a resonant circuit on the power receiving side. A system for locating medical tubes.

3. A medical tube positioning system according to claim 2, The power receiving coil is provided by embedding it in the side surface of the tube body near the first end. A system for locating medical tubes.

4. A medical tube positioning system according to claim 1, The conductive line is provided by embedding it in the tube body along the direction of extension of the tube body. A system for locating medical tubes.

5. A medical tube positioning system according to claim 1, The aforementioned medical tube is a nasogastric feeding tube. A system for locating medical tubes.

Images