Computer program, blood vessel visualization device, blood vessel visualization system, and blood vessel visualization method

Abstract

Provided are a computer program, a blood vessel visualization device, a blood vessel visualization system, and a blood vessel visualization method capable of determining the necessity of avascularization when executing puncture.　The computer program causes a computer to execute processing that includes: irradiating a prescribed site on a subject with measurement waves to acquire blood vessel information of the prescribed site; specifying the state of a blood vessel on the basis of the acquired blood vessel information; and outputting determination results with respect to the necessity of avascularization, on the basis of the specified state of the blood vessel.

Description

Computer Program, Blood Vessel Visualization Device, Blood Vessel Visualization System, and Blood Vessel Visualization Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a computer program, a blood vessel visualization device, a blood vessel visualization system, and a blood vessel visualization method.

[0002] Medical workers perform punctures (venous punctures) in various scenarios such as blood collection, intravenous drip, and dialysis. However, when the blood vessels of the puncture target are thin, it may be difficult to find a blood vessel suitable for puncture.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a blood vessel visualization device that irradiates near-infrared light on the inner side of a human forearm, projects a blood vessel image onto a monitor, and punctures a blood vessel with an injection needle of a syringe targeting a blood vessel suitable for puncture.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-237051

[0005] However, with a blood vessel visualization device such as that in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to visualize blood vessels due to effects such as reflection on the living body surface and light transmittance of near-infrared light, and the blood vessels may appear thin. Also, when performing a puncture, if the blood vessels are not distended, the puncture during blood collection may become deeper, increasing the likelihood of nerve damage.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a computer program, a blood vessel visualization device, a blood vessel visualization system, and a blood vessel visualization method capable of determining the necessity of blood expulsion during puncture.

[0007] (1) The computer program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a process of irradiating a measurement wave on a predetermined site of a subject to acquire blood vessel information of the predetermined site, specifying the state of a blood vessel based on the acquired blood vessel information, and outputting a determination result on the necessity of blood expulsion based on the specified state of the blood vessel.

[0008] Here, an embodiment of the present disclosure is that (2) the computer program in (1) above causes a computer to execute a process of controlling the operation of a blood expulsion band based on the determination result.

[0009] (3) The computer program described in (1) or (2) above includes, in its description of the blood vessel condition, at least one of the presence or absence of a punctureable blood vessel and the diameter of the blood vessel.

[0010] (4) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (3) above will cause the computer to perform the process of applying pressure to the tourniquet if there is no puncturable blood vessel or if the diameter of the blood vessel is less than a predetermined value.

[0011] (5) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (4) above will cause the computer to perform the process of applying pressure to the ulnar side of the tourniquet if there is no punctureable blood vessel on the ulnar side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0012] (6) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (5) above will cause the computer to perform the process of applying pressure to the radial side of the tourniquet if there is no punctureable blood vessel on the radial side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0013] (7) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (6) above will cause the computer to perform the following action if there is no punctureable blood vessel at the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value: pressurize the tourniquet from the central side to the peripheral side of the subject.

[0014] (8) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (7) above causes the computer to perform a process that controls the strength of the pressure applied to the tourniquet.

[0015] (9) Any one of the computer programs described in (1) through (8) above causes the computer to perform the process of compressing and releasing the tourniquet.

[0016] (10) One of the computer programs described in (1) to (9) above causes the computer to perform a process of projecting the acquired vascular information onto a predetermined location.

[0017] (11) In any one of the computer programs described in (1) to (10) above, the measurement wave is infrared light or ultrasound.

[0018] (12) The blood vessel visualization device includes a control unit, which irradiates a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​the subject to acquire blood vessel information of the predetermined area, identifies the state of the blood vessels based on the acquired blood vessel information, and outputs a determination result of whether or not blood occlusion is necessary based on the identified state of the blood vessels.

[0019] (13) The vascular visualization system comprises a vascular visualization device and a tourniquet, the vascular visualization device comprises a control unit, the control unit irradiates a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​the subject to acquire vascular information of the predetermined area, identifies the state of the vascular information based on the acquired vascular information, and controls the operation of the tourniquet based on the determination result of whether or not a tourniquet is necessary based on the identified state of the vascular.

[0020] (14) The blood vessel visualization system described in (13) above comprises a tourniquet, which includes a pressurizing body comprising at least one of a balloon, an electric actuator, and a roller.

[0021] (15) The blood vessel visualization method involves irradiating a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​the subject to acquire blood vessel information of the predetermined area, identifying the state of the blood vessels based on the acquired blood vessel information, and outputting a determination result on whether or not blood occlusion is necessary based on the identified state of the blood vessels.

[0022] According to this disclosure, it is possible to determine whether or not tourniquets are necessary during puncture.

[0023] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the vascular visualization device of this embodiment. This figure shows a first example of the implementation method of the vascular visualization device. This figure shows a first example of the configuration of the tourniquet. This figure shows a first example of vascular information and the state of the vascular vessels. This figure shows a second example of vascular information and the state of the vascular vessels. This figure shows an example of reference vascular information. This figure shows a first example of a method for identifying the state of the vascular vessels based on the difference in vascular information. This figure shows a second the implementation method of the vascular visualization device. This figure shows an example of the configuration of a vascular visualization system equipped with a vascular access device. This figure shows a first example of processing by the vascular visualization device. This figure shows a second example of the configuration of the tourniquet. This figure shows a second example of processing by the vascular visualization device.

[0024] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the blood vessel visualization device 50 of this embodiment. The blood vessel visualization device 50 comprises a control unit 51 that controls the entire device, a communication unit 52, a light source unit 53, a camera unit 54, a projection unit 55, an interface unit 56, a memory 57, an image processing unit 58, and a storage unit 59.

[0025] The control unit 51 is configured by incorporating the required number of CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro-Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), etc. Alternatively, the control unit 51 may be configured by combining DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), etc.

[0026] The communication unit 52 may, for example, include a communication module and have a communication function with an external device (not shown) (which may be wireless communication, wired communication, or both).

[0027] The light source unit 53 includes, for example, one or more LED light sources that emit near-infrared light in the range of 700 to 2500 nm as a measurement wave. The light source unit 53 also includes, for example, one or more LED light sources that emit visible light in the range of 380 to 770 nm. The light intensity of the light source unit 53 is adjustable based on the control of the control unit 51. The light source unit 53 irradiates the aforementioned light onto a predetermined site (the site where puncture is performed) of the subject (e.g., a patient). Note that the measurement wave is not limited to near-infrared light, but may also be infrared light such as mid-infrared light.

[0028] The camera unit 54 can capture near-infrared light in the range of 700 to 2500 nm as a measurement wave, for example. The camera unit 54 is configured to capture a predetermined part of a subject from a position appropriately distanced from that predetermined part. Note that the measurement wave is not limited to infrared light; for example, ultrasound (echo) may also be used. In this case, the camera unit 54 can be replaced with an image processing unit capable of generating ultrasound images. In this specification, near-infrared light is used as an example of the measurement wave, but ultrasound may also be used.

[0029] The projection unit 55 is equipped with a projector capable of projecting images of blood vessels onto a required location such as human skin or a desk surface.

[0030] The interface unit 56 has an interface function with a control device (not shown) that controls the operation of the tourniquet attached to the upper arm of the subject. The control device may, for example, include a pump for supplying pressurized air to the pressurizing element (balloon) of the tourniquet, or it may include a drive unit for driving the pressurizing element (electric actuator) of the tourniquet. The interface unit 56 can output a control signal to the control device based on the control of the control unit 51.

[0031] The memory 57 can be composed of semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or flash memory.

[0032] The image processing unit 58 detects the vascular images of blood vessels included in a predetermined area of ​​a subject based on the image obtained by the camera unit 54 capturing that area, and detects the vascular information of those blood vessels.

[0033] The storage unit 59 can be configured, for example, as a hard disk or semiconductor memory, and can store a computer program (program product) 60 and other necessary information.

[0034] The computer program 60 is a computer program (application) that operates on the blood vessel visualization device 50, is loaded into memory 57, and is executed by the control unit 51. In other words, the processing by the control unit 51 is also the processing by the computer program 60. The computer program 60 may be stored in the storage unit 59 after being read by a recording medium reading unit (not shown) from a recording medium (for example, an optically readable disc storage medium such as a CD-ROM) M, or it can be downloaded and installed from an external device via the communication unit 52.

[0035] Next, we will explain how to implement the blood vessel visualization device 50.

[0036] Figure 2 shows a first example of how the blood vessel visualization device 50 is implemented. Hereafter, the arm (forearm) will be used as an example of a predetermined site for the subject, but the predetermined site is not limited to the arm and may be other sites where punctures are performed in cases such as blood sampling, intravenous drip, or dialysis. The blood vessel visualization device 50 is fixed to a support column such as a stand so as to be positioned at an appropriate distance from the subject's arm. The blood vessel visualization device 50 may be movably mounted on the support column so that the light source unit 53, camera unit 54, and projection unit 55 face in the optimal direction, or it may be held by the user. A tourniquet 10 is attached to the subject's upper arm 1.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a first example of the configuration of the tourniquet 10. The tourniquet 10 comprises a cable (air tube) 11, a pressure body (balloon) 12, a band 13, and Velcro® 14. As shown in the cross-sectional view, the band 13 is wrapped around the upper arm 1 of the subject and secured with the Velcro 14. The pressure body 12 is fitted tightly around the upper arm of the subject. When pressurized air is supplied to the pressure body 12 from a pump equipped with an external control device via the cable 11, the pressure body 12 inflates and can pressurize the upper arm 1 of the subject. Specifically, the pressure body 12 can perform actions such as compressing and releasing the upper arm 1, and squeezing (like squeezing) it.

[0038] The pressurizing body 12 is not limited to a balloon, but may also be an electric actuator, an electric roller, etc. Furthermore, the drive of the pressurizing body 12 is not limited to pressurized air, but may also be electric.

[0039] Figure 4 shows a first example of vascular information and the state of the blood vessels. The control unit 51 irradiates near-infrared light from the light source unit 53 toward a predetermined part of the subject (for example, the arm), and acquires an image obtained by photographing the arm irradiated with near-infrared light with the camera unit 54. Hemoglobin contained in blood has the property of absorbing near-infrared light, and by utilizing this property, the parts corresponding to blood vessels appear black in the obtained image, and parts other than blood vessels appear brighter than the parts corresponding to blood vessels.

[0040] The image processing unit 58 performs edge detection processing and binarization processing on the obtained image to distinguish between blood vessels and non-blood vessels and obtain blood vessel information (also referred to as a "blood vessel image"). The control unit 51 can irradiate near-infrared light on a predetermined part of the subject to acquire blood vessel information of the predetermined part.

[0041] Note that the detection of blood vessel information is not limited to edge detection and binarization processing in the image processing unit 58. For example, when an image of a predetermined part of the subject is input, a learning model trained to output blood vessel information may be used.

[0042] In addition, the control unit 51 can determine the state of the blood vessels based on the acquired blood vessel information. The determination of the state of the blood vessels can be to determine (1) whether there is a blood vessel image that can be punctured, or (2) whether there is a blood vessel whose thickness is thicker than a predetermined value. In the example of FIG. 4, among the acquired blood vessel information (blood vessel image), only the blood vessel images that satisfy the above two conditions are illustrated for convenience. In the example of FIG. 4, the state of the blood vessels illustrates a state where there is a blood vessel image that can be punctured, or there is a blood vessel whose thickness is thicker than a predetermined value.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of blood vessel information and the state of the blood vessels. The blood vessel information (blood vessel image) shown in FIG. 5 has thinner blood vessels compared to the example shown in FIG. 4. The state of the blood vessels shown in FIG. 5 illustrates a state where there is no blood vessel image that can be punctured and there is no blood vessel whose thickness is thicker than a predetermined value.

[0044] When determining the state of the blood vessels, the control unit 51 can extract the difference between the acquired blood vessel information and the preset reference blood vessel information, and determine the state of the blood vessels based on the extracted difference. Specifically, the blood vessel region represented by the blood vessel image of the acquired blood vessel information may be compared with the blood vessel region represented by the blood vessel image of the reference blood vessel information to extract the difference between the two blood vessel regions. The difference may extract the difference in the straightness and thickness of the blood vessels based on the blood vessel region.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of reference vascular information. The reference vascular information is set according to gender and age, and the vascular information includes vascular parameters such as a vascular image, straightness of a blood vessel, and thickness of a blood vessel. The straightness of a blood vessel can be calculated using a coefficient of determination (R 2 ), which is obtained by thinning a vascular image to generate an approximate line and indicating how well the generated approximate line fits a straight line. The closer the coefficient of determination is to 1, the higher the straightness and the easier it is to puncture. The thickness of a blood vessel is the distance (width of the blood vessel) in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the blood vessel. Generally, thicker blood vessels are easier to puncture. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a 20-year-old male, the vascular image is represented by G1001, the straightness of the blood vessel is represented by S11, and the thickness of the blood vessel is represented by T11. Note that the symbols G1001, S11, and T11 are for convenience of representation. Similarly, in the case of a 40-year-old male, the vascular image is represented by G1003, the straightness of the blood vessel is represented by S13, and the thickness of the blood vessel is represented by T13. The same applies to females.

[0046] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first example of a method for specifying the state of a blood vessel based on the difference in vascular information. In FIG. 7, the solid line indicates the photographed vascular image (vascular information), and the dashed line indicates the preset (reference) vascular image (vascular information). In the example of FIG. 7, the length of the straight portion of the photographed vascular image is shorter than the length of the straight portion of the reference vascular image. Therefore, the state of the blood vessel is specified as having no puncturable vascular image.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of a method for specifying the state of a blood vessel based on the difference in vascular information. In FIG. 8, the solid line indicates the photographed vascular image (vascular information), and the dashed line indicates the preset (reference) vascular image (vascular information). In the example of FIG. 8, the thickness of the photographed vascular image is thinner than the thickness of the reference vascular image. Therefore, the state of the blood vessel is specified as having no blood vessel with a thickness greater than a predetermined value. Note that the state of the blood vessel may include at least one of the presence or absence of a puncturable vascular image and the thickness of the blood vessel.

[0048] The control unit 51 can identify the state of the blood vessels and output a determination result regarding the necessity of tourniquet application based on the identified state of the blood vessels. For example, if there are no puncturable blood vessels, or if the diameter of the blood vessels is below a predetermined value, it can be determined that tourniquet application is necessary. The identified state of the blood vessels may also be output. In this case, for example, the presence or absence of puncturable blood vessels, or the presence or absence of blood vessels with a diameter greater than a predetermined value, may be displayed on a display device (not shown) along with the acquired blood vessel images. Alternatively, the presence or absence of puncturable blood vessels, or the presence or absence of blood vessels with a diameter greater than a predetermined value, may be output as audio.

[0049] The above configuration allows for the determination of whether or not tourniquet application is necessary during puncture.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 51 can control the operation of the tourniquet 10 based on the determination result of whether or not tourniquet application is necessary. More specifically, the control unit 51 can pressurize the tourniquet 10 if there is no puncturable blood vessel or if the diameter of the blood vessel is below a predetermined value.

[0051] This allows for increased vascular engorgement, improving the success rate of vein puncture. It also helps prevent nerve damage by limiting the depth of the puncture during blood collection.

[0052] Furthermore, the control unit 51 can control the strength of the pressure applied to the tourniquet 10. The control unit 51 can also compress and release the tourniquet 10. This reduces the burden on the subject caused by excessive blood flow restriction.

[0053] Figure 9 shows a second example of how the blood vessel visualization device 50 is implemented. In Figure 9, the tourniquet 10 is omitted for convenience. The projection unit 53 projects a projected image 20 of the blood vessels onto the subject's skin (a predetermined area where puncture will be performed) based on the image captured by the camera unit 54. In the example in Figure 9, two blood vessel regions 21 and 22 are displayed.

[0054] In this way, the control unit 51 can project the acquired vascular information onto a predetermined location. The control unit 51 may also determine the state of the vascular tissue and project the vascular information (vascular image) onto the predetermined location according to the determination result. Specifically, if the state of the vascular tissue indicates that there is a vascular image that can be punctured or that the diameter of the vascular tissue is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the vascular information (vascular image) may be projected onto the predetermined location. This can assist in puncture and improve the success rate of puncturing the vascular tissue.

[0055] Figure 10 shows an example of the configuration of a vascular visualization system equipped with a vascular access device. A light source unit emitting near-infrared light and a light receiving unit are arranged so as to sandwich the area to be visualized. Near-infrared light is irradiated from the light source unit, and the light that passes through the area to be visualized is received by the light receiving unit to generate and display a vascular image. At the same time, the position of the tip of the puncture needle of the vascular access device is detected, and the detected position of the puncture needle tip is displayed on the vascular image. In this case, when the light-emitting part of the tip of the puncture needle reaches the blood vessel, the light from the light-emitting part disappears, making it possible to visually confirm that the puncture needle has secured the blood vessel.

[0056] Vascular access devices include, for example, peripheral arteriovenous catheters, dialysis catheters, PICCs, midlines, and CV catheters, and the catheter tip or inner needle tip is designed to emit, fluoresce, or reflect near-infrared light.

[0057] Alternatively, the light source and light receiver may be positioned on the same side relative to the area to be visualized, and the reflected light of near-infrared light emitted from the light source may be detected. Furthermore, a camera unit 54 may be provided in addition to the light receiver.

[0058] Furthermore, by combining the blood vessel visualization device 50 of this embodiment with a semi-automatic puncture robot, it is expected that medical professionals can quickly perform button operations and smoothly carry out punctures by evaluating the puncture vessel with the assistance of the blood vessel visualization device 50 and making the final decision to perform the puncture.

[0059] Figure 11 shows a first example of processing by the blood vessel visualization device 50. The control unit 51 irradiates a predetermined area of ​​the subject (patient) with near-infrared light and takes an image of the predetermined area (S11). Based on the image obtained from the image, the control unit 51 acquires blood vessel information (vascular image) of the blood vessels in the predetermined area (S12). The control unit 51 extracts the difference between the acquired blood vessel information and the predetermined blood vessel information (S13). The predetermined blood vessel information is standard blood vessel information corresponding to the gender and age of the subject (illustrated in Figure 6).

[0060] The control unit 51 determines whether there is a puncturable blood vessel or whether the diameter of the blood vessel is greater than a predetermined value (S14). If there is no puncturable blood vessel or the diameter of the blood vessel is not greater than a predetermined value (NO in S14), it determines whether or not to automatically control the tourniquet 10 (S15). If the tourniquet 10 is to be controlled automatically (YES in S15), the control unit 51 pressurizes the tourniquet 10 (S16) and continues the processing from step S11 onwards.

[0061] If the tourniquet 10 is not controlled automatically (NO in S15), the control unit 51 outputs an instruction to pressurize the tourniquet 10 (S17), accepts the operator's pressurization operation (S18), and continues processing from step S11 onwards. By outputting an instruction to pressurize the tourniquet 10, medical personnel such as nurses can perform the task of pressurizing the tourniquet 10. If there is a puncturable blood vessel, or if the diameter of the blood vessel is greater than a predetermined value (YES in S14), the control unit 51 terminates processing.

[0062] The structure of the tourniquet 10 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 3. Other structures of the tourniquet 10 will be described below.

[0063] Figure 12 shows a second example of the configuration of the tourniquet 10. The tourniquet 10 comprises a cable (air tube) 11, a pressure element (balloon) 12, a band 13, and Velcro 14, etc. In the second example, the pressure element 12 is composed of four pressure elements 12a to 12d. Cables 11 are connected to each of the pressure elements 12a to 12d. As shown in the cross-sectional view, two pressure elements 12a to 12d are arranged from the proximal to distal side (for convenience, referred to as the longitudinal direction) of the tourniquet 10 (or upper arm 1), and two pressure elements are arranged from the radial side to the ulnar side (for convenience, referred to as the transverse direction) of the tourniquet 10 (or upper arm 1). Note that the arrangement of the pressure elements is not limited to the example in Figure 12, and the number of pressure elements arranged in the longitudinal direction may be one or three or more. Also, the number of pressure elements arranged in the transverse direction may be three or more.

[0064] As shown in the cross-sectional view, the band 13 is wrapped around the subject's upper arm 1 and secured with Velcro 14. The compression bodies 12a to 12d are fitted tightly around the subject's upper arm. When pressurized air is supplied to the compression bodies 12a to 12d from a pump equipped with an external control device via the cable 11, the compression bodies 12a to 12d inflate and can pressurize the subject's upper arm 1. Specifically, the compression bodies 12a to 12d can not only compress and release the upper arm 1, but also compress only the radial or ulnar side of the upper arm 1, and perform a compression action that squeezes from the proximal to the distal side of the upper arm 1.

[0065] Furthermore, the pressurizing bodies 12a to 12d are not limited to balloons, but may also be electric actuators, electric rollers, etc. Also, the drive of the pressurizing bodies 12a to 12d is not limited to pressurized air, but may be electric.

[0066] Figure 13 shows a second example of processing by the blood vessel visualization device 50. The second example shown in Figure 13 shows the processing when using the tourniquet 10 shown in Figure 12. The control unit 51 irradiates a predetermined area of ​​the subject (patient) with near-infrared light and takes an image of the predetermined area (S21). Based on the image obtained from the image, the control unit 51 acquires blood vessel information (vascular image) of the blood vessels at the predetermined area (S22). The control unit 51 extracts the difference between the acquired blood vessel information and the predetermined blood vessel information (S23). The predetermined blood vessel information is standard blood vessel information corresponding to the gender and age of the subject (illustrated in Figure 6).

[0067] The control unit 51 determines whether there is a puncturable blood vessel or whether the diameter of the blood vessel is greater than a predetermined value (S24). If there is no puncturable blood vessel and the diameter of the blood vessel is not greater than a predetermined value (NO in S24), it determines whether there is no puncturable blood vessel and whether the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value in the entire predetermined site, the radial or ulnar side of the predetermined site, or the distal side of the predetermined site (S25).

[0068] If the entire area is to be treated (the entire area in S25), the control unit 51 determines whether or not to automatically control the tourniquet 10 (S26). If the tourniquet 10 is to be controlled automatically (YES in S26), the control unit 51 pressurizes the entire tourniquet 10 (S27) and continues the process from step S21 onwards. If the tourniquet 10 is not to be controlled automatically (NO in S26), the control unit 51 outputs an instruction to pressurize the entire tourniquet 10 (S28), accepts the operator's pressurization operation (S29), and continues the process from step S21 onwards.

[0069] If the tourniquet is radial or ulnar (radial or ulnar in S25), the control unit 51 determines whether or not to automatically control the tourniquet 10 (S30). If the tourniquet 10 is to be automatically controlled (YES in S30), the control unit 51 pressurizes the radial or ulnar side of the tourniquet 10 (S31) and continues processing from step S21 onwards. If the tourniquet 10 is not to be automatically controlled (NO in S30), the control unit 51 outputs an instruction to pressurize the radial or ulnar side of the tourniquet 10 (S32), accepts the operator's pressurization operation (S33), and continues processing from step S21 onwards.

[0070] If the location is peripheral (peripheral in S25), the control unit 51 determines whether or not to automatically control the tourniquet 10 (S34). If the tourniquet 10 is to be automatically controlled (YES in S34), the control unit 51 applies pressure to the tourniquet 10 from the central side toward the peripheral side (S35) and continues processing from step S21 onwards. If the tourniquet 10 is not to be automatically controlled (NO in S34), the control unit 51 outputs an instruction to apply pressure to the tourniquet 10 from the central side toward the peripheral side (S36), accepts the operator's pressurization operation (S37), and continues processing from step S21 onwards.

[0071] If a punctureable blood vessel is found, or if the diameter of the blood vessel is greater than a predetermined value (YES in S24), the control unit 51 provides puncture assistance (S38) and terminates the process. Puncture assistance includes, for example, detecting the needle tip during puncture using the camera unit 54, displaying the puncture site using the projection unit 55, and giving instructions for puncture. The process in step S35 may be omitted.

[0072] As described above, the control unit 51 can pressurize the ulnar side of the tourniquet 10 if there is no puncturable blood vessel on the ulnar side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The control unit 51 can also pressurize the radial side of the tourniquet 10 if there is no puncturable blood vessel on the radial side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Furthermore, if there is no puncturable blood vessel on the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the control unit 51 can pressurize the tourniquet 10 from the central side to the peripheral side of the subject (predetermined site).

[0073] By assessing the condition of blood vessels not only at the entire puncture site but also on the distal, radial, or ulnar sides of the puncture site, it is possible to apply the minimum necessary pressure only to the required area, thereby reducing the burden on the patient caused by excessive compression.

[0074] 10 Tourniquet 11 Cable 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Compression device 13 Band 14 Velcro 50 Blood vessel visualization device 51 Control unit 52 Communication unit 53 Light source unit 54 Camera unit 55 Projection unit 56 Interface unit 57 Memory 58 Image processing unit 59 Storage unit 60 Computer program

Claims

1. A computer program that causes a computer to perform the following processes: irradiate a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​a subject to acquire vascular information of the predetermined area; identify the condition of the blood vessels based on the acquired vascular information; and output a determination result regarding the necessity of blood occlusion based on the identified condition of the blood vessels.

2. The computer program according to claim 1, which causes a computer to perform a process to control the operation of a tourniquet based on the determination result.

3. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the condition of the blood vessel includes at least one of the presence or absence of a puncturable blood vessel and the diameter of the blood vessel.

4. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform the process of applying pressure to a tourniquet when there is no puncturable blood vessel or when the diameter of the blood vessel is less than a predetermined value.

5. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform the process of applying pressure to the ulnar side of a tourniquet when there is no puncturable blood vessel on the ulnar side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

6. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform the process of applying pressure to the radial side of a tourniquet when there is no puncturable blood vessel on the radial side of the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

7. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform the process of applying pressure to a tourniquet from the central to the peripheral side of the subject when there is no puncturable blood vessel at the predetermined site and the diameter of the blood vessel is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

8. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform a process to control the strength of the pressure applied to a tourniquet.

9. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform the process of compressing and relaxing a tourniquet.

10. A computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a computer to perform a process of projecting acquired vascular information onto a predetermined location.

11. The computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measurement wave is infrared light or ultrasound.

12. A vascular visualization device comprising a control unit, the control unit irradiating a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​a subject to acquire vascular information of the predetermined area, identifying the state of the vascular tissue based on the acquired vascular information, and outputting a determination result regarding the necessity of blood occlusion based on the identified state of the vascular tissue.

13. A vascular visualization system comprising a vascular visualization device and a tourniquet, wherein the vascular visualization device comprises a control unit, the control unit irradiates a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​a subject to acquire vascular information of the predetermined area, identifies the state of the vascular information, and controls the operation of the tourniquet based on the determination result of whether or not a tourniquet is necessary based on the identified state of the vascular.

14. The blood vessel visualization system according to claim 13, wherein the tourniquet comprises a pressurizing body including at least one of a balloon, an electric actuator, and a roller.

15. A method for visualizing blood vessels, comprising: irradiating a measurement wave onto a predetermined area of ​​a subject to acquire vascular information of the predetermined area; identifying the state of the blood vessels based on the acquired vascular information; and outputting a determination result regarding the necessity of blood occlusion based on the identified state of the blood vessels.

Images