Flexible Transcutaneous Blood Gas Sampling Unit With Pulsed Nerve Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transcutaneous blood gas measurement systems have a low sampling rate, making it difficult to detect rapid changes in neonatal health, and require continuous skin heating, which can cause skin burns and is labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A system with a sampling unit made of flexible materials, incorporating a microplasma source and a nerve stimulating element that uses a continuous pulsed signal to maintain vasodilation, allowing for higher sampling rates without continuous skin heating, and can be attached to non-flat skin areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous skin heating is used to increase sampling rate, then the sampling rate improves, but the risk of skin burns and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using intermittent heating cycles instead of continuous heating. The heating element is activated periodically to induce vasodilation and increase sampling rate, then deactivated to allow skin temperature to return to normal, thereby preventing skin burns while maintaining the ability to achieve high sampling rates when needed.
2Measurement precision
If rigid sampling unit is used to maintain seal, then measurement accuracy improves, but adaptability to non-flat skin areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible shells and thin films by constructing the sampling unit from flexible materials that can conform to non-flat skin surfaces while maintaining an airtight seal. This flexibility allows the unit to adapt to various body parts and skin contours without compromising the seal integrity required for accurate measurements.
3Productivity
If small sampling unit is used to minimize dead volume, then sampling rate improves, but the unit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nested doll by integrating the sensor unit inside the sampling unit, creating a compact nested structure. This nesting arrangement minimizes dead volume and allows for high sampling rates while reducing overall system complexity through integrated design, where the sensor unit is housed within the sampling unit structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves faster sampling rates, reduces the risk of skin burns, and allows for continuous, uninterrupted monitoring of both capillary and arterial blood gases, improving the detection of acute events and reducing labor and time requirements.
Implementation Method 1
The system comprises a nerve stimulating element configured to stimulate an axon reflex in small nerve fibers close to the skin. The nerve stimulating element is configured to transmit a continuous pulsed signal to the skin inducing a local axon reflex in small nerve fibers close to the skin.
Implementation Method 2
transmitting a continuous pulsed signal to a nerve stimulating element that transmits a continuous series of stimulation pulses to the skin of the person, thereby inducing vasodilation in the cutaneous capillaries
Implementation Method 3
The sensor unit comprises a microplasma source having an internal volume of at or less than 100 mm3 and an operating pressure of at or less than 40 kPa
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a sampling unit, a measurement system and method for transcutaneous blood gas measurements. In particular the invention relates to a sampling unit and system adapted for rapid measuring and monitoring of blood gases in a continuous gas flow. The sampling unit is provided with an ambient air inlet and a blood gas extraction and mixing chamber wherein air is mixed with extracted blood gases. The method of continuous transcutaneous measurement of carbon dioxide in the blood utilizes a pulsed heating to minimize the detrimental effects of the heating.