Pressure Sensor Cuff for Medical Injection Tubing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical injection systems lack robust and flexible pressure monitoring solutions, particularly in medical imaging procedures, where existing pressure sensors are not adequately designed to handle high pressures and are often limited to single-use configurations.
Innovation Solution
A pressure sensor system featuring a cuff with a transducer and a force transmitting member, integrated with a specialized tubing line that includes a compliant section to withstand high pressures, and a microprocessor for detecting proper fit and tubing characteristics, allowing for accurate pressure monitoring and system operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pressure sensor is integrated into the tubing line to monitor patient blood pressure, then pressure monitoring capability is improved, but the sensor cannot withstand high injection pressures and is limited to single-use configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The tubing line is divided into two distinct sections: a compliant section with greater compliance that fits within the pressure sensor cuff, and a remainder section with standard compliance. This segmentation allows the sensor to monitor physiological pressures through the compliant section while the system as a whole can withstand high injection pressures via the remainder section's connection to the high-pressure injection line.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the tubing line are assigned different compliance characteristics. The compliant section (first length) has greater compliance specifically at the location where it interfaces with the pressure sensor cuff, enabling accurate physiological pressure monitoring. The remainder section maintains standard compliance to handle high injection pressures, creating localized quality differences that resolve the contradiction between sensor sensitivity and system pressure resistance.
2Measurement precision
If the tubing line has high compliance to allow accurate pressure sensing, then measurement precision is improved, but the tubing line cannot withstand high injection pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The tubing line is segmented into a compliant first length and a standard-compliance remainder length. The compliant section transmits physiological pressures accurately to the sensor while the system architecture isolates it from high injection pressures, achieving both measurement precision and pressure resistance through functional segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The compliant tubing section acts as an intermediary between the high-pressure injection system and the pressure sensor. It mediates the pressure transmission by allowing accurate sensing of physiological pressures while being protected from the full force of high injection pressures by the system's pressure isolation architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pressure sensor is designed for robust integration and reusability, then device versatility is improved, but the complexity of ensuring proper fit and function increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary characterization of the transducer signal during assembly or initial setup to detect proper cuff fit and tubing characteristics before actual use. This preliminary action ensures proper configuration and enables reusability by verifying integrity before each use, reducing the complexity of verification during critical operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The microprocessor characterizes the transducer signal and provides feedback to determine proper cuff fit and tubing suitability. This feedback mechanism automates the verification process, making the system more versatile and reusable while managing the complexity through intelligent detection rather than manual verification.
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
Enables reliable and flexible pressure monitoring during medical injections, ensuring proper function and safety by detecting proper fit and tubing suitability, and allowing for reusable and robust pressure sensing across a range of pressures.
Implementation Method 1
a transducer embedded in the cuff, between inner and outer surfaces thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure sensor (200) for a medical injection system includes a cuff (250), a transducer (206) embedded in the cuff, and a force transmitting member coupled to the transducer and exposed at an inner surface of the cuff, such that an outer surface of a tubing line (122) of a fluid circuit of the system, when fitted within the cuff, contacts the force transmitting member. A limited length of the tubing line may have a greater compliance than a remainder of the line, in which case, the pressure sensor cuff fits around and encloses the limited length to provide support against plastic deformation, when pressures within the line are significantly greater than atmospheric. The pressure sensor may detect whether or not the cuff is properly fitted around the tubing line, and/or determine a characteristic of the tubing line.