Tracheal Tube Sensor on Permeable Membrane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional systems for measuring blood gases and blood analytes in critically ill patients with tracheal tubes often compromise the sealing properties of the cuff, making them uncomfortable and burdensome, and fail to provide effective monitoring without interrupting the tracheal tube's function.
Innovation Solution
An endotracheal tube assembly with a sensor coupled to a selectively permeable membrane that allows for the measurement of blood gases and analytes without direct contact with the tracheal wall, using a lumen for bidirectional data exchange and power, and can be deployed and retrieved without compromising the tube's sealing properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is introduced into the trachea to contact the tracheal mucosa for measuring blood gases and analytes, then measurement capability is improved, but patient comfort deteriorates and the tracheal tube function is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is nested within the lumen of the existing tracheal tube, allowing the sensor to be housed within the tube structure without requiring separate insertion. The sensor can be deployed from the tube lumen to contact the tracheal mucosa for measurement, then retracted when not in use, thus maintaining patient comfort and tube function while enabling measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the tracheal tube lumen as an intermediary mechanism to deliver the sensor to the tracheal mucosa. Instead of directly inserting the sensor through the tube wall (which would compromise sealing), the sensor is transported through the existing lumen space, allowing non-invasive access to the measurement site while preserving the tube's structural integrity and sealing properties
2Measurement precision
If a sensor is deployed from the tracheal tube to measure blood gases and analytes, then measurement capability is improved, but the sealing properties of the cuff are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tracheal tube is segmented into functional zones: the cuff region for sealing, the lumen region for sensor transport, and the sensor deployment region for measurement. This segmentation allows the sensor to be deployed from the lumen without interfering with the cuff's sealing function, as the sensor path is separated from the cuff structure
Solution Approach 2:
The lumen serves as an intermediary pathway that allows sensor delivery without compromising the cuff seal. The sensor is transported through the lumen and deployed to contact the tracheal mucosa, while the cuff remains intact and sealed, thus maintaining both measurement capability and sealing reliability
3Measurement precision
If additional sensing devices are added to the tracheal tube system, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly is merged with the tracheal tube structure, where the sensor is housed within the tube lumen and deployed from the tube itself. This integration combines the sensing function with the existing tube structure rather than requiring separate, independent devices, thus improving measurement capability while minimizing additional complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The tracheal tube serves multiple functions: it provides the airway conduit, houses the sensor assembly, and enables sensor deployment for measurement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensor devices, thereby improving measurement capability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
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 indirect monitoring of cardiac state by measuring blood gases and analytes, providing insights into cardiac output and perfusion without interrupting airflow or sealing functions, and can be used in conjunction with ventilators and monitoring systems.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor coupled to a selectively permeable membrane that allows for the measurement of blood gases and analytes without direct contact with the tracheal wall
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of an tracheal tube having a sensor coupled to a selectively permeable membrane are provided. In some embodiments, the membrane may be permeable to one or more blood gases and/or blood analytes. Certain embodiments of the endotracheal tube may be capable of deploying the sensor during intubation to sense one or more indicators of blood flow characteristics, such as a level of blood gases and/or blood analytes, in the respiratory tract. Embodiments of the present invention may include positioning of the sensor in a variety of suitable positions with respect to the permeable membrane, such as mounting the sensor to the underside of an inflatable permeable membrane.