Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Measuring or detecting nonradioactive constituent of body...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-11
2002-10-08
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Measuring or detecting nonradioactive constituent of body...
C600S407000, C600S473000, C600S476000, C600S477000, C600S479000, C382S128000, C382S130000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463309
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of medicine, and specifically to an apparatus for locating and viewing subcutaneous vessels.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In the field of medicine, it is common to administer fluids, and to take samples of human blood, by accessing the veins and arteries of patients. The withdrawal of blood with needles and the insertion of catheters are two common procedures which require percutaneous access to veins and arteries of a person. Fluids, such as, for example drugs, proteins and other nutrients are routinely delivered to patients by medical personnel. While some medications can be delivered orally, or intramuscularly, with a syringe and needle, in many cases it is necessary to deliver fluids and drugs directly, intravenously, into the blood stream. To do this, trained medical personnel are required to locate an appropriate vessel, such as a vein or artery, into which the fluids or drugs can be administered.
In addition, blood samples are usually obtained through veins. The puncture of a vein with a needle is a preferred way to obtain a patient's blood sample. Also, catheterization of veins and arteries may take place through insertion of an apparatus into the vessel.
While locating and puncturing veins and arteries in adults is routinely done, it is often very difficult to locate veins of certain individuals, such as obese individuals, whose arteries are not as close to the skin surfaces as those of a person of normal weight. It is also difficult for medical personnel to locate and puncture veins and arteries of persons with very low blood pressure, and infants whose arteries are difficult to locate.
Human arteries and veins are approximately 2 to 8 millimeters in diameter. In infants, again the problems of locating and puncturing veins and arteries in order to carry out medical procedures can be very difficult or impossible at times. While physicians and other trained medical personnel sometimes have difficulty locating the veins and arteries of a healthy adult human, even more challenging, and sometimes impossible, to locate and puncture the veins and arteries of an infant. Infants, like adults, at times require surgery, administration of treatment, or other medical procedures which mandate the delivery of intravenous fluids into a vessel. Blood sampling also requires access to an infant's blood vessels. Locating the vein of an infant can be crucial, especially in emergency situations, where it is important to find the veins as rapidly as possible so that any necessary procedures can be carried out. There is a great risk imposed on the infant patient when there is a delay in providing the needed intravenous fluid or drugs. Delay in these cases can be fatal. For example, an infant who is unable to receive a crucial intravenous delivery may dehydrate; or, if a sufficient blood sample cannot be obtained from the infant within the appropriate time frame, it may be impossible to provide the appropriate treatment, or know how much of a medication to administer.
In other instances, certain diseases require the intermittent administration of intravenous fluids. For example the treatments of many diseases, such as, major infections, renal disease, and cancer, may include continuous or intermittent intravenous therapy.
The most commonly used method for insertion of intravenous delivery devices, such as a catheter, is by percutaneous needle puncture, directly into a vessel. Again, finding the vein or artery is critical to a catheter set up.
Presently, knowledge of an infant's anatomy is essential, and, moreover, is relied upon where the tiny infant veins are not visible. Although one may well know an infant's anatomy, the location of veins in an infant, while having a generally identifiable location, can vary slightly in each infant. As a result, repeated needle sticks may take place before a successful puncture of the vessel is achieved. This can lead to infections due to the instances of the repeated needle sticks and their tendency to introduce bacteria into the individual. This can occur, even where the medical personnel uses the proper procedures. Therefore, even a commanding knowledge of infant anatomy does not ensure that one will find the infant's vein on the first attempt, or even at all.
When the vein cannot be found, for example, when taking a blood sample, or when inserting an intravenous line, time for treatment administration can be compromised. In these situations, where live-saving treatment must be administered, or a blood sample obtained, it is sometimes necessary to insert a needle or catheter in the bone, such as the tibia. This is very painful to the patient, but, where life-saving treatment or access to the blood is necessary, the bone must be pierced.
In order to locate veins, it is a common practice to constrict veins in a desired area to more clearly delineate the veins. Apparatus such as straps and bands have been used for this purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,850 issued on Jul. 15, 1997 to William Allen discloses a “Method and Apparatus for Vein Location” which uses an inflatable bladder which is disposed about a patient's limb to constrict the blood flow.
While problems locating veins and arteries have been recognized, there have been some known attempts to improve the ability to locate veins within the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,989 issued on Jul. 17, 1973 to Sanford Pinna discloses a “Device for Locating Veins in Living Bodies” which provides a spring-tensioned sensor rod and a marking rod mounted for axial reciprocation to respond to the sensing of a vein to mark its location on the skin. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,365 issues on Jan. 1, 1974 to Sanford Pinna discloses a “Detector for Locating Veins in Living Bodies.”
U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,210 provides a “Method of Locating Vein” which employs a temperature sensitive film for aiding in the locating of veins in the arm. The 210 patent utilizes a liquid crystal material which is encapsulated in a film, and is sensitive to temperature to provide color variations corresponding to the location of the veins.
Other attempts to locate veins have included ultrasonic devices, such as the “Device for Guiding a Surgical Needle into a Blood Vessel” disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,569, issued on Jul. 9, 1985 to Peter Kolb. U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,915 issued on May 10, 1994 to Charles Ember, discloses an “Apparatus for Locating Veins and Arteries” which utilizes ultrasonic signals to locate the vessel and produce an audible tone. A signal processing device utilizing a Doppler type of device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,679 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Positioning and Puncturing an Artery and a Vein.” The '679 device provides an intermittent visible light or sound alert when the blood vessel is detected.
Infrared imaging has been used to obtain an image which is recorded on a video monitor. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,622 entitled “Infrared Imager for Viewing Subcutaneous Location of Vascular Structures and Method of Use” issued on Apr. 4, 1989 to Carl Pennypacker, et al. The '622 device provides a television camera and monitor for viewing an appendage. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,208 entitled “Infrared Aided Method and Apparatus for Venous Examination” issued on May 21, 1996 to Joel Esparza, et al. uses irradiation of the surface area of a patient to locate veins of the individual. U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,210 also entitled “Infrared Aided Method and Apparatus for Venous Examination” issued on Mar. 4, 1997 to Joel Esparza, et al. discloses a headpiece which is worn by medical personnel when inserting a hypodermic needle into a vein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,555 issued on Oct. 21, 1997 to Peter O'Connell for a “Method of Locating and Marking Veins” discloses an infrared imaging camera and a remote viewing screen to locate the veins of a patient.
Other attempts to locate veins have involved invasive procedures where locating devices themselves, although provided to redu
Bonini, Jr. Frank J.
Harding Earley Follmer & Frailey
Lateef Marvin M.
Lin Jeoyuh
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