CN113382675A

CN113382675A - System and method for identifying veins

Info

Publication number: CN113382675A
Application number: CN201980076744.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 林添才; 蔡正洋; 颜庆全; 韩瑞民; 邹炜栋
Original assignee: National University of Singapore; National University Hospital Singapore Pte Ltd
Current assignee: National University of Singapore; National University Hospital Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-24
Filing date: 2019-09-24
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Also published as: SG10201808304WA; WO2020067996A1

Abstract

A system and method for identifying peripheral veins is provided. The system and method include providing at least two lighting units, each lighting unit including a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user, and at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the red spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye, manipulating the at least two lighting units in three-dimensional space to control an angle of illumination toward the skin of the patient, a distance between the at least two lighting units, and a pressure applied to the skin of the patient by the at least two lighting units, and identifying peripheral veins within or beneath the skin of the patient.

Description

System and method for identifying veins

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for identifying the presence of veins under the skin of a patient.

Background

Venipuncture is one of the most commonly performed clinical procedures. Venipuncture is required in up to 84% of hospitalized patients. However, venipuncture can be a challenge for patients suffering from a variety of diseases that can result in their veins being inaccessible or difficult to see by caregivers. Such patients may be, for example, renal failure, obesity, history of intravenous drug use, and elderly patients.

It is also necessary to determine which veins may not be suitable for venipuncture. Such unsuitable veins may be veins with branch points, curved veins, veins of insufficient calibre or areas of valvular or thrombotic disease.

Significant variations in success rate of first attempt venipuncture have been reported, ranging from 18% to 86%. Multiple unsuccessful venipuncture attempts can cause pain, delaying the acquisition of venous blood samples required for medical examination and delaying treatment through intravenous lines. Such delays may be critical in emergency situations.

Currently available devices are cumbersome and require the user to hold the lighting device in one hand while the other hand is available to perform the procedure. Currently available devices will only provide illumination from a single light source. Such light source angles relative to the target puncture area are not easily manipulated because to avoid line of sight obstructions, such devices need to be positioned at an acute angle relative to the intended location of the puncture, and therefore would provide poor lighting effects.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for easily and quickly identifying veins suitable for venipuncture.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a system for identifying peripheral veins, the system comprising at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user, wherein the housing has a shape and size that conforms to the shape and size of a human finger such that each lighting unit has maneuverability in three-dimensional space; and at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire visible spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that would otherwise not be visible to the unaided eye.

The illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the red spectrum.

The illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength between 610nm and 760 nm.

The system further comprises a display unit for displaying the highlighted vein to a user. Each lighting unit comprises a camera for acquiring an image of the highlighted vein and a transmitter for transmitting the image to the display unit. The transmitter is a wireless transmitter. Each lighting unit is adapted to be placed on a different finger of the user.

The system further comprises an intensity control unit configured to control the intensity of the at least one illumination source.

The system further comprises a color control unit configured to control the wavelength of the illumination of the at least one illumination source. Each lighting unit is connected to an external device, which includes a power source. Each lighting unit includes an internal power source within the housing. Each lighting unit includes at least one illumination source at a top end of the each lighting unit. Each lighting unit comprises more than one lighting source on one side of the housing of each lighting unit. At least two lighting units are connected to an external light source through an optical fiber connection. At least two lighting units are connected by an electrical connection. The housing is made of a flexible material.

The at least two lighting units are configured to be placed on a user's thumb and another of the at least two lighting units is configured to be placed on a user's index finger.

The present disclosure provides a method for identifying a peripheral vein, the method comprising providing at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user; at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire visible spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye; manipulating the at least two lighting units in three-dimensional space to control the angle of illumination towards the patient's skin, the distance between the at least two lighting units and the pressure applied to the patient's skin by the at least two lighting units; and identifying peripheral veins in or under the skin of the patient.

The method further comprises compressing the vein by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two illumination units to distinguish between the valve and the thrombus and between a clear vein and the thrombus.

The method further comprises anchoring the vein in a stable position by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two lighting units.

The method further comprises increasing the amount of light directed into the skin of the patient by applying pressure onto the skin of the patient via the at least two lighting units to increase the visibility of veins within or beneath the skin.

Drawings

Some non-limiting exemplary embodiments or features of the disclosed subject matter are illustrated in the following drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins during operation, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2B is a schematic diagram of a display of a system for identifying veins according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4A-4C are schematic diagrams of an illumination unit for identifying veins in a perspective view, an interior front view, and an interior side view, respectively, according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a system for identifying veins, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for identifying veins according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings will make it apparent to those skilled in the art how the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced.

Identical or repeated or equivalent or similar structures, elements or components appearing in one or more of the figures are generally labeled with the same reference numeral, optionally also with one or more additional letters to distinguish similar entities or variants of entities, and may not repeat the labeling and/or description. References to previously presented elements are implied without further reference to the figure or description in which they appear.

The dimensions of the features and characteristics shown in the figures have been chosen for convenience or clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale or true. Some elements or structures may not be shown or shown, either partially or only partially, and/or at different angles or from different perspectives for convenience or clarity.

Detailed Description

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for identifying veins prior to venipuncture surgery in a user-friendly, quick and accurate manner. Current systems and methods for identifying veins include the use of rigid lighting devices and do not have any flexibility in manipulating such devices. However, the present disclosure provides systems and methods for identifying veins while allowing maneuverability of the lighting units, as these units are configured to be placed on a finger of a user, such as a caregiver.

The lighting units of the present disclosure include a housing that conforms to the shape and size of a user's finger, allowing the lighting units to be manipulated in three-dimensional space by the user of the units. The angle of illumination, the distance between the two illumination units, and the amount of pressure applied to the user's skin (by the pressure applied to the illumination units) may be controlled by the user of the system of the present disclosure in order to provide accurate identification of veins suitable for venipuncture procedures. Current lighting systems cannot control this feature and therefore cannot provide adequate vein recognition.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure may include systems, methods, and/or computer program products. The computer program product may include a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to perform aspects of the disclosure. The computer-readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine-related instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data or source code, or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including any object-oriented programming language and/or conventional procedural programming languages.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

Reference is now made to fig. 1, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. A system for identifying veins may be the system 100, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100 may include at least two

lighting units

102 and 104. Each of the

lighting units

102 and 104 may include a housing that may be configured to be positioned over one of the user's fingers. For example, each of the housing 103 of the unit 102 and the housing 105 of the unit 104 may have the shape and size of a human finger. Since the size and shape of a human finger can vary, the material that can be made from the

housings

103 and 105 of the

cells

102 and 104, respectively, should be flexible and stretchable so that it can fit well into substantially any finger size and shape. For example, the width of the size of a human finger may vary between 12mm and 20 mm. In some embodiments, the material from which housing 103 and housing 105 may be made may be silicone. In other embodiments, other flexible materials may be used. The

housings

103 and 105 may be similar to sleeves that are placed on either finger of the user, respectively.

In some embodiments, two or

more lighting units

102 and 104 may be implemented such that each of two or more fingers of a user may have a lighting unit attached thereto. In some embodiments, even three to five fingers may each have a lighting unit attached thereto to increase the illumination area as compared to only two fingers each having a lighting unit attached thereto.

In some implementations, each of the

lighting units

102 and 104 can include at least one lighting source. The lighting unit 102 may include an illumination source 112, and the lighting unit 104 may include an illumination source 114. In some embodiments, the

illumination sources

112 and 114 may be located at the tips of the

illumination units

102 and 104, although other locations along the housings of the

units

102 and 104 are possible. When the

illumination sources

112 and 114 are located at the tips of the

cells

102 and 104, respectively, e.g., at the tip of each of the

cells

102 and 104, a user wearing the

cells

102 and 104 on a finger can easily manipulate and control various features of the

illumination cells

102 and 104. For example, the user may wear or place the lighting unit 102 on the user's thumb, while the user may wear or place the lighting unit 104 on the user's index finger. In other embodiments, other fingers may be used. The user may then change and control the distance between the at least two lighting units (e.g., units 102 and 104) by changing the distance of the user's finger where the at least two lighting units are located. The user may further control the angle at which the patient's skin is illuminated by varying the angle at which the lighting unit is directed towards the patient's skin. Typically, light should be emitted towards the skin at an angle of between 30 and 45 degrees relative to the illumination source. Angles less than 30 degrees may result in insufficient halo area to effectively illuminate the desired area. Angles greater than 45 degrees may result in the emitted light becoming too diffuse and therefore not sufficiently intense.

In some embodiments, the user may manipulate each finger independently, thereby manipulating each lighting unit independently of the other lighting units. The design of the

lighting units

102 and 104 is configured to be positioned on the user's finger so that the user can direct light into the patient's skin at substantially any angle, thereby providing great flexibility in manipulating the lighting units until a vein is detected and identified. The user may also control the amount of pressure applied to the patient's skin via each lighting unit independently of the other lighting units, thereby increasing the intensity of the light introduced into the skin. By applying pressure on the skin, the user can anchor the identified vein during a venipuncture procedure, or compress the vein to distinguish between a valve and a thrombus or a maxillary vein and a thrombus. According to some embodiments, both the valve and the thrombus may appear as a localized expanded region. In the case where the user applies pressure via two lighting units, each positioned on a single finger, the user may apply opposing pressure between those two fingers. The skin or tissue that may be sandwiched between the fingers may be compressed. In the case of a valve, this compression may result in blood flowing away from the compressed area. The expanded area will then disappear and reappear upon release of the compressive force. In the case of a thrombus, the expanded region does not disappear but remains regardless of how much pressure is applied to the tissue. For the normal maxillary venous region, when the tissue is compressed, the expanded region will disappear, and when the compression is released, the expanded region will reappear, similar to the way the valve reacts.

In addition, by applying pressure on the patient's skin, the user may obtain an unrestricted view of the illumination area.

In some embodiments, the

illumination sources

112 and 114 may be covered by a material that may provide a barrier between the illumination sources and the patient's skin, but may further provide a good index of refraction. For example, the illumination source may be covered with a PMMA integrated lens that is in an epoxy state during the production process. Polycarbonate may also be used as a suitable cover for the illumination source. Glass is also optional, although avoided due to high cost and potential safety hazards.

According to some embodiments, the system 100 may comprise a control unit 110, which may comprise a color control unit 106, which may be configured to control the wavelength at which any one of the at least two illumination units illuminates the skin of the patient. In some embodiments, the wavelength emitted by each lighting unit may be selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the wavelength that each lighting unit may emit may be selected from the red spectrum to highlight the visibility of peripheral veins that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. Light in the red spectrum may be absorbed by blood components (e.g., hemoglobin), and thus may highlight the presence of veins compared to tissue surrounding the highlighted veins. In some embodiments, the wavelength of the illumination may be selected between violet and red, for example between 400nm and 760nm, and in other embodiments, the wavelength may be selected within the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760 nm. In some embodiments, the color temperature may be selected between 4500K to 7500K (in kelvin).

In some embodiments, the control unit 110 may further comprise an intensity control unit 108, which may be configured to control the intensity level of the light illuminated by any of the at least two lighting units.

In some embodiments, the control unit 110 may include a power source, such as a battery or a rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, the battery may have several voltages. In other embodiments, the control unit may be powered by a lithium polymer battery. In some embodiments, the control unit 110 may further include a wireless transmitter and antenna. Where each (or any) of the at least two

lighting units

102 and 104 includes a camera for acquiring images of the illuminated skin of the patient, the control unit 110 may include a wireless transmitter and an antenna for sending the acquired images to a display unit for displaying the images to the user for convenient viewing by the user or for instructional purposes.

In some implementations, system 100 may include a wired connection between

units

102 and 104 to an external unit (e.g., control unit 110). For example, unit 102 may be connected to external unit 110 via wired connection 122, and unit 104 may be connected to external unit 100 via wired connection 124.

Connections

122 and 124 may be electrical connections.

In some embodiments, system 100 may include an external light source (not shown), which may be, for example, packaged in an external unit such as unit 110. In this case, the system 100 may include a fiber optic connection between the external light source and each of the

lighting units

102 and 104. The fiber optic connection may transmit light from an external light source to each of the

lighting units

102 and 104 in contact with the skin of the patient and direct the emitted light toward the skin of the user to identify, locate and highlight veins.

Reference is now made to fig. 2A, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins during operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to some embodiments, during operation of the system 100, each illumination unit, e.g.,

units

102 and 104, may illuminate the skin of the patient. Typically, the illumination emitted from

units

102 and 104 is circular, e.g., illumination unit 102 may illuminate aperture 132 and illumination unit 104 may illuminate aperture 134. The wavelength of illumination by each of the

illumination units

102 and 104 may be selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the wavelength of illumination of each of the

illumination units

102 and 104 may be selected from the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760 nm. Each of the

illumination units

102 and 104 may illuminate at the same wavelength or at a different wavelength within the red spectrum to highlight the visibility of the peripheral veins that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

Between these two

apertures

132 and 134, according to some embodiments, veins may appear as a highlighted outline relative to their surroundings. Since the illumination unit illuminates the patient's skin with light of the red spectrum, which may be absorbed by blood components (e.g., hemoglobin), the red light may help highlight the veins transporting blood compared to the surrounding tissue of the veins where blood is highlighted.

Reference is now made to fig. 2B, which is a schematic illustration of a display of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to some embodiments, a user of system 100 may directly view the skin of a patient illuminated by at least two illumination units (e.g., units 102 and 104) in order to identify the highlighted vein. However, in other embodiments, the system 100 may include a display unit. The display unit may be connected to the system 100 by an electrical wired connection or wirelessly. The display unit may display images acquired by cameras included in, for example, any or all of the

lighting units

102 and 104. Once an image of the illuminated skin of the patient is acquired by the at least one camera, the image may be sent to and displayed by the display unit, e.g. via a wireless transmitter. For example, the display unit may comprise a display 210, the display 210 may display an image of the aperture 220 and may further display an image of a vein, such as the vein 200.

Reference is now made to fig. 3, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to some embodiments, a system for identifying veins within or under the skin of a patient may be the system 300. The system 300 may include at least two

lighting units

302 and 304. Each of the

lighting units

302 and 304 may include a housing configured to be placed on a finger of a user. Thus, the

cells

302 and 304 may have the shape and size of a human finger. Since the size and shape of a person's fingers may vary from person to person, the material that may be made from

cells

302 and 304 may be flexible to fit fingers of substantially any size and shape. In some embodiments, two or

more lighting units

302 and 304 may be implemented such that each of the two or more fingers of the user may have a lighting unit attached thereto. In some embodiments, even three to five fingers may each have a lighting unit attached thereto to increase the illumination area as compared to only two fingers each having a lighting unit attached thereto.

According to some embodiments, lighting unit 302 may include element 332, which may help attach the internal structure of unit 302 to the housing or shell of unit 302. That is, to attach electronic components housed within unit 302 to a flexible housing or shell of unit 302, element 332 may act as a bridge between such internal components and the housing of unit 302. Similarly, the lighting unit 304 may include an element 334 that may be connected between internal components of the unit 304 and a flexible housing or shell of the unit 304.

According to some embodiments, each of the

cells

302 and 304 may include at least one illumination source, for example, the cell 302 may include an illumination source 312 and the cell 304 may include an illumination source 314.

Illumination sources

312 and 314 may illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, each of

illumination sources

312 and 314 may emit wavelengths selected from the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760nm, to highlight the visibility of peripheral veins that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. The illumination source 312 may illuminate at the same or a different wavelength than the illumination source 314.

In some embodiments,

units

302 and 304 may be connected to external device 310 via

connections

322 and 324, respectively. The

connections

332, 324 may be electrical connections.

In some implementations, the external device 310 may include a power source (not shown), such as a battery, that may provide power to the

lighting units

302 and 304. External device 310 may include an operation switch or on/off switch 320 to control the operation of all lighting units (e.g., units 302 and 304) of system 300. Once the on/off switch 320 of the external device 310 is turned to the "on" mode, an electrical connection may be established between the external device 310 and the

lighting units

302 and 304. Once switch 320 is turned "off," no electrical connection is established between

units

302 and 304 and external device 310, and therefore no power is transmitted to

units

302 and 304.

Reference is now made to fig. 4A, which is a schematic illustration of a perspective view of an illumination unit for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. An illumination unit for identifying veins in or under the skin of a patient may be unit 402. According to some embodiments, the unit 402 may include at least one illumination source 412, which may be located at the tip of the unit 402, for example at the tip of the unit 402. The illumination source 412 may be located elsewhere along the unit 402. The illumination source 412 may illuminate the patient's skin at a wavelength selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the wavelength at which the illumination source 412 can illuminate the skin may be selected from the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760 nm.

The lighting unit 402 may include an operating switch 432, which may control the operation of the unit 402. Once switch 432 is "on," unit 402 may begin to emit light, while if switch 432 is "off, unit 402 may not emit light via illumination source 412. In this case, the lighting unit 402 may be re-sterilized for multiple uses with different patients. In other embodiments, instead of an on-off button, the lighting unit may be disposable, e.g., a tab may be removed from the unit 402 to continually activate the lighting unit 402 until power is fully consumed by the electronic components of the unit 402.

In some embodiments, the cell 402 may be designed to conform in shape and size to the shape and size of substantially any user's finger. The material from which the housing or shell of unit 402 can be made can be flexible to fit fingers of virtually any size and shape. According to some embodiments, once the unit 402 is placed on the user's finger, it can be easily manipulated, for example, the angle at which the illumination source 412 is pointed can be controlled by the user, the amount of pressure exerted on the patient's skin can be controlled, and the user can further control the distance between the unit 402 and additional illumination units. All of these manipulation or control capabilities may affect the ease and time before vein recognition is completed.

Fig. 4B and 4C are schematic diagrams of an interior front view and interior side view of the lighting unit 402. In some embodiments, in addition to the illumination source 412 and the switch 432, the unit 402 may include a housing or enclosure 442, which may be made of a flexible material, such as silicone. Unit 402 may further include an internal power source, such as power source 452, which may be a battery or more than one battery. According to some embodiments, the unit 402 may include an electrical connection 466 between a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)462 and a power supply 452 for providing power to all electronic components of the unit 402. All of the electronic components housed within the unit 402, such as the illumination source 412, the switch 432, and any other additional electronic components that may be packaged within the unit 402, may be powered through their connection to the PCB 462 via the power supply 452.

Reference is now made to fig. 5, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, system 500 may include at least two lighting units, such as

lighting units

502 and 504. Each of the

illumination units

502 and 504 may include at least one illumination source. For example, lighting unit 502 may include an illumination source 512 and lighting unit 504 may include an illumination source 514. The

illumination sources

512 and 514 may illuminate at wavelengths selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the wavelength at which each of the

illumination sources

512 and 514 may illuminate may be selected from the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760 nm. In some embodiments, instead of including

illumination sources

512 and 514 positioned along

cells

502 and 504, respectively, system 500 may include external light sources. System 500 may further include

fiber optic connections

522 and 524 for transmitting light from an external light source to

units

502 and 504, respectively.

In some implementations, each of the

lighting units

502 and 504 can include an internal power source. In the case where the

lighting units

502 and 504 do not include an internal power source, the system 500 may include an external device that includes an external power source. Thus, cell 502 may be electrically connected to an external power source via connection 522, and cell 504 may be electrically connected to an external power source via connection 524.

As disclosed with respect to

systems

100, 300, and 400, system 500 may include lighting units, each configured to be positioned on a finger of a user for operability in three-dimensional space. The operability of the lighting unit may include: directing the lighting unit at almost any angle to the skin of the patient; pressing against the skin of the patient at different pressure levels; one lighting unit is brought closer together or kept separated from the other by different distances.

In some embodiments, two or

more lighting units

502 and 504 may be implemented such that each of the two or more fingers of the user may have a lighting unit attached thereto. In some embodiments, even three to five fingers may each have a lighting unit attached thereto to increase the illumination area as compared to only two fingers each having a lighting unit attached thereto.

Reference is now made to fig. 6, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the system for identifying veins may be system 600. In some embodiments, system 600 may include at least two lighting units, such as

lighting units

602 and 604. Each of the

lighting units

602 and 604 may include at least one illumination source, such as

illumination sources

612, 614, respectively. According to some embodiments, the system 600 may include an autonomous lighting unit that does not require power from an external power source. In some implementations, each or at least one of the

lighting units

602 and 604 can include an internal power source to provide power to the electronic components housed within each lighting unit (e.g., to the lighting sources 612, 614). In some implementations, the two

autonomous lighting units

602 and 604 may be controlled via an external electronic computerized device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a computer, etc.).

In some implementations, the system 600 can include an electrical connection 620 between the lighting unit 602 and the unit 604. For example, where the unit 602 may include an internal power source, the connection 620 may be configured to transfer energy or electrical power from the unit 602 to the unit 604, and vice versa.

In some embodiments, unit 602 may include an illumination source, and connection 620 may be a fiber optic connection for transmitting light from unit 602 to unit 604, so that light may be emitted from both

illumination units

602 and 604.

In some embodiments, two or

more lighting units

602 and 604 may be implemented such that each of the two or more fingers of the user may have a lighting unit attached thereto. In some embodiments, even three to five fingers may each have a lighting unit attached thereto to increase the illumination area as compared to only two fingers each having a lighting unit attached thereto.

Reference is now made to fig. 7, which is a schematic illustration of a system for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, for example, a system for identifying veins prior to a venipuncture procedure may be system 700. In some embodiments, system 700 may include at least two lighting units, such as

lighting units

702 and 704. According to some embodiments, each of the

lighting units

702 and 704 may include a housing or enclosure configured to fit a finger of the user operating the system 700. The housing or shell should be made of a flexible material that will fit substantially any size and shape of finger.

In some embodiments, two or

more lighting units

702 and 704 may be implemented such that each of two or more fingers of a user may have a lighting unit attached thereto. In some embodiments, even three to five fingers may each have a lighting unit attached thereto to increase the illumination area as compared to only two fingers each having a lighting unit attached thereto.

According to some embodiments, the

illumination units

702 and 704 may include

respective cavities

772 and 774 through which a user's finger may be inserted to manipulate the

units

702 and 704 while moving the user's finger. The user may insert his or her finger so that it reaches the distal end of either of the units 702 and 704 (the end of the

unit

702 or 704 that is farthest from the external device 710), or may insert his or her finger so that it exits through the distal ends of the

units

702 and 704.

In some implementations, the lighting unit 702 can include two (or more)

illumination sources

712 and 716, while the unit 704 can include two (or more)

illumination sources

714 and 718. The locations of the

illumination sources

712 and 716 along the unit 702 are at the front of the unit 702 rather than at the tip of the unit 702 as disclosed with respect to the system 600. Since the front of the cell 702 has a larger area than the tip of the cell 702, more than one illumination source may be positioned on the front of the cell 702. Similarly, the unit 704 may include two illumination sources located on the front side of the unit 704.

In some embodiments, the illumination sources of any or all of the illumination units may emit light of the same wavelength, while in other embodiments, each illumination source of each illumination unit may emit light of a different wavelength. The wavelength of light emitted by any illumination source may be selected from the entire white or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the wavelength of light emitted by any illumination source may be selected from the red spectrum, for example between 610nm and 760 nm.

In some embodiments, the

lighting units

702 and 704 may be electrically connected to an external device 710, which may include a power source, e.g., one or more batteries. In some embodiments, cell 702 may be connected to external device 710 via electrical connection 722, and cell 704 may be connected to external device 710 via an electrical connection. In some embodiments, the external device 710 may include an operation switch or an on-off switch 720 for a user to determine when to start operation of the system 700 and when to stop operation. Once the user turns the switch 720 to the "on" mode, power from a power source housed within the external device 1710 may be supplied or delivered to the

lighting units

702 and 704 via

electrical connections

722 and 724, respectively. However, when the user turns the switch 720 to the "off" mode, there is no electrical connection between the external device 710 and the

lighting units

702 and 704.

In some embodiments, each or at least one of the lighting units 702 and/or 704 may comprise a camera for acquiring an image of the illuminated skin of the patient, e.g. an aperture emitted by the

lighting units

702 and 704, thus for acquiring an image of the highlighted and identified vein. In some implementations, each or at least one of the

lighting units

702 and 704 can also include a transmitter and, if not integrated as part of the transmitter, an antenna. The transmitter may transmit the acquired image to an external display unit for easy viewing of the identified vein by the user, or for the purpose of tutoring the user other than operating the system 700.

According to some embodiments, the

lighting units

702 and 704 may be manipulated by a user when the user moves his finger, one finger moving relative to the other finger, to move at least two

lighting units

702 and 704 away from or closer to (each lighting unit being located on a different finger). The user may also manipulate each finger independently, thereby controlling the angle at which light is directed at the patient's skin by varying the position of the illumination source relative to the skin. In addition, the user may control the amount of pressure applied by each lighting unit independently of the other lighting units. Generally, the greater the pressure applied, the more light is directed into the skin and the more the vein may be highlighted.

When the at least one illumination source is located at the tip of the illumination unit, it is easier to change the angle of the light directed to the skin to almost any angle, whereas when the at least one illumination source is located at the side of the illumination unit, although still flexible, changing the angle of the directed light may be more limited.

Reference is now made to fig. 8, which is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for identifying veins, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to some embodiments, a method for identifying a peripheral vein may be method 800. In some implementations, the method 800 may include an operation 802, which may include providing at least two lighting units, each lighting unit adapted to be placed on a finger of a user. In some embodiments, each illumination unit may include at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at any wavelength throughout the white light or visible spectrum. In some embodiments, the at least one illumination source may be configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the red spectrum of the red spectrum (e.g., a wavelength selected from 610nm to 760 nm) to highlight the visibility of peripheral veins that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye. In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include an operation 804, which may include manipulating the at least two lighting units in three-dimensional space to control an angle of illumination toward the skin of the patient, a distance between the at least two lighting units, and a pressure applied to the skin via the at least two lighting units. According to some embodiments, the method 800 may further include an operation 806, the operation 806 may include identifying a peripheral vein within or under the skin of the patient. Thus, such a manipulation operation is performed on at least two lighting units, resulting in identification of a vein suitable for a venipuncture procedure.

According to some embodiments, the method 800 may further include the operations of: the vein is compressed by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two illumination units to distinguish between a valve and a thrombus or between a clear vein and a thrombus. According to some embodiments, both the valve and the thrombus may appear as a localized expanded region. In case the user applies pressure via two lighting units, each positioned on a single finger, the user may compress the vein by applying opposite pressure between the two fingers. The skin or tissue that may be sandwiched between the fingers may be compressed. In the case of a valve, this compression may result in blood flowing away from the compressed area. The expanded area will then disappear and reappear when the compression is released. In the case of a thrombus, the expanded region does not disappear but remains unchanged, no matter how much pressure is applied to the tissue. In the case of the normal maxillary venous region, the expanded region will disappear when the tissue is compressed, and will reappear when the compression is released, similar to the way a valve reacts.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include the operations of: the vein is anchored in a stable position by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two lighting units.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include the operations of: increasing the amount of light directed into the skin of the patient by applying pressure onto the skin of the patient via the at least two lighting units to increase the visibility of veins in or under the skin.

Unless otherwise apparent from the context, conjugate terms such as "object characteristics" refer to characteristics of an object.

In the case of an electrical or electronic device, it is assumed that it is operated using a suitable power supply.

The flowchart and block diagrams illustrate the architecture, functionality, or operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of program code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the operations shown or described may occur in different orders or in combinations or as concurrent operations rather than sequential operations, to achieve the same or equivalent results.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise indicated, the terminology used herein is not to be interpreted as limiting, and is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosed subject matter. While certain embodiments of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents are not to be excluded.

The claims (modification according to treaty clause 19)

1. A system for identifying a peripheral vein, the system comprising:

at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising:

a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user, wherein the housing has a shape and size that conforms to the shape and size of a human finger such that each lighting unit is manipulable in three-dimensional space;

at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire visible spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye; and

an intensity control unit configured to control an intensity of the at least one illumination source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the red spectrum.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength between 610nm and 760 nm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises a camera for acquiring an image of the highlighted vein and a transmitter for transmitting the image to a display unit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises a display unit for displaying the highlighted vein to a user.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit is adapted to be placed on a different finger of a user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a color control unit configured to control a wavelength of illumination of the at least one illumination source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit is connected to an external device, the external device comprising a power source.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises an internal power source within the housing.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises at least one illumination source at a top end of said each lighting unit.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises more than one illumination source on a side of the housing of each lighting unit.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each illumination source emits light at a different wavelength.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two lighting units are connected to an external light source by a fiber optic connection.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two lighting units are connected by an electrical connection.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a flexible material.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two lighting units is configured to be placed on a user's thumb and another of the at least two lighting units is configured to be placed on a user's index finger.

18. A method for identifying a peripheral vein, the method comprising:

providing at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising:

a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user;

at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire visible spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye;

an intensity control unit configured to control an intensity of the at least one illumination source;

manipulating the at least two lighting units in three-dimensional space to control the angle of illumination towards the patient's skin, the distance between the at least two lighting units and the pressure applied to the patient's skin by the at least two lighting units; and

identifying a peripheral vein within or beneath the skin of the patient.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising compressing the vein by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two illumination units to distinguish between the valve and the thrombus and between a clear vein and the thrombus.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising anchoring the vein in a stable position by applying pressure on the patient's skin via the at least two illumination units.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising increasing the amount of light directed into the patient's skin by applying pressure onto the patient's skin via the at least two lighting units to increase the visibility of veins within or beneath the skin.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the red spectrum.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the illumination source is configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected between 610nm and 760 nm.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a peripheral vein, the system comprising:

at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising:

a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user, wherein the housing has a shape and size that conforms to the shape and size of a human finger such that each lighting unit is manipulable in three-dimensional space; and

at least one illumination source configured to illuminate light at a wavelength selected from the entire visible spectrum to highlight visibility of peripheral veins that would otherwise not be visible to the unaided eye.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a display unit for displaying the highlighted vein to a user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each lighting unit comprises a camera for acquiring an image of the highlighted vein and a transmitter for transmitting the image to the display unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an intensity control unit configured to control the intensity of the at least one illumination source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a color control unit configured to control a wavelength of illumination of the at least one illumination source.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit is connected to an external device, the external device comprising a power source.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises an internal power source within the housing.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises at least one illumination source at a top end of said each lighting unit.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each lighting unit comprises more than one illumination source on a side of the housing of each lighting unit.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a flexible material.

18. A method for identifying a peripheral vein, the method comprising:

providing at least two lighting units, each lighting unit comprising:

a housing adapted to be placed on a finger of a user;

identifying a peripheral vein within or beneath the skin of the patient.