JP4229688B2 - Leak detection device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a leak detection device that detects leakage of a chemical solution injected into a blood vessel near the surface of a human body by an injection needle, and more particularly to a leak detection device that detects leakage of a chemical solution injected by a chemical solution injection device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, there are CT (Computed Tomography) scanner, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) device, etc. as medical devices for imaging tomographic images of subjects, as medical devices for imaging blood vessels images of subjects. , Angio device, MRA (MR Angio) device, etc.
[0003]
When using the medical device as described above, a chemical solution such as a contrast medium or physiological saline may be injected into the subject, and a chemical solution injection device that automatically executes this injection has also been put into practical use. In this chemical solution injection device, for example, a pump device in which an injection needle is connected by an extension tube is used, and the chemical solution is injected into a blood vessel near the surface of the human body by the injection needle.
[0004]
However, since such a chemical injection device automatically injects the chemical at a high pressure, even if the injection needle drops from the blood vessel and the chemical leaks subcutaneously, the operator can quickly recognize this. Have difficulty. In order to solve such a problem, various leak detection devices that detect leakage of a chemical liquid injected into a blood vessel near the surface of a human body with an injection needle have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 8).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
USP 6,408,204
[Patent Document 2]
USP 5,964,703
[Patent Document 3]
USP 5,947,910
[Patent Document 4]
USP 6,375,624
[Patent Document 5]
USP 5,954,668
[Patent Document 6]
USP 5,334,141
[Patent Document 7]
USP 4,647,281
[Patent Document 8]
USP 4,877,034
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The leak detection devices of Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above detect the leakage of the chemical liquid from the impedance change of the human body surface, and the leak detection devices of Patent Documents 4 to 7 detect the leakage of the chemical liquid from the temperature change of the human body tissue. The leak detection device of Patent Document 8 detects a leak of a chemical solution from a change in optical characteristics of blood. However, each of these leak detection devices requires a special sensor and has a complicated structure, and the detection accuracy is significantly lowered due to the influence of disturbance.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a leakage detection device that has a simple structure and has a small decrease in detection accuracy due to disturbance.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The leak detection device of the present invention has a leak detection means and a warning output means, and detects the leakage of the chemical liquid injected into the blood vessel near the surface of the human body by the injection needle.
The leak detection means includes image pickup means for picking up the surface of the human body in which the injection needle is inserted from a tangential direction, image recognition means for recognizing the shape of the surface from the picked-up image, and image recognition. Displacement detecting means for detecting from the deformation of the surface shape that the position of the surface has changed from a predetermined allowable range . Leaky detection means, the position of the surface of the human body injection needle is inserted detects that it has displaced from a predetermined allowable range, a warning output means outputs an alarm in response to the detection.
[0009]
Therefore, in the leakage detection device of the present invention, since the leakage of the chemical liquid is detected by utilizing the expansion of the surface of the human body due to the chemical liquid that leaks when the injection needle drops from the blood vessel, the accuracy decreases due to the disturbance of this detection. Is small and the structure necessary for detection is simple.
[0010]
The various means referred to in the present invention need only be formed so as to realize the function. For example, dedicated hardware that exhibits a predetermined function, a data processing apparatus provided with a predetermined function by a computer program It can be realized as a predetermined function implemented in the data processing apparatus by a computer program, a combination thereof, or the like.
[0011]
In addition, the various means referred to in the present invention do not have to be individually independent, a plurality of means are formed as one member, and a certain means is a part of another means. It is also possible that a part of the means overlaps with a part of the other means.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[Configuration of the first embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom directions are defined and described as shown in the drawings. However, this is defined for the sake of simplicity, and is used when the apparatus of the present invention is manufactured or used. It does not limit the direction of time.
[0013]
In the chemical injection device 100 of the present embodiment, an operation panel 102 and a liquid crystal display 103 are arranged on the upper surface of the device main body 101, and an injection head 110 is mounted on a side portion of the device main body 101 by a movable arm 104. . As shown in FIG. 5, the injection head 110 has a semi-cylindrical groove-shaped recess 112 formed on the upper surface of the syringe holding member 111, and the chemical syringe 200 is detachably attached to the recess 112. .
[0014]
The chemical syringe 200 includes a cylinder member 201 and a piston member 202, and the piston member 202 is slidably inserted into the cylinder member 201. A cylinder flange 203 is formed on the outer periphery of the cylinder member 201, and a piston flange 204 is formed on the outer periphery of the piston member 202.
[0015]
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the liquid syringe 200 held by the injection head 110 is connected to the blood vessel 301 of the human arm 300 by an extension tube 211 and an injection needle 212, and the injection needle 212 is an adhesive pad. Held at 213.
[0016]
The injection head 110 has a piston drive mechanism 113 disposed behind the recess 112 of the syringe holding member 111, and the piston drive mechanism 113 holds the piston flange 204 and moves it back and forth. As shown in FIG. 2, the piston drive mechanism 113 includes a drive motor 115 and an empty sensor 116, and operates using the drive motor 115 as a drive source. Further, the empty sensor 116 measures the movement distance of the piston flange 204 to detect the completion of the injection of the chemical solution by the chemical solution syringe 200.
[0017]
In the chemical injection device 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a leak detection unit 120 is connected to the apparatus main body 101 with a communication cable 121. As shown in FIG. It is detachably attached to 300. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the leakage detection unit 120 has a C-shaped holder member 122 that elastically holds the arm 300, and one end of the holder member 122 A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 123, which is an image capturing means, is mounted so as to capture the surface of the arm 300 from the tangential direction.
[0018]
The other end of the holder member 122 is bent at a substantially right angle as a background plate 124 that faces the CCD camera 123 through the surface of the arm portion 300, and the background plate 124 has a portion that faces the CCD camera 123. For example, it is painted in a complementary color of skin color or black.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the chemical injection device 100 according to this embodiment includes a microprocessor 130, which includes an operation panel 102, a liquid crystal display 103, a drive motor 115, an empty sensor 116, and a CCD camera 123. , Alarm buzzer 131, etc. are connected.
[0020]
The microprocessor 130 is a so-called one-chip microcomputer, and an appropriate computer program is mounted as firmware. As shown in FIG. 1, the microprocessor 130 performs integrated control of each unit corresponding to the computer program, so that the chemical liquid injector 100 of this embodiment includes an image recognition unit 141, a displacement detection unit 142, a warning output unit 143, Various means such as injection stop means 144 are logically provided.
[0021]
The image recognizing means 141 corresponds to a function for the microprocessor 130 to recognize a captured image of the CCD camera 123 by a predetermined data processing corresponding to a computer program. As shown in FIGS. The position of the surface is recognized by the shape from the image of the arm unit 300 imaged by the camera 123.
[0022]
The displacement detection unit 142 also corresponds to the function of the microprocessor 130 recognizing the captured image of the CCD camera 123, and detects that the position of the surface whose image has been recognized is displaced from a predetermined allowable range. More specifically, when the injection needle 212 for injecting the drug solution is removed from the blood vessel 301 and remains subcutaneously, the skin surface expands as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 8D, the expanded portion is recognized from the shape change of the captured image, and it is detected that the deformation exceeds a predetermined allowable range.
[0023]
The warning output means 143 corresponds to a function of the microprocessor 130 for controlling the operation of the alarm buzzer 131 and the liquid crystal display 103, and the alarm buzzer is detected when it is detected that the surface of the arm 300 is displaced from a predetermined range as described above. A warning is output with the sound 131 and the image on the liquid crystal display 103.
[0024]
As described above, leakage is detected by the CCD camera 123, the image recognition unit 141, and the displacement detection unit 142 to detect that the position of the surface of the arm unit 300 into which the injection needle 212 is inserted is displaced from a predetermined allowable range. The detection means 146 is formed, and the leak detection means 146 and the warning output means 143 form a leak detection device 150 that outputs a warning when the surface of the arm 300 is displaced from a predetermined range.
[0025]
The injection stop means 144 corresponds to a function of the microprocessor 130 controlling the operation of the drive motor 115 of the piston drive mechanism 113, and stops the injection of the chemical solution by stopping the drive motor 115 when the above warning is output. . Note that the microprocessor 130 similarly stops the drive motor 115 when the empty sensor 116 detects the completion of the injection of the chemical solution.
[0026]
Various means of the chemical liquid injector 100 as described above are realized by using hardware such as an alarm buzzer 131 if necessary, but the main body functions corresponding to a computer program in which the microprocessor 130 is mounted. Is realized.
[0027]
Such a computer program, for example, recognizes the position of the surface from the image of the arm unit 300 imaged by the CCD camera 123, and detects that the position of the image-recognized surface is displaced from a predetermined allowable range. In response to this detection, the warning buzzer 131 or the like outputs a warning, and when this warning is output, the drive motor 115 is stopped. .
[0028]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the chemical injection device 100 of the present embodiment is used, for example, in the vicinity of the imaging unit 301 of the MRI apparatus 300 and connected to the control unit 302 of the MRI apparatus 300 as necessary. The control unit 302 includes a computer system having an apparatus main body 303, a liquid crystal display 304, and a keyboard 305. The control unit 302 controls the operation of the imaging unit 301 and displays a tomographic image.
[0029]
In FIG. 3, both the chemical injection device 100 and the control unit 302 are located in the vicinity of the imaging unit 301 for the sake of simplicity. However, in the actual site, only the chemical injection device 100 is in the vicinity of the imaging unit 301. The control unit 302 is installed in a separate room.
[0030]
[Operation of the first form]
In the configuration as described above, when using the liquid injector 100 of the present embodiment, for example, an operator connects the injection needle 212 with the extension tube 211 to the liquid syringe 200 filled with a liquid such as a contrast medium. As shown in FIG. 7, the injection needle 212 is inserted into the blood vessel 301 of the subject's arm 300 located in the imaging unit 301 of the MRI apparatus 300 and held by the adhesive pad 213.
[0031]
Next, the chemical solution syringe 200 is loaded into the injection head 110 of the chemical solution injection device 100, and the leakage detection unit 120 of the chemical solution injection device 100 is attached to the arm 300 of the subject. At this time, the CCD camera 123 and the background plate 124 of the leakage detection unit 120 are opposed to each other through the surface where the injection needle 212 is inserted into the blood vessel 301.
[0032]
In such a state, when the operator inputs an operation to start the injection of the chemical liquid to the operation panel 102 of the chemical liquid injection apparatus 100, the microprocessor 130 that detects this inputs the drive motor 115 of the piston drive mechanism 113 as shown in FIG. (Steps S2 and S3), the piston member 202 of the chemical syringe 200 is pressed into the cylinder member 201, and the chemical solution is injected into the blood vessel 301 from the injection needle 212.
[0033]
At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the CCD camera 123 of the leakage detection unit 120 images the surface of the arm 300 where the injection needle 212 is inserted into the blood vessel 301 (step S4). As shown in FIG. 8B, the shape of the surface is recognized from the captured image (step S5).
[0034]
Therefore, if the injection needle 212 drops off from the blood vessel 301 and remains subcutaneously, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the surface of the skin expands due to the injected drug solution. As shown in d), the deformation of the skin surface shape due to the expansion is recognized as a difference from the initial shape.
[0035]
When the deformation recognized as described above deviates from the predetermined allowable range (step S6), the alarm buzzer 131 outputs a warning sound and the liquid crystal display 103 detects that the catheter has been dropped. Check the catheter. A warning message such as “Please” is displayed and output (step S7). Furthermore, since the drive motor 115 of the piston drive mechanism 113 is stopped (step S1), the injection of the chemical solution to the subject is stopped.
[0036]
In the liquid injector 100 according to the present embodiment, when an operator who has confirmed the warning appropriately inserts the injection needle 212 into the blood vessel 301 and inputs the start of liquid injection to the operation panel 102, the liquid chemical is correspondingly generated. Can be resumed (steps S1 to S8).
[0037]
Also, when the operator inputs an injection stop to the operation panel 102 (step S8), the chemical solution injector 100 stops the drive motor 115 and stops the injection of the chemical solution (step S1). Further, when the empty sensor 116 detects the completion of the chemical liquid injection (step S9), the chemical liquid injector 100 stops the driving motor 115 and ends the chemical liquid injection (step S10).
[0038]
[Effect of the first embodiment]
In the drug solution injection device 100 of the present embodiment, the surface of the arm part 300 into which the injection needle 212 is inserted is imaged by the CCD camera 123 as described above, and the shape change is monitored, and the injection needle 212 drops from the blood vessel 301. When the surface of the arm unit 300 expands, a warning is output and the operator can quickly recognize that the injection needle 212 has dropped from the blood vessel 301 of the subject and take action.
[0039]
In addition, in the chemical injection device 100 of this embodiment, the injection of the chemical solution is automatically stopped when the drop of the injection needle 212 is detected as described above, so that the injection of the chemical solution continues with the injection needle 212 dropped from the blood vessel 301. Can be prevented automatically.
[0040]
Furthermore, in the chemical injection device 100 of the present embodiment, since the injection needle 212 has been removed from the blood vessel 301 from the skin surface image captured by the CCD camera 123, the injection needle is not required. The dropout of 212 can be detected, and the degradation of detection accuracy due to disturbance is very small.
[0041]
In particular, since the CCD camera 123 images the surface of the arm unit 300 from the tangential direction and detects the shape change of the captured image, it is possible to reliably detect the swelling of the skin by simple image processing. Moreover, since the background plate 124 faces the CCD camera 123 through the skin surface and the background plate 124 is painted in a complementary color or black, the skin surface can be imaged well.
[0042]
Further, since the CCD camera 123 and the background plate 124 are positioned at both ends of the C-shaped holder member 122, the CCD camera 123 and the background plate 124 can be properly positioned simply by holding the arm portion 300 with the holder member 122. Can be arranged. In addition, since the background plate 124 is composed of one bent end of the holder member 122, the structure is simple and the productivity is good.
[0043]
[Modification of the first embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications are allowed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the various means 141 to 144 are logically realized by functioning corresponding to the computer program in which the microprocessor 130 is mounted. However, hardware such as a dedicated logic circuit is used. It is also possible to form at least a part of the various means 141 to 144.
[0044]
Moreover, although the chemical | medical solution injection apparatus 100 illustrated outputting a warning message on the liquid crystal display 103 in the said form, for example, it is also possible to display and output the picked-up image of the CCD camera 123 on this liquid crystal display 103 with this warning message. is there.
[0045]
In this case, an operator working while visually recognizing the liquid crystal display 103 of the chemical liquid injector 100 can check the state of the injection needle 212 without moving to the position of the subject. In addition, if the captured image of the CCD camera 123 is not displayed on the liquid crystal display 103 until the chemical injection device 100 outputs a warning, the display screen of the liquid crystal display 103 can be used effectively, and the operator is devoted to normal work. can do.
[0046]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the chemical injection device 100 exemplifies that the warning is output as a stand-alone notification. However, for example, the warning may be transmitted to the control unit 302 of the MRI apparatus 300 and output to the liquid crystal display 304 or the like. Is possible.
[0047]
As described above, since the control unit 302 is installed in a separate room from the imaging unit 301, it is effective to notify the imaging unit 301 of a warning. Furthermore, if the captured image of the CCD camera 123 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 304 of the control unit 302 as described above, an operator located in a separate room from the subject can quickly confirm the situation. .
[0048]
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the chemical injection device 100 is used in the vicinity of the MRI apparatus 300, but this can also be used in the vicinity of a CT scanner, a PET apparatus, an angio apparatus, an MRA apparatus, or the like. Further, in the present embodiment, it is exemplified that one chemical syringe 200 is attached to one concave portion 112 of the chemical injector 100, but a plurality of chemical syringes 200 may be attached to a plurality of concave portions of the injection head. (Not shown).
[0049]
Further, in the present embodiment, it is exemplified that the chemical syringe 200 is directly attached to the chemical injector 100. However, since there are various sizes of the currently marketed chemical syringe 200, for example, the maximum size chemical syringe 200 is used. It is also possible that only the chemical solution injection device 100 is directly attached to the chemical solution injection device 100, and various sizes of the chemical solution syringes 200 other than the maximum are attached to the chemical solution injection device 100 via a dedicated cylinder adapter (not shown). .
[0050]
[Configuration of Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. In the following embodiments, the same portions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same names and reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
[0051]
In chemical injection device 400 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, leak detection unit 401 has C-shaped holder member 402 that elastically holds arm 300, and this holder member 402 At one end, a VAF (Visitronic Auto Focus) module 403, which is an optical distance measuring means, is supported by an L-shaped arm 404, which is a distance measuring means, so as to face the surface of the arm part 300 at a predetermined distance from the vertical direction. Yes.
[0052]
The VAF module 403 is a device used for a so-called AF (Auto Focus) camera, and optically measures the distance to an object by a triangulation method. In the chemical injection device 400 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the VAF module 403 described above is connected to the displacement detection means 406, and this displacement detection means 406 has a distance measured by the VAF module 403. Detecting displacement from a predetermined tolerance range.
[0053]
[Operation of the second form]
In the above-described configuration, in the chemical solution injection device 400 of the present embodiment, the VAF module 403 of the leakage detection unit 401 determines the distance to the surface of the arm 300 where the injection needle 212 is inserted into the blood vessel 301 as a triangle. Survey by surveying method.
[0054]
Therefore, if the injection needle 212 drops from the blood vessel 301 and the skin surface expands, the distance measured by the VAF module 403 changes due to the expansion, and if the change in the distance deviates from a predetermined allowable range, the chemical solution injection device 400 Outputs a warning.
[0055]
[Modification of Second Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications are allowed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the VAF module 403 is used as the optical distance measuring means, and the distance is optically measured by the triangulation method.
[0056]
However, for example, it is also possible to survey by infrared active method using light emitting diode and light receiving diode, contrast detection method and phase comparison using MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor and CCD (Charge Coupled Device). It is also possible to survey using a method (not shown).
[0057]
In the above embodiment, the VAF module 403 that is an optical distance measuring unit exemplifies optical distance measurement. For example, an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic sensor that are ultrasonic distance measuring means are used. It is also possible to measure the distance to the skin surface by ultrasonic waves (not shown).
[0058]
[Configuration of Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 13, the chemical injection device 500 according to the present embodiment has a holder member 502 of the leakage detection unit 501, and a laser diode 503 as a laser output means is attached to one end of the holder member 502. At the other end, a phototransistor 504 serving as laser detection means is mounted.
[0059]
For this reason, when the leakage detection unit 501 is attached to the arm portion 300, the laser diode 503 emits laser light in the vicinity of the surface of the skin, and the phototransistor 504 detects this laser light. In the chemical injection device 500 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the above-described phototransistor 504 is connected to the displacement detection means 506, and the displacement detection means 506 detects the laser light by the phototransistor 504. When it stops, it is detected that the position of the surface of the skin is displaced from a predetermined allowable range.
[0060]
[Operation of the second form]
In the above-described configuration, in the chemical injection device 500 of the present embodiment, the laser diode 503 of the leakage detection unit 501 emits laser light in the vicinity of the surface of the arm portion 300 where the injection needle 212 is inserted into the blood vessel 301. The laser beam is emitted and received by the phototransistor 504.
[0061]
Therefore, if the injection needle 212 drops from the blood vessel 301 and the surface of the skin expands, the laser light emitted from the laser diode 503 to the phototransistor 504 is blocked by the expansion, and thus the phototransistor 504 of the laser light is blocked. When the detection by ceases, the chemical injection device 500 outputs a warning.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
In the leak detection device of the present invention, it is detected that the position of the surface of the human body where the injection needle is inserted is displaced from a predetermined allowable range, and a warning is output in response to this detection. However, it is possible to detect leakage of a minute chemical solution with a simple structure. In particular, since the displacement is detected based on the image obtained by imaging the surface of the human body from the tangential direction, the expansion of the human body surface can be detected more reliably.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a logical structure of a chemical liquid injector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a physical structure of the chemical liquid injector.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an MRI apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a chemical liquid injector.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a chemical syringe is attached to the injection head.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a leakage detection unit.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a leak detection unit is attached to an arm part of a human body.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a captured image of a CCD camera as image capturing means.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a data processing method of the chemical liquid injector.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a logical structure of a chemical liquid injector according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a leakage detection unit.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a logical structure of a chemical liquid injector according to a third embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a leakage detection unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
100, 400, 500 Chemical solution injection device 123 CCD camera 141 as image pickup means Image recognition means 142, 406, 506 Displacement detection means 143 Warning output means 144 Injection stop means 146 Leakage detection means 150 Leakage detection apparatus 200 Chemical liquid syringe 201 Cylinder member 202 Piston member 300 Human body arm 301 Blood vessel 403 VAF module 404 as optical distance measuring means L-shaped arm 503 as distance measuring means Laser diode 504 as laser output means Phototransistor as laser detecting means

Claims (5)

A leakage detection device for detecting leakage of a chemical solution injected by an injection needle into a blood vessel near the surface of a human body,
Leakage detecting means for detecting that the position of the surface of the human body into which the injection needle is inserted is displaced from a predetermined allowable range;
Warning output means for outputting a warning in response to the detection;
Equipped with a,
The leakage detection means includes
Image imaging means for imaging from the tangential direction the surface of the human body into which the injection needle is inserted;
Image recognition means for recognizing the shape of the surface from the captured image;
A displacement detection means for detecting from the deformation of the surface shape that the position of the surface recognized by the image has changed from a predetermined allowable range;
And that leak detection device has. It further comprises a C-shaped holder member attached to the arm,
The image pickup means is attached to one end of the holder member;
The leak detection device according to claim 1 . The leakage detection device according to claim 2, wherein a background plate is provided at a position facing the image capturing unit at the other end of the holder member . The leakage detection device according to claim 3, wherein the background plate is provided as a portion where the holder member is bent . A chemical injection device for injecting the chemical into the human body by press-fitting a piston member into a cylinder member filled with a chemical in a chemical syringe connected to the human body with an injection needle and an extension tube,
The leak detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An injection stop means for stopping the injection of the chemical liquid when the leakage detection device notifies and outputs the warning;
A chemical injection device .

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