JPH05177000A - Catheter guide device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply and surely execute guidance at the time of inserting a catheter into the human body, etc., by receiving a transmitting signal from a transmitting means attached in a position related to the catheter by a receiving means, and detecting a position of the catheter, based on this receiving signal. CONSTITUTION:To the tip of a catheter 3 inserted into a testee (living body) 1, a transmitting body 31 is attached. On the other hand, in a catheter guide device, each sensor 51 for detecting a transmitting signal from the transmitting body 31, respectively, is provided. In such a state, detecting signal of each sensor 51 are inputted to a transmitting body position detecting circuit 53 through each preamplifier 52, respectively, by which a position of the transmitting body 31, that is, the catheter 3 is detected. Also, a position detecting signal passes through an adding circuit 55 and is outputted to an image display part 44, by which a detecting position is displayed. Moreover, image data from a tomographic image input part 54 of the testee 1 also passes through the adding circuit 55 and is inputted to the image display part 44, by which positions of a tomographic image and the catheter 3 are overlapped and displayed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a catheter guide device which functions as a guide when inserting a catheter into a human body or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When inserting a catheter into a body lumen structure such as a blood vessel or a body cavity, it is difficult to insert the catheter toward a desired site when the lumen structure is branched. In such cases it is necessary to guide the catheter.

Conventionally, X-ray fluoroscopy is performed, and the X-ray fluoroscopic image obtained there is observed in real time to confirm the position of the catheter and to guide the catheter by recognizing the position of internal tissue. When fluoroscopy is not possible, the X-ray apparatus for rounds is moved, an X-ray image is obtained by using the X-ray apparatus, and the catheter is guided by observing the X-ray image.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, there are problems in the conventional cases. That is, in order to perform fluoroscopy, the patient is taken from the hospital room by X-ray.
It is necessary to carry it on a stretcher etc. to the fluoroscopy room, which is a heavy burden for both patients and hospital employees. Also,
In the case of critically ill patients, it may not be possible to move from the room.

When the X-ray apparatus for rounds is used, the X-ray apparatus is carried to the patient's room for setting, so that the above-mentioned inconvenience does not occur. However, there is a fundamental drawback in that it requires a lot of troublesome work, and that the insertion state of the catheter cannot be seen in real time.

As described above, in the related art, all of them are large in size and time-consuming, and there is an inconvenience because an image showing the insertion state of the catheter can be obtained only at a position distant from the patient in question. There is also the problem of.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a catheter guide device which can be used easily without moving the patient, can confirm the position of the catheter in real time, and can avoid the problem of X-ray exposure. ..

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the catheter guide device according to the present invention, the transmitting means is attached to a position related to the catheter, such as the tip of the catheter, and the signal transmitted from the transmitting means is transmitted. The receiving means receives the signal, and the position of the transmitting means is obtained from the received signal obtained from the receiving means. Therefore, when the catheter is inserted into the body of the subject, the position of the transmitter can be known in real time by receiving the signal from the transmitter with the receiver placed outside the body. Since the transmitting means can be constituted by a small one, it can be attached to the tip of the catheter or the like and inserted into the human body together with the catheter. Further, since the receiving means and the means for obtaining the position do not become a large scale, the overall structure can be made compact, and it is possible to easily move and set the position of the subject. Since no X-rays are used, there is no exposure problem.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the catheter guide device 4 includes a pedestal portion 41 configured to be movable by a caster 42, and an arm suitable for the pedestal portion 41. It is composed of the attached head portion 43.
The head 43 has an image display unit 4 including a liquid crystal display or the like.
4 and an operation unit 45 including a key switch group.

The subject 1 is laid on the patient bed 2, and is used by covering the subject 1 with the head portion 43 by moving the catheter guide device 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, a catheter 3 is inserted into a subject (living body) 1, and a transmitter 31 is provided at the tip of the catheter 3. More specifically,
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the catheter 3 is made of a flexible tube 32 made of synthetic resin or the like, and a transmitter 31 is provided in a ring shape at the tip thereof.

A plurality of sensors 51 (FIG. 2) for detecting the signal transmitted from the transmitter 31 are provided on the back surface of the head portion 43 (the surface on the side of the subject 1). The outputs of the plurality of sensors 51 are guided to a transmitter position detection circuit 53 via a preamplifier 52 as shown in FIG. In the transmitter position detection circuit 53, the position of the transmitter 31 with respect to the position of each sensor 51 is obtained based on the strength and weakness of the signal detected by each sensor 51 and the delay amount.

The position signal thus obtained is added to the adder circuit 5
After being sent to the image display section 44, the position represented by the position signal is displayed by a bright dot or the like. It is also possible to represent only the current position of the transmitter 31 or a locus that has moved from the past position.

Each of these circuits includes a catheter guide device 4
Although it is built in the pedestal portion 41 or the head portion 43, if the shape of the head portion 43 becomes too large, it will interfere with the insertion work of the catheter 3, so in consideration of this, as many circuits as possible in the head portion 43. Better not pay. From this point of view, it is also desirable to dispose the operation unit 45 other than the head unit 43.

Even if only the position of the transmitter 31 as described above is displayed on the image display section 44, the catheter 3 can be displayed.
In many cases, it will be sufficient as a guide, but it will be more useful as a guide if an image showing the inside of the body is further displayed and superimposed on the image. Therefore, in this embodiment, a tomographic image input unit 54 is provided so that image data such as a tomographic image and a fluoroscopic image of the subject 1 that have been photographed in advance can be input. The image data thus input is sent to the transmitter 31 by the adder circuit 55.
Is sent to the image display unit 44 after being added, and the image representing the position of the transmitter 31 is displayed overlapping the tomographic image and the like, and the position of the catheter 3 can be easily confirmed.

Further, in this embodiment, the transmitter position detection circuit 53 has a previously input target position,
The distance to the current position of the transmitter 31 is calculated, and an acoustic signal corresponding to the distance is generated. Therefore, if this acoustic signal is output to the headphones 56, it is possible to express whether the tip of the catheter 3 is approaching or moving away from the target position by the strength of the sound, and the catheter 3 can be guided by the sound. In this case, the tip position of the catheter 3 is not so clearly known, but it is often sufficient to know the rough position such as the direction of the bifurcation of the blood vessel.

Next, a specific configuration example of the transmitter 31 and the sensor 51 will be described. In the case of using ultrasonic waves, the transmitter 3
A piezoelectric element for wave transmission is used as 1, and a signal for wave transmission is transmitted to the piezoelectric element by a cable or the like along the catheter 3, and the sensor 51 is a piezoelectric element for wave reception that receives the ultrasonic wave from the transmitter 31. It is possible to do it. Then, a signal for wave transmission having a constant frequency is supplied, the position of the transmitter 31 is calculated by attenuation of the signal received by each sensor 51, and the position of the wave reception signal is calculated using a frequency modulation signal as the signal for wave transmission. A position may be calculated by phase difference or attenuation, or a position may be calculated by a difference in arrival time at each sensor 51 using a pulse wave as a signal for wave transmission.

Further, the magnetic detection system is adopted, and the transmitter 31
It is also possible to use a ferromagnetic material as the element, detect the ferromagnetic material with the sensor 51 composed of a Hall element, and calculate the position based on the magnitude of the detection signal.

Further, the position may be detected using radio waves. In that case, an antenna for transmitting electric waves is used as the transmitter 31, and an antenna for receiving waves is used as the sensor 51. A signal for transmission having a constant frequency or a frequency modulation is sent to the transmitter 31 via a cable along the catheter 3 and the position of the transmitter 31 is obtained by attenuation or phase difference of the received signal.

Although the transmitter 31 is embedded in the tip of the catheter 3 in the above embodiment, it may be incorporated in the guide wire of the catheter 3. Further, the shape and specific circuit of the catheter guide device 4 are not limited to those illustrated.

[0021]

As described above, according to the catheter guide device of the present invention, the position of the catheter can be confirmed in real time without moving the patient while lying on the bed, and there is no problem of X-ray exposure. Therefore, the guide of the catheter can be performed easily and surely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the catheter of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Subject 2 Patient Bed 3 Catheter 31 Transmitter 32 Tube 4 Catheter Guide Device 41 Pedestal 42 Caster 43 Head 44 Image Display 45 Operating Unit 51 Sensor 52 Preamplifier 53 Transmitter Position Detection Circuit 54 Tomographic Image Input 55 Adder circuit 56 headphones

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transmitting means attached to a position related to a catheter, a receiving means for receiving a transmitting signal from the transmitting means, and a means for determining a position of the transmitting means by a received signal obtained from the receiving means. A catheter guide device comprising: