WO2006005351A1

WO2006005351A1 - Handheld ultrasound vessels imager facilitating intravascular injection

Info

Publication number: WO2006005351A1
Application number: PCT/EG2004/000027
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ahmed Abdelhameed Shalash; Tamer Abdelrahman Alamrousy
Original assignee: Ahmed Abdelhameed Shalash; Tamer Abdelrahman Alamrousy
Priority date: 2004-07-11
Filing date: 2004-07-11
Publication date: 2006-01-19

Abstract

This Handheld apparatus (73, 74, 79) uses ultrasound waves to produce a colored image (72) for the superficial blood vessels (71). This image (72) is formed on the apparatus' monitor (73). This image (72) is used to facilitate the cannula application or injection operation. Using this apparatus (73, 74, 79) will eliminate the patients' pain during the searching operation for a vessel.

Description

Handheld Ultrasound Vessels Imager Facilitating Intravascular Injection

Technical field

The apparatus is an application of using ultrasound in medicine .The apparatus uses the ultrasound waves to produce an image for the superficial vessels that lie under the apparatus .This image is used to facilitate intravascular injection

Background Art

The ultrasound have been used in producing an Image of internal body organs this occurs by means of B-scan devices which produce sector image about the scanned underlying structure of body organs

The ultrasound also is used in another manner to give us important information about the flow of the blood in arteries and heart by employing what known Doppler phenomenon.

The combination of these two Important techniques we can study and diagnose any problems with artery . this is known by Duplex system which produce a B-scan image on a monitor then other transducer (which employ Doppler phenomenon ) used to collect information about blood flow.

Limited Tries have been made to produce a device to detect the superficial veins to facilitate the cannula application or injection. But all these tries only try to find the vein by forming a sign which indicates the place of the vein like turn on a LED (light emitting diode )

Disclosure of the invention

The apparatus consists of 3 main units IV The Array of Transducers This array contains two types of transducer elements a)- Type A transducer which occupies the majority of the array (it produces planar waves perpendicular to the skin) b)- type B transducer exists only on the borders of the array( it produces planar waves with 45 degree to the skin) we can manufacture this array by the conventional means where the array is rigid.

Or we can made the base of the array from a flexible material and connect the elements to it this will increase the contact area between the skin and the transducer elements without any pressure on the superficial blood vessels

2>The Main unit for processing and control Tins unit consists of three units

Array control unit

Which consists of 4 sub units

A)- The oscillators unit it contain two controlled oscillators (A,B)

Oscillator A controls the frequency of array elements A

Oscillator B controls the frequency of array elements B

B)- The mode control Unit

It controls the Mode of every Element in the Array which means the state of it

There are four stats

1 - Transmitting ultrasonic waves

2- Receiving (l)ultrasonic Echoes

3- Receiving (2)ultrasonic Echoes

4- Idle

These stats are chosen according to the need for element to work on each mode.

C)- focusing control unit

This unit controls the time of firing of each element to control the focal distance of the produced ultrasonic beam to obtain the best resolution and accuracy

D)-Elements' Binder Unit

This unit control which elements and how many elements are used to produce the beam and supply informatioii about their coordinates regarding to the array coordinates to the CPU (central processing unit)

Signal processing Unit

It consists of seven sub units A)-SJ2nal Amplifier (1)

When the mode is set to receiving(l) the echo received at the transducer is very weak and produce only little voltage on the transducers' output so this voltage has to be amplified to processed further on. B)- Time Gain Compensator

It amplifies the output of the signal amplifier to make sure that echoes attenuated due to traveling more distance in Body tissues is amplified more than those which reflected from near interfaces.

C)-Rectification and Envelope Detector

This unit rectifies the output of Time Gain Compensator and detect the Maximum Peaks of the pulse

D)-Analo2 to Digital Converter (1)

This Unit converts the Analog output of the envelope detector unit To Digital output

E)-SJ2nal Amplifier (2)

It amplifies the signal of elements when the mode is set to receiving (2)

F)-Frecιuencv Comparator

This unit analyze the difference between the frequency of the Received signal (in receiving mode 2) and the frequency of Oscillator (B)

G)- Analog to Digital Converter (2)

To convert the output signal of frequency comparator to digital one to allow deteraiining the velocity of blood flow and its' direction.

Central processing Unit

This unit is Master Mind of the Apparatus it controls all the Activities of the Apparatus it consists of

I)- microprocessor

2)- the RAM to the instantaneous manipulation of data

3)- the flash ROM which contains the firmware the microprocessor will use to control the Apparatus and produce the Digital Image which will appear on the monitor the flash ROM will contain the code that enable the Micro processor to do what is known (Pattern recognition )

Pattern Recognition which involves drawing a digital Image for the superficial vessels by drawing a primary Image from the first strong Echoes detected by the Array-(excluding of course any echo from skin)- wliich will give us all the superficial tissues e.g. Nerves ,Veins and bones then we remove the patterns which contains No moving blood So we obtain an Image for the Superficial vessels Under the Array of transducers. 3)- The Display Unit it consists of a small colored LCD (liquid crystal Display) Monitor which will receive the produced digital Image and display it in coordinates relevant to the coordinates of The Array of elements to facilitate the cannulation or Injection

HOW THE DEVICE WORKS

When the device is put on the body and set to on position The array of transducers elements will begin the scan operation This means that some elements are activated together to send a collimated ultrasonic beam focused at 15mm depth from the skin surface then the first column of these elements will stop transmitting and another line which is next to these elements will start to send ultrasonic wave and the operation still going till the first row is finished

Then those combined elements will start again but leaving the first row elements off transmitting and add the next row elements instead this operation will continue till the scan operation is up this first scan uses the array elements a

After finishing this primary scan the array element a will produce abeam with 45 degree to the skin this beam also is produced by first b element and continue till the elements finished

The elements of array will listen to the Echoes and accept only the first powerful echoes in the range 0.2 to 2 cm depth and gather data which will be manipulated by the processor after this stage the elements will wait to receive Echoes of the waves scattered on the blood red cells and supply this information to microprocessor

The microprocessor will run the pattern recognition code on this data and produce the desired digital Image

The Display monitor will receive this data and show the image on its coordinates and beside each blood vessel we will find the depth of it . The user will easily be able to but the cannula in the right place because of coordinated array of elements too.

The device uses high frequencies to produce the image this of course will increase the resolution and accuracy

If the device is left on his place on the body after the primary image appears it will the collected data to change the focal distance to get better image and only the elements beside near the vessels will still work to produce a real time image and fast also this of course will save the battery power

The device could be connected to a keyboard for changing some settings like date And may also be connected to the PC to update its' ROM or check the device or calibrate it by using a special software

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG .1 the view of the monitor while the device is working

11-Suprficial vessels

12- Monitor coordinates

13- Display Monitor

FIG.2 Array

21- the logical arrays winch constitute the Array of transducers

FIG.3 Conventional Array

31 - element A of the Array

32 - element B of the Array

FIG.4 the Array of transducers with flexible Base

41- Element of The Array

FIG.5 Elevation view of the Apparatus

51 -Display Monitor

52- USB port to connect the apparatus to the computer

53- ON/OFF switch

54-The Body of the Apparatus Which contains the Central Unit for Processing and control 55- keyboard port 56-connecting rod 57-Aiτay of Transducers

FIG.6 Plan view of the Apparatus

61- connecting rod

62- Array of Transducers

63- Display Monitor

FIG.7 three dimension view of the Apparatus on the Arm

71 - superficial veins

72- the Image of the veins

73- Display Monitor

74- Array of Transducers showing its coordinates 75-The Arm

76- keyboard port 77- USB port to connect the apparatus to the computer

78- ON/OFF switch

79- keyboard

FIG.8 Block Diagram of the Apparatus

81- Element A

82- Element B

83- Oscillator A

84- Focusing Control Unit 85-Oscillator B 86-Mode control unit

87- Clock

88- Element binding unit 89- Amplifier (1)

810- Time Gain Compensator

811- Rectification and envelope, detector unit 812- Amplifier (2)

813- Frequency comparator

814-Analog to Digital converter (2)

815- Analog to Digital converter (1)

816- Flash ROM

817- Micro processor

818- RAM

819- Display Unit

Claims

- An Apparatus characterized by producing a superficial Image of the superficial vessels to use this image to use it in cannula application or injection or any medical purpose. - Ultrasonic array of transducers characterized by dividing this Array into smaller logical arrays, which work simultaneously to make the scan operation faster. - Ultrasonic Array of transducers characterized by a base of flexible material to connect the array elements to increase the contact area between body and the array elements and reduce the 10 pressure on the superficial blood vessels. - An apparatus characterized by using the ultrasonic waves to produce a selective Image for one of the body tissues and excluding other tissues. - An apparatus characterized by using the ultrasonic waves to produce superficial plane Image. - Array of transducers characterized by defining a viewable Coordinates to facilitate determining the location of the blood Vessel.