Title: Oximeter for reliable clinical determination of blood oxygen saturation in a fetus

Abstract

With the crude instrumentation now in use to continuously monitor the status of the fetus at delivery, the obstetrician and labor room staff not only over-recognize the possibility of fetal distress with the resultant rise in operative deliveries, but at times do not identify fetal distress which may result in preventable fetal neurological harm. The invention, which addresses these two basic problems, comprises a method and apparatus for non-invasive determination of blood oxygen saturation in the fetus. The apparatus includes a multiple frequency light source which is coupled to an optical fiber. The output of the fiber is used to illuminate blood containing tissue of the fetus. In the preferred embodiment, the reflected light is transmitted back to the apparatus where the light intensities are simultaneously detected at multiple frequencies. The resulting spectrum is then analyzed for determination of oxygen saturation. The analysis method uses multivariate calibration techniques that compensate for nonlinear spectral response, model interfering spectral responses and detect outlier data with high sensitivity.

Inventors:

Robinson, Mark R ^[1]; Haaland, David M ^[1]; Ward, Kenneth J ^[2]

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+ Show Inventor Affiliations

1. Albuquerque, NM
2. Madison, WI

Issue Date:

Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1996

Research Org.:

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)

OSTI Identifier:

870311

Patent Number(s):

5494032

Assignee:

Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

A - HUMAN NECESSITIES A61 - MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE A61B - DIAGNOSIS

G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

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A - HUMAN NECESSITIES A61 - MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE A61B - DIAGNOSIS

A61B5/14542 - {for measuring blood gases
A61B5/1464 - specially adapted for foetal tissue
A61B5/1495 - Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes

G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

G01N21/31 - Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {
G01N2201/129 - Using chemometrical methods

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DOE Contract Number:  

AC04-76

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

oximeter; reliable; clinical; determination; blood; oxygen; saturation; fetus; crude; instrumentation; continuously; monitor; status; delivery; obstetrician; labor; staff; over-recognize; possibility; fetal; distress; resultant; rise; operative; deliveries; times; identify; result; preventable; neurological; harm; addresses; basic; comprises; method; apparatus; non-invasive; multiple; frequency; light; source; coupled; optical; fiber; output; illuminate; containing; tissue; preferred; embodiment; reflected; transmitted; intensities; simultaneously; detected; frequencies; resulting; spectrum; analyzed; analysis; multivariate; calibration; techniques; compensate; nonlinear; spectral; response; model; interfering; responses; detect; outlier; data; sensitivity; blood containing; containing tissue; light intensities; light source; preferred embodiment; optical fiber; reflected light; multiple frequency; analysis method; oxygen saturation; multiple frequencies; calibration technique; continuously monitor; /600/356/