Patent · US Expired

Monitoring one or more solutes in a biological system using optical techniques

US5782755A · kind A · utility

109Cited by
25References
50Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 2, 1994
Grant dateJul 21, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 2, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B5/7257
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A scheme for monitoring one or more solutes in a biological system comprising the steps of: delivering light into a biological system containing one or more solutes, the light having a wavelength selected to be in a range wherein at least one of the one or more solutes is substantially non-absorbing; detecting at least first and second portions of the delivered light, the first portion having traveled through the biological system along one or more paths characterized by a first average path length, and the second portion having traveled through the biological system along one or more paths characterized by a second average path length that is greater than the first average path length; and comparing the first and second portions of the delivered light to monitor a concentration of one or more of the solutes in the biological system. Also described are schemes for monitoring low molecular weight polyhydroxy solutes, generally sugars (mannitol, fructose, sucrose, glucose), alcohols (methanol and propanediol), and electrolytes (sodium and potassium chloride).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.