Method and device for assessing perfusion failure in a patient
US6216024A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/682
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Methods and devices are provided for assessing impairment of blood circulation in a patient, such as that in perfusion failure, by measurement of pCO.sub.2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) in the upper digestive and/or respiratory tract of the patient. The method comprises introducing a carbon dioxide sensor into the upper digestive and/or respiratory tract of a patient, without passing the sensor down through or beyond the patient's epiglottis. Specifically, a carbon dioxide sensor is placed adjacent a mucosal surface within the upper digestive and/or respiratory tract, preferably within the patient's mouth or inside the patient's nose. By avoiding passage through the mouth into the throat and esophagus, discomfort is substantially avoided and the potential for injury minimized. Previously, the belief in the art was that increased partial pressure of carbon dioxide was a localized phenomenon during perfusion failure; however, applicants have now discovered that increases in tissue CO.sub.2 occur throughout the body during perfusion failure, and the method and device of the invention are premised on this discovery.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.