An improved noninvasive, electrooptical sensor probe is suitable for removable adhesive attachment to the skin of a patient to measure light extinction during transillumination of the blood-perfused tissue beneath the skin. The probe has a flexible generally U-shaped, web-like support structure having spaced, opposed upper and lower inner surfaces. A light source such as an LED is mounted in the support structure and positioned to emit light from one of the inner surfaces. A photosensor is also mounted in the support structure and positioned on the other of the inner surfaces to detect light emitted by the light source. A U-shaped alignment member is disposed in the support structure and extends substantially from the light source to the photosensor to hold the probe into the desired shape for use and aid in aligning the LED and photosensor.
An oximeter sensor with an emitter and a detector, and a sensor body surface having a first color proximate to at least one of the emitter or detector. The color can be modified by a user to adapt the sensor to be optimized for maximal signal strength or insensitivity to skin pigmentation variability or accuracy. In a preferred embodiment, a pulse oximeter sensor with an outer layer which is colored gray or black in the region of the emitters and detector and in between can be peeled-away to reveal a substantially white layer. Alternately, a white colored layer could peeled-away to reveal a gray or black layer. Alternately, more than one peeled-away layer could be used to provide a range of colors.
A method and apparatus for preventing undesirable index finger rotational motion within a non-invasive quantitative blood analyte measurement instrument includes placing at least the middle finger or the thumb into proper alignment with the index finger when inserted in the instrument to prevent the index finger from rotating with respect to the instrument's optical axis. The natural pincer-type relationship of the thumb and index finger is used to align the index finger in the optical axis by the positioning of the thumb and the positioning of the middle finger is used to hinder the rotation of the finger toward the thumb away from the optical axis. Conductive material is provided in grooves formed on the instrument housing to dissipate EMI energy from the test subject.
An oximeter probe to be wound on a fingertip of an object and used to measure the oxygen saturation of blood is completely shielded from electrical noises. The front face of an a flexible printed circuit board on which an a light-emitting device and a photodetective are mounted is covered by a conductive sheet having windows at the locations which correspond to the LED and the photodetector. The back face of the circuit board is covered by shield copper foil.
This probe makes use of a simplified housing construction that significantly reduces the cost of the manufacture of the probe housing. The housing is implemented using two molded housing halves, which are pivotally connected together and which include an integral spring member. In addition, the housing includes a connector mounted thereon for enabling the probe to be disengaged from the cable and its associated connector that interconnects the probe with the medical monitoring equipment. As a further improvement, a notch is provided on the housing so that the conductors can be positioned to exit the probe in any direction to minimize the possibility of the conductors inadvertently pulling the probe loose from the patient's finger.
A medical sensor for monitoring vital signs, in particular oxygen saturation, consists of a flexible carrier carrying the transmitter and receiver elements, and a housing element specifically adapted for application to a part of the human body, such as a finger. The flexible carrier may be used with a variety of different housing elements, such that it can be applied to virtually any limb or other part of the human body.
