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US-20260123821-A1 - ENDOSCOPIC DEVICE

US20260123821A1US 20260123821 A1US20260123821 A1US 20260123821A1US-20260123821-A1

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for an endoscopic patient safety device that uses video monitoring and machine learning technology to identify abnormalities of a patient's respiratory system and provides automatic insertion, placement, and navigation of the endoscopic patient safety device into the patient's body are described. The endoscopic patient safety device automatically determines a patient's anatomy and retracts and expands to place its tip in an optimal zone for performing aspiration and other medical tests. Enroute to being inserted without having to be held, the endoscopic patient safety device uses sensors and machine learning to regulate its insertion speed, pauses, and expansion and retraction based on abnormalities encountered along the way. The data collected by the device is reported wirelessly for further analysis.

Inventors

  • Guy Aristide

Assignees

  • Guy Aristide

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241101

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A wireless endoscope for inserting into an anatomical cavity, the wireless endoscope comprising: a housing having a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is detachably connected to the second section by a connection, the first section comprises: a tubular portion having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being configured to be at least partially inserted into the anatomical cavity; an expanding and retracting mechanism within the tubular portion; an electrical module functionally positioned at the distal end of the tubular portion comprising at least one camera; and at least one suction channel located at the proximal end of the tubular portion.
  2. 2 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the expanding and retracting mechanism within the tubular portion automatically expands and retracts without user intervention to accommodate for a patient's anatomy.
  3. 3 . The wireless endoscope of claim 2 , wherein the expanding and retracting mechanism is instructed by an artificial intelligence which determines a length of expansion to reach an optimal zone in the anatomical cavity.
  4. 4 . The wireless endoscope of claim 2 , wherein the expanding and retracting mechanism automatically expands the tubular portion at a particular speed until the distal end of the tubular portion reaches an optimal zone in the anatomical cavity.
  5. 5 . The wireless endoscope of claim 4 , wherein the particular speed of expanding the tubular portion is varied by the expanding and retracting mechanism.
  6. 6 . The wireless endoscope of claim 4 , wherein the varying of the particular speed of expanding the tubular portion is based on encountering abnormalities along a passage of the anatomical cavity in which the tubular portion is inserted.
  7. 7 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising: a release button located in the second section of the housing; and in response to detecting a press of the release button, the expanding and retracting mechanism within the tubular portion retracting from a curved shape to a straight shape.
  8. 8 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising: a gyroscope located either in the first or the second section of the housing; and a slidable weight within the tubular portion shifted based on a reading from the gyroscope to prevent sliding out of the wireless endoscope from the anatomical cavity.
  9. 9 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the first section is disposable.
  10. 10 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , wherein the second section includes a camera and a lighting module.
  11. 11 . The wireless endoscope of claim 1 , further comprising control circuitry located in the housing, wherein the control circuitry is used for performing aspiration, swallowing, and cancer detection tests on a patient.
  12. 12 . A method comprising for using a wireless endoscope for inserting into an anatomical cavity, comprising: inserting, at least partially, a distal end of a first section of the wireless endoscope into the anatomical cavity, wherein the first section is detachably connected to a second section of the wireless endoscope by a connection and the first section includes a tubular portion having an expanding and retracting mechanism within the tubular portion; analyzing, during insertion, a size of the anatomical cavity; and automatically expanding the expanding and retracting mechanism by a length until the distal end of the first section reaches a desired section of the anatomical cavity, wherein the length of expansion is based on the analyzed size of the anatomical cavity.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising, wirelessly transmitting data relating to tests performed by the wireless endoscope while it is inserted into the anatomical cavity.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein analyzing the size of the anatomical cavity is performed using sensors.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein analyzing the size of the anatomical cavity is performed using artificial intelligence.
  16. 16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: during insertion, analyzing the anatomical cavity for an abnormality; automatically stopping or retracting the expanding and retracting mechanism when the abnormality is detected; capturing data relating to the abnormality; and wirelessly transmitting data relating to the abnormality to an external device.
  17. 17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the data related to the abnormality is detected by a camera of the wireless endoscope.
  18. 18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the detection of the abnormality is performed by artificial intelligence using the captured data relating to the abnormality.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising, automatically performing a suction using a suction channel of the wireless endoscope when detecting debris causing obstruction of view in the anatomical cavity.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising: obtaining a balance reading using a gyroscope located either in the first or the second section of the wireless endoscope; and instructing, based on the balance reading, a slidable weight to slide within the wireless endoscope to prevent sliding out of the wireless endoscope from the anatomical cavity.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an endoscopic patient safety device generally, and more particularly to, using video monitoring and machine learning technology to identify abnormalities of a patient's respiratory system and to control the endoscopic patient safety device, also referred to as a wireless endoscope, while collecting data. Some embodiments or aspects may relate to other features, functionalities, or fields. BACKGROUND In general, an endoscopic device is used to look inside the human anatomy by way of a body cavity. A portion of the device is inserted through a body cavity, such as the nasal cavity or mouth, to take pictures or videos of organs and other structures. Clinicians use endoscopic devices to screen, diagnose, and treat conditions. One such use of an endoscopic device is to screen, diagnose, or treat aspiration or near aspiration events. Multiple different evaluations are employed by clinicians in order to evaluate aspiration events. One such examination is the modified swallowing test. The modified swallowing test permits clinicians to observe anatomical structures in the mouth and throat, as they are actively functioning when a patient is chewing, drinking, and swallowing. Another examination employed is the Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing with Sensory Testing (FEES) which is a technique used to directly examine motor and sensory functions of swallowing so that proper treatment can be given to patients with swallowing difficulties to decrease their risk of aspiration and choking. During this examination, a clinician passes an endoscopic device through a patient's nose while the patient swallows liquids and foods of varying consistencies to assess the patients swallowing function. Existing endoscopic devices can be bulky and difficult to use. Current administration of an endoscopic device requires a care provider to be bed side, holding the device the entire time it takes to administer the required tests. The existing endoscopic devices also require the device to be connected to a display in order for the physicians to accurately place the device within the patient. The existing endoscopic devices also require the physician to be bedside and hold the device during the entire administration of the exam. Such constraints result in locking up the physician's time for a single patient thereby adding needless expenditure of hospital resources. Typically, when a physician is placing the device within a patient, the device is placed based on the physician's experience and judgment. Relying on the physician's experience and judgment oftentimes leads to missed diagnosis. The physician may be limiting the exam to the incorrect part of the anatomy, missing areas of concern. Further, the physician may be under a time constraint and may only have time to limit the test to one area of the anatomy causing a missed diagnosis. Even further, due to the physician concentrating on placing the device within the correct area of the anatomy of the patient, the physician may overlook areas of concern due to the physician having to concentrate on multiple tasks. Constantly having to hold the device during administration of an exam, using judgment in an attempt to properly place the device within the patient, and the device having to be directly connected to a display allows for many opportunities for errors and for harm to occur. Increasing the resources available to physicians, such as minimizing multi-tasking while administering the examinations, and increasing the amount of time of the examination, can be improved to reduce the considerable clinical and economic burden of missed diagnosis. Accordingly, there is a need for an endoscope that provides additional features and flexibility of use to address some of the above-mentioned drawbacks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The various objects and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an overall system view of an aspiration device placed in a patient while laying on a hospital bed in which the device is sending video to a display device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system for using the endoscopic device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the endoscopic device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the endoscopic device with a motor included, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 5 illustrates a proximal perspective view of the endoscopic device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 6 illustrates a distal perspective view of the endoscopic device, in accordance with some e