US-20260123906-A1 - Ultrasound Imaging System

US20260123906A1US 20260123906 A1US20260123906 A1US 20260123906A1US-20260123906-A1

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system configured to assess the impact of placement of a vascular access device on fluid flow through a target vessel. The ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe having an ultrasound array configured to capture one or more ultrasound images of the target vessel and a Doppler array configured to detect the fluid flow through a region of interest of the target vessel. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a console in communication with each of the ultrasound array and the Doppler array, the console configured to determine the region of interest of the target vessel.

Inventors

Steffan Sowards
William Robert McLaughlin
Anthony K. Misener

Assignees

BARD ACCESS SYSTEMS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260105

Claims (11)

1 . An ultrasound imaging system configured to assess the impact of placement of a vascular access device on fluid flow through a target vessel, comprising: an ultrasound probe, comprising: an ultrasound array configured to capture one or more ultrasound images of the target vessel; and a Doppler array configured to detect the fluid flow through a region of interest of the target vessel; and a console in communication with each of the ultrasound array and the Doppler array, the console configured to perform operations comprising: displaying an image of the target vessel within a target area on a display of the console; automatically selecting a portion of the target vessel as a region of interest along the target vessel via logic operations of the console using anatomical targets in proximity to the target vessel within the target area; obtaining first fluid flow rate data from the Doppler array indicating a first fluid flow rate value through the region of interest prior to placement of the vascular access device within the target vessel; imaging the target vessel after placement of the vascular access device within the target vessel; obtaining second fluid flow rate data from the doppler array indicating a second fluid flow rate value through the region of interest after placement of the vascular access device within the target vessel; and detecting that fluid flow through the target vessel has been compromised based on results of comparing the second fluid flow rate value with a flow rate value threshold.
2 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein the console is configured to determine a total cross sectional area of the target vessel using one or more ultrasound images.
3 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 2 , wherein the impact of the vascular access device on fluid flow through the target vessel is expressed as a percent of the total cross sectional area of the target vessel.
4 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value are detected distal an insertion site of the vascular access device.
5 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein imaging the target vessel includes imaging the target vessel at a first location within the target area, and wherein the first fluid flow rate data from the Doppler array indicates the first fluid flow rate value at the first location within the target area.
6 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein the first location is distal an insertion site of the vascular access device.
7 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 6 , wherein the second fluid flow rate data from the Doppler array indicates the second fluid flow rate value at the first location distal the insertion site.
8 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein automatically selecting a portion of the target vessel as the region of interest includes using historical data from previously acquired ultrasound images of the target area to identify the region of interest.
9 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein automatically selecting a portion of the target vessel as the region of interest includes using a fixed distance from an insertion site to identify the region of interest.
10 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein the console is configured to perform further operations comprising: generating a flow rate data icon overlay including the first fluid flow rate data, and matching coordinates of the image of the target vessel with coordinates of the flow rate data icon overlay to locate the flow rate data icon overlay at the region of interest.
11 . The ultrasound imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein the console is configured to perform further operations comprising: determining a total cross-sectional area value of the target vessel from the image of the target vessel, and determining a vascular access device occupancy percentage based on the total cross-sectional area value and a cross-sectional area value of the vascular access device.

Description

PRIORITY This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/684,180, filed Mar. 1, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,514,532, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application. BACKGROUND Current methods for placing a vascular access device include placing a vascular access device occupying no more than 45% of a target vessel. Ultrasound imaging systems are used to detect vascular access device occupancy within the target vessel. However, these methods do not ensure that blood flow through the vessel is not compromised once the vascular access device is placed within the vessel. It would be beneficial to the clinician and the patient to have an ultrasound imaging system that may be used to image the target vessel, detect occupancy of the vascular access device within the target vessel, and assess blood flow through the target vessel after the vascular access device has been placed. Disclosed herein is an ultrasound imaging system and method of use that address the foregoing. SUMMARY Disclosed herein is an ultrasound imaging system configured to assess the impact of placement of a vascular access device on fluid flow through a target vessel. The ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe having an ultrasound array configured to capture one or more ultrasound images of the target vessel and a Doppler array configured to detect the fluid flow through a region of interest of the target vessel. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a console in communication with each of the ultrasound array and the Doppler array, the console configured to determine the region of interest of the target vessel. In some embodiments, the console is configured to determine the total cross sectional area of the target vessel using one or more ultrasound images. In some embodiments, the console assesses the impact of the vascular access device on fluid flow through the target vessel by comparing a first flow rate value of the region of interest before placement of the vascular access device with a second flow rate value of the region of interest after placement of the vascular access device. In some embodiments, the first flow rate value and the second flow rate value are detected distal an insertion site of the vascular access device. In some embodiments, the impact of the vascular access device on fluid flow through the target vessel is expressed as a percent of the total cross sectional area of the target vessel. In some embodiments, the console includes one or more processors, an energy source, non-transitory computer readable medium and a plurality of logic modules that when activated by the process are configured to perform operations including tracking the ultrasound probe within the target area, receiving the one or more ultrasound images from the ultrasound array, determining the target vessel and the cross sectional area of the target vessel within the one or more ultrasound images, receiving flow rate data from the Doppler array, determining the flow rate through the region of interest and generating a flow rate value, determining the region of interest, comparing a first flow rate value with a second flow rate value, and generating and overlaying a flow rate value icon on the one or more ultrasound images. In some embodiments, the user selects the region of interest on a display in communication with the console. In some embodiments, the console is configured to detect vascular access device occupancy within the target vessel, generate a vascular access device occupancy value, and compare the vascular access device value with the impact of the vascular access device on fluid flow through the target vessel as expressed as the percent of the total cross sectional area of the target vessel. Also disclosed herein is a method of assessing fluid flow through a target vessel before and after placement of a vascular access device including imaging the target vessel within a target area using an ultrasound imaging system, identifying a region of interest along the target vessel, assessing fluid flow through the region of interest, placing a vascular access device within the target vessel, imaging the target vessel after placement of the vascular access device within the target vessel, and assessing fluid flow through the region of interest after placement of the vascular access device within the target vessel. In some embodiments, imaging the target vessel within the target area using the ultrasound imaging system includes imaging the target vessel with an ultrasound probe having an ultrasound array and a Doppler array, each in communication with a console. In some embodiments, imaging the target vessel within the target area using the ultrasound imaging system includes imaging the target vessel at a first location within the target area. In some embodiments, identifying the region of interest along the target vessel includes the console automatically identifying the region of