Unmet Need
Ultrasound-guided vascular access has also been shown to decrease cannulation time for emergent veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) cannulation in refractory cardiac arrest. Despite the increasingly widespread use of ultrasound for procedural guidance, reliable and accurate tracking of the device can be challenging even for practitioners with years of experience. Needle tip tracking is especially difficult and is critical for avoiding vital structures that when damaged can cause catastrophe. Therefore, there is a strong need for volumetric tracking technology that guarantees tracking accuracy in practical clinical circumstances.
Value Proposition
· A versatile design that allows for multiple device configurations
· Compatible with clinical 2D US imaging devices
· Allows for expansion of guidance performance to a 3D area
· Modifiable into a wearable form factor for autonomous vascular access or continuous monitoring of patient vasculatures
Technology Description
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a guidance device that consists of multiple elements to estimate an exact position of an intracorporeal tool (e.g., needle, biopsy device, catheter, etc.) with considerations in tracking accuracy and field-of-view (FOV) for appropriate clinical guidance. There are two different types of embodiments: (a) to augment the currently existing US imaging devices with a peripheral system that can be attached to the clinical US transducer, (b) to implement a wearable device for continuous patient monitoring or instant autonomous vascular access either within hospital or at a patient’s home. Mutual communication between tool and the guidance system can be implemented in different configurations: (a) tool talking, guidance system listening; (b) tool listening, guidance system talking; (c) tool talking/listening, guidance system listening/talking. Such a versatile and effective design process supports a wide range of system form factors, including assistive or autonomous intervention, as well as patient monitoring devices.
Stage of Development
Prototype in development.
Data Availability
Data available upon request.
Publication
N/A
