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Portable optical epidural needle-a CMOS-based system solution and its circuit design.
Cihun-Siyong Alex Gong1, Shih-Pin Lin2, M Susan Mandell3
1Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Portable Energy System Group, Green Technology Research Center, College of Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
A new miniaturized optical system accurately identifies the epidural space during anesthesia procedures. This technology, tested in pigs, shows promise for improving epidural anesthesia safety and effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Epidural anesthesia is common but has a failure rate of up to 10% due to challenges in identifying correct tissue planes.
- Incorrect needle placement can lead to dural puncture and neural injury, highlighting the need for improved guidance systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test a miniaturized optical system for reliable identification of the epidural space.
- To evaluate the clinical potential of a novel CMOS-based integrated circuit for epidural guidance.
Main Methods:
- A miniaturized optical system utilizing chip technology (CMOS-based) was developed and integrated with an alarm system.
- The system was tested in a porcine model across lumbar, low thoracic, and high thoracic regions of the spine.
Main Results:
- The miniaturized optical system successfully identified the epidural space in 45 out of 46 attempts (97.8% accuracy) in the porcine model.
- The system demonstrated reliability in identifying the epidural space in various spinal regions.
Conclusions:
- The miniaturized optical system shows significant potential as a clinical tool to enhance the accuracy and safety of epidural anesthesia.
- Further development of this technology could reduce epidural procedure failures and associated complications.
