Artificial Tissue Apparatus for Testing Non-Invasive Bioparameter Measuring Devices

Abstract

Apparatus for testing bioparameter monitoring devices includes artificial organs that comprise an elongated sponge wrapped in electrically conductive hydrogel skin, inlet and outlet tubes having a reddish liquid flowing therein and a pulsatile pump configured to generate a pulsatile flow of the liquid. A valve has a variable opening. For each artificial organ: the inlet tube extends out of the sponge and connects eventually to the pulsatile pump, the inlet tube penetrating the elongated sponge so as to extend to a tip of the elongated sponge at a distal end of the inlet tube, and the outlet tube extends out of the elongated sponge and connects eventually to the pulsatile pump at a proximal end of the outlet tube, the outlet tube penetrating the sponge so as to extend to a tip of the elongated sponge at a distal end of the outlet tube.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for testing noninvasive medical devices, the apparatus comprising:
 artificial tissue comprising an elongated sponge wrapped in a hydrogel skin;   tubing extending out of the elongated sponge and having a reddish liquid flowing into and out of the tubing; and   a pulsatile pump configured to generate a pulsatile flow of the reddish liquid so as to push the reddish liquid into at least part of the tubing and so as to draw the reddish liquid out of at least part of the tubing.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the tubing penetrates the elongated sponge so as to extend to a distal half of the elongated sponge. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the tubing penetrates the elongated sponge so as to extend to a tip of the elongated sponge at a distal end of the elongated sponge. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a flow control element configured to control how much reddish liquid circulates in the apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the tubing comprises an inlet tube and an outlet tube, the reddish liquid flowing into the inlet tube and out of the outlet tube, the inlet tube and the outlet tube each extending out of the elongated sponge and each penetrating the elongated sponge so as to extend to a tip of the elongated sponge at a distal end of the outlet tube. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a valve having a variable opening so as to control how much reddish liquid circulates in the apparatus, the valve positioned between the pulsatile pump and the tubing, the tubing connecting to the pulsatile pump. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pulsatile pump includes a reciprocating piston. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the artificial tissue is an artificial finger. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the artificial tissue is an artificial earlobe or a portion of an artificial earlobe. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the artificial tissue is tapered inwardly in a direction that runs from a proximal end of the artificial tissue to a distal end of the artificial tissue. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the artificial tissue is tapered inwardly from a proximal end of the artificial tissue all the way to a distal end of the artificial tissue. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated sponge is made of silicone. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to simulate blood flow of a human subject through a finger of the subject. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel is flexible and translucent. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the artificial finger has an appearance of a human finger. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pump has a high enough resolution such that adjustments of a flux of the reddish liquid in the pump generates changes of pressure in the reddish liquid in increments as small as one millimeter mercury. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the perfusion of the reddish liquid in the sponge simulates nutritive capillary blood flow in a human finger and the perfusion is 50 mL/(100 g*min) plus or minus 25 percent. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to test a reliability of the noninvasive medical devices, each of the noninvasive medical devices having a light source (LED) and at least one optical sensor and configured to measure at least one bioparameter of a human subject from among glucose level, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide saturation, hemoglobin, stroke volume, pulse rate, cardiac output and pH. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each of the noninvasive medical devices is configured to measure at least ten bioparameters of a human subject from among the following: pulse, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hematocrit, iron, potassium, sodium, nitrogen, red blood cells count, O2 blood concentration and saturation level, blood glucose level, blood CO2 concentration and saturation level, blood pH, blood urea nitrogen level, bilirubin level, stroke volume, stroke volume variation, cardiac output, skin pH, skin color vividness, skin saturation and skin local deformation, oil moisture content of skin, skin dryness, skin pigmentation, red cells concentration, skin saltiness and skin vitality. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for testing noninvasive medical devices, the apparatus comprising:
 artificial tissue comprising an elongated sponge wrapped in an electrically conductive hydrogel skin;   tubing extending out of the elongated sponge and having a reddish liquid flowing into and out of the tubing; and   a pulsatile pump configured to generate a pulsatile flow of the reddish liquid so as to push the reddish liquid into at least part of the tubing and so as to draw the reddish liquid out of at least part of the tubing.   
     
     
         21 . An apparatus for testing a reliability of noninvasive medical devices that have a light source (LED) and at least one optical sensor, each of the noninvasive medical devices configured to measure at least one bioparameter of a human subject, the apparatus comprising:
 (a) a series of artificial organs, each artificial organ comprising
 (i) an elongated sponge wrapped in a hydrogel skin; 
 (ii) tubing extending out of the elongated sponge and penetrating the elongated sponge so as to extend to a distal half of the elongated sponge, the tubing having a reddish liquid flowing into the tubing and out of the tubing; and 
   (b) a pulsatile pump configured to generate a pulsatile flow of the reddish liquid so as to push the reddish liquid into at least part of the tubing and so as to draw the reddish liquid out of at least part of the tubing,   (c) a flow control element configured to control how much reddish liquid circulates in the apparatus,   wherein at any given time each artificial organ is configured to test one and only one of the medical devices in the batch of noninvasive medical devices.