Assemblies including an oxygen-sensing assembly

Abstract

An oxygen-sensing assembly for attachment to a urinary catheter may include a housing having a flow pathway extending between an inlet end and an outlet end thereof, an oxygen sensor in operable communication with the flow pathway of the housing, the oxygen sensor configured to detect oxygen levels of a fluid flowing through the flow pathway, a flowrate sensor configured to detect a flowrate of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway, and a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway.

1 . An assembly comprising an oxygen-sensing assembly, the oxygen-sensing assembly comprising:
 a housing having a flow pathway extending between an inlet end and an outlet end thereof, the inlet end configured to be attachable to a device transmitting bodily fluids from a patient; and   an oxygen sensor in operable communication with the flow pathway of the housing, the oxygen sensor configured to detect oxygen levels of a fluid flowing through the flow pathway.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the oxygen sensor comprises a fiber-optic sensor. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
 a flowrate sensor configured to detect a flowrate of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway; and   a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway.   
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the oxygen sensor comprises:
 an optical fiber extending at least partially into the housing of the oxygen-sensing assembly; and   a sensing portion disposed at least partially within the flow pathway and exposed to the fluid flowing through the flow pathway,   wherein the optical fiber is configured to emit light through a distal end of the optical fiber to the sensing portion and to receive light from the sensing portion through the distal end of the optical fiber.   
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the sensing portion comprises a dye-impregnated material that is excitable at a selected wavelength. 
     
     
         7 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet end of the housing is configured to be attached to a catheter. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising a control system operably coupled to the optical fiber, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 receive the received light from the sensing portion through the optical fiber;   analyze the light to determine a fluorescence; and   based on the determined fluorescence, determine a measurement of oxygen tension of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway.   
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising a barrier member between the sensing portion and the optical fiber to prevent contact between the optical fiber and the fluid flowing through the flow pathway. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the oxygen sensor comprises an electrochemical sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the oxygen sensor comprises:
 an excitation portion configured to generate light;   a sensing portion configured to receive the generated light from the excitation portion; and   an optical module that receives the light from the sensing portion.   
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising a control system operably coupled to the sensing portion, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 receive the light from the sensing portion;   analyze the light to determine a fluorescence; and   based on the determined fluorescence, determine a measurement of oxygen tension of the fluid flowing through the flow pathway.   
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 15  further comprising a barrier member between the sensing portion and the excitation portion to prevent contact between the excitation portion and the fluid flowing through the flow pathway. 
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the sensing portion comprises a dye-impregnated material exhibiting a fluorescence based on an oxygen tension of a fluid to which it is exposed. 
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system configured to determine a difference in a temperature of the fluid in a patient and a temperature of the fluid in the flow pathway. 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 4 , further comprising a control system operably coupled to the oxygen sensor, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 based at least partially on at least one of the detected oxygen level, the detected flowrate, and the detected temperature, qualify the at least one detected oxygen level to determine a relevance of the at least one detected oxygen level to one or more of a bladder oxygen tension, a kidney oxygen tension, and an oxygen level of the fluid in the flow pathway.   
     
     
         20 . The assembly of  claim 4 , further comprising a control system operably coupled to the oxygen sensor, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 based at least partially on at least one of the detected oxygen level, the detected flowrate, and the detected temperature, determine an oxygen level of the fluid in a bladder or a kidney of a patient.   
     
     
         21 . The assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the control system is configured to, based at least partially on the oxygen level of the fluid in the bladder or the kidney of the patient, at least one of determine a risk of acute kidney injury of the patient and diagnose kidney hypoxia. 
     
     
         22 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system in operable communication with the oxygen-sensing assembly, the control system comprising:
 an optical module coupled to the oxygen-sensing assembly; and   a communication interface coupled to the optical module.   
     
     
         23 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system in operable communication with the oxygen sensor, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 based at least partially on at least one of a detected oxygen level of the fluid in the flow pathway, a detected flowrate of the fluid in the flow pathway, and a detected temperature of the fluid in the flow pathway, determine an oxygen level of the fluid in a bladder or a kidney of a patient.   
     
     
         24 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system in operable communication with the oxygen sensor, the control system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the control system to:
 based at least partially on at least one of a detected oxygen level of the fluid in the flow pathway, a detected flowrate of the fluid in the flow pathway, data from a flowrate sensor, and a detected temperature of the fluid in the flow pathway, qualify the at least one detected oxygen level to determine a relevance of the at least one detected oxygen level to one or more of a bladder oxygen tension, a kidney oxygen tension, and an oxygen level of the fluid in the flow pathway.