Abstract: An ultrasound probe (“probe”) for use with an ultrasound imaging system is disclosed. In particular, the probe is sized and configured so as to be supported and readily used with as little as one finger on a single hand of a user of the imaging system. This configuration enables remaining fingers on the hand of the user to be employed for other purposes, such as skin traction and patient contact. In one embodiment, therefore, an ultrasound probe is disclosed, comprising a body, a lens included on head portion of the body, a stabilizing portion extending from the body and configured to stabilize the body on a skin surface of a patient without user assistance, and a finger grip portion configured to enable a user of the probe to grasp and maneuver the probe during use thereof with no more than two fingers on a single hand of the user.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a catheter placement system with a stiffening system and associated methods thereof. The catheter placement system can include a needle, catheter (e.g. rapid insertion central catheter), one or more guidewires, and a stiffening system, configured to place the catheter while containing portions of the catheter placement system that contact the patient within a sterile environment. Advantageously, the catheter placement system can provide all tools necessary for accessing a vasculature, dilating the insertion site and placing the catheter within a single device, mitigating repeated insertion of multiple tools and reducing the risk of introducing pathogens or the like. Further, the overall time required to place the catheter is reduced, reducing patient down time and improving patient outcomes.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound probe and a blood vessel visualization device. The ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound generation device and is configured to detect one or more blood vessels. The blood vessel visualization device is configured to project a depiction of the blood vessel topography within a target area. The blood vessel visualization device can include one or more near-infrared/infrared emitters configured to generate infrared/near-infrared waves within the target area, one or more near-infrared/infrared sensors configured to detect the difference in reflective properties of tissue and blood vessels within the target area, and one or more visual light projectors configured to project a blood vessel visualization depiction of the blood vessel topography onto the target area.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a computerized method including operations of generating a first display screen illustrating an ultrasound image, the first display configured to receive user input selecting a blood vessel displayed in the ultrasound image, generating a second display screen that illustrates a user selection element configured to receive user input selecting an angle of insertion of a medical device within a target blood vessel, a graphical representation of the medical device at the selected angle of insertion, and a user input element configured to receive user input increasing or decreasing a minimum dwell length of the medical device, wherein the graphical representation of the medical device visually represents aspects of the user input, and determining parameters that adhere to constraints based on user selection of either of the minimum dwell length or the selected angle of insertion.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are optical-fiber stylet holders and methods thereof for holding optical-fiber stylets in position in catheters or the like while preventing breakage of optical fibers in the optical-fiber stylets and maintaining functionality of the optical-fiber stylets. The holding of optical-fiber stylets in position in catheters or the like can be important for maintaining distal tips of intravascularly delivered optical-fiber stylets in their target anatomical locations during procedures.

Abstract: Optical connection systems including electrical-and-optical connection systems and methods thereof are disclosed. An electrical-and-optical connection system can include an extension tube having a plug and a relay module having a receptacle. The plug can be formed of a metal piece around electrical wires, which, in turn, are around optical-fiber cores that extend along a length of the extension tube. The plug can be configured to pierce through at least a sterile barrier. The relay module can include electrical wires and optical-fiber cores within a housing of the relay module, as well as a receptacle disposed in the housing. The receptacle can be configured to simultaneously accept insertion of the plug therein and establish both electrical and optical connections between the plug and the receptacle from a sterile field to a non-sterile field set up by the sterile barrier. Shape-sensing systems including the optical connection systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: Alternative-reality devices and methods are disclosed for establishing and visualizing historical sites of vascular access, which are useful for evaluating potential sites of vascular access and improving the successes of obtaining vascular access. For example, an alternative-reality device includes anatomical target-defining instructions and vascular access site-tracking instructions in memory of the alternative-reality device for execution by one-or-more processors thereof. The alternative-reality device also includes a patient-facing camera configured to capture images or video frames for generating an anatomical target in the memory per the anatomical target-defining instructions and tracking the historical sites of vascular access in relation thereto with the vascular access site-tracking instructions.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system configured to simultaneously capture one or more ultrasound images and sterilize a skin surface within a target area via ultraviolet light. The ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe having an ultrasound array configured to capture the one or more ultrasound images of a target area. A sterilizing system of the ultrasound probe includes a plurality of ultraviolet light sources. Logic of the ultrasound imaging system governs the operation of the ultraviolet light sources including activation, deactivation, intensity modulation, and/or pulsing modulation. Contact and motion sensors provide input to the logic and the logic governs operation of the ultraviolet light sources in accordance input received from the contact and motion sensors.

Abstract: An angled intraosseous access system including a guide block and/or a guide plate is disclosed. The system includes a driver having a body, and including a needle assembly rotatably coupled thereto, the needle assembly defining a needle axis. One of the guide block or the guide plate is configured to engage a skin surface and align the needle assembly axis at a predetermined angle relative to the skin surface to access the medullary cavity at the predetermined angle. Advantageously, the angled needle of the intraosseous access system can mitigate pain during infusion and mitigate backwalling.

Abstract: Disclosed are rapidly insertable central catheters (“RICCs”) including assemblies and methods thereof. In some embodiments, a RICC assembly includes a RICC and an introducer. The RICC includes a soft catheter tube having an introducing aperture that opens into a primary lumen of the RICC. The introducer includes an introducer catheter including a hard catheter tube having an introducing hole that opens into a single lumen of the introducer catheter. When the RICC assembly is in a ready-to-deploy state thereof, the introducer catheter is disposed in the primary lumen of the RICC such that a distal end of the introducer catheter extends past a distal end of the RICC. In addition, an introducer needle of the introducer is disposed in the introducer catheter through both the introducing aperture and the introducing hole such that a beveled tip of the introducer needle extends past the distal end of the introducer catheter.

Abstract: A tether connector configured to form an electrical connection with a sensor connector through a sterile barrier disposed over the sensor connector. The tether connector can include a housing, an electrical lead extending from the housing, and a first piercing element in the housing orthogonally connected to the electrical lead, the first piercing element configured to pierce the sterile barrier to form the electrical connection with the sensor connector.

Abstract: Elongate blood flash flow paths can be detrimental to the operation of catheter placement systems by delaying the indication time, reducing the efficacy of the vacuum, or increasing the chance of clotting. Catheter placement systems with reduced blood flash fluid paths include blood flash indicators having a proximally slidable syringe barrel and plunger that is fixedly attached to the system housing. By reversing the operation of the blood flash indicator syringe, the clinician maintains the advantages of a visual and tactile feedback while shortening the blood flow path between the needle tip and syringe barrel. Catheter placement systems also include a needle interface structure configured to further shorten the blood flash fluid path.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber of a medical device. The optical fiber includes one or more core fibers each including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) alter the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The system also includes a console having non-transitory computer-readable medium storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing a broadband incident light signal to the multi-core optical fiber, receiving reflected light signals, receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, identifying at least one unexpected spectral width or a lack of an expected spectral width, and determining the damage has occurred to the optical fiber based on the identification.

Abstract: A sterile environment system can include an enclosure and a support system. The enclosure can include a barrier separating a sterile environment inside of the enclosure from a non-sterile environment outside of the enclosure. The barrier can include an expandable portion configured to expand from an unexpanded state to an expanded state for working within the sterile environment, and a patient-interfacing portion including a fenestration configured for placement directly over an area of interest of a patient, the fenestration having a sealed state and an unsealed state for access to the area of interest from within the sterile environment. The support system can be coupled to the patient-interfacing portion of the barrier such that it is positioned on at least opposite sides of the fenestration.

Abstract: Systems and methods for confirming the tip location of a catheter. The system can include an ivECG acquisition module for receiving ECG data from an implanted endovascular device and a notification module. The system can calculate PxI and distance parameters to determine the location of the tip of the implanted endovascular device relative to a predetermined location such as the cavoatrial junction. The system can use chaos theory and the concept of self-organized criticality (SOC) to determine parameters where P-waves are absent or atypical. The notification module can include one or more of an audio signal, a video signal, and a tactile signal. Also disclosed are systems and methods of establishing an electrical pathway within a previously positioned catheter, including saline columns and electrically conductive guidewires.

Abstract: A catheter with optic shape sensing capabilities is described. The catheter features an elongated tubing, one or more septums and one or more micro-lumens formed in an axial wall of the tubing and/or the one or more septums. A single core optical fiber can be configured to reside within each of the micro-lumens, the optical fibers in the plurality of lumens being spatially distributed to sense strain and return light signals with characteristics that identify the sensed strain for three-dimensional rendering of the catheter by a console during insertion into a body of a patient.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method directed to a magnetizer. The magnetizer can include a housing and one or more magnets positioned in an interior of the housing. The housing can include a top face, a bottom face, and a plurality of side faces adjoining the top face and the bottom face. The top face can include a first opening configured to receive a needle, the first opening having a first cross-sectional area. One of the plurality of side faces can include a second opening having a second cross-sectional area. The second cross-sectional area can be at least one third of the first cross-sectional area.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are ultrasound probes, ultrasound systems, and ultrasound methods with pressure measurement capabilities for detecting and determining if bodily tissue is over-compressed during ultrasound imaging procedure. For example, an ultrasound probe can include a probe body, an articulating probe head attached to the probe body, and a pressure-sensing device housed in an articulating area between the articulating probe head and the probe body. In another example, a method of the ultrasound probe includes placing the articulating probe head of the ultrasound probe on a skin surface of a patient and moving the articulating probe head of the ultrasound probe over the patient while ultrasound signals are emitted into the patient from the articulating probe head for ultrasound imaging. The method also includes monitoring for any measured pressure values induced on the patient by the articulating probe head of the ultrasound probe in excess of a threshold pressure value.

Abstract: A connection system includes a first connector and a second connector configured for establishing one or more electrical connections through a drape. The first connector can include an alignment protrusion and a first piercing element having one or more electrical contacts configured to pierce the drape. The second connector can include an alignment notch, a channel, and a first receptacle configured to receive the first piercing element when inserted therein. The alignment notch can be configured to accept the alignment protrusion when the first connector is aligned with the second connector then disposed over the second connector. The channel can be configured to allow the alignment protrusion to slide along a length of the second connector. The first receptacle can have one or more electrical contacts configured to form at least a first electrical connection of the one or more electrical connections with the first connector.