Patents by Inventor Steffan Sowards

Steffan Sowards has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220039685
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a guidance system is described for assisting in an advancement of a medical component within a body of a patient. The guidance system features a probe and a console. The console is communicatively coupled to the probe and features AI-based visualization controls and AI-based guidance assistance logic. The AI-based visualization controls are configured to generate, position, and reposition a visualization area between the medical component and a targeted vasculature of the patient. The visualization area is a sub-region of a total imaging area rendered by the console. The AI-based guidance assistance logic is configured to monitor for a presence of the medical component within the visualization area, provide a feedback for generating a notification that the medical component is within the visualization area, and apply an imaging enhancement to at least a portion of imaged data within the visualization area to assist in the advancement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Anthony K. Misener, Steffan Sowards, Shayne Messerly, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20220034733
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber of a medical device. The optical fiber includes core fibers including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) change a characteristic of the reflected light signal based on experienced strain. The system also includes a console having memory storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, processing the reflected light signals to detect fluctuations of a portion of the optical fiber, and determining a location of the portion of the optical fiber or a defect affecting a vessel in which the portion is disposed based on the detected fluctuations. The portion may be a distal tip of the optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Anthony K. Misener, Steffan Sowards, Shayne Messerly, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20220011192
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Anthony K. Misener, Steffan Sowards, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20210401509
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to detecting malposition of a medical device within a vessel of a patient, such as an Azygos vein. The medical device can include a multi-core optical fiber including a plurality of core fibers, where each of the plurality of core fibers includes a plurality of sensors is configured to reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and change a characteristic of the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The system can include 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, processing the reflected light signals, and determining whether the medical device has entered the Azygos vein of the patient based on the reflected light signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Anthony K. Misener, Steffan Sowards, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20210298680
    Abstract: Optical-and-electrical medical systems and methods thereof are disclosed. Such a medical system can include a console, an optical shape-sensing (“OSS”) medical device including an optical-fiber stylet, one or more electrical medical devices, and a relay module for establishing one or more optical or electrical relay connections between the relay module and a remainder of the medical system including the console. The console can be configured for converting reflected optical signals from the optical-fiber stylet into shapes thereof for display. The relay module can include a primary receptacle configured to accept insertion of a medical barrier-piercing plug of the OSS medical device and establish a through-barrier optical connection therebetween. The relay module also can include one or more secondary receptacles configured to accept insertion of a corresponding number of electrical plugs of the one-or-more electrical medical devices and establish one or more under-barrier electrical connections therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Steffan Sowards, Anthony K. Misener, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20210295978
    Abstract: An apparatus device features a housing; an input/output (I/O) interface, and one or more control logic units deployed to operate within the housing and communicatively coupled to the I/O interface. Each of the one or more control logic units can be configured to (i) control operations of at least one medical device controlled by a control logic unit of the one or more control logic units when the medical device is communicatively coupled to the I/O interface, and (ii) collect a subset of data acquired at least during placement of a vascular access device within a vasculature of a patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Steffan Sowards, Anthony K. Misener, William Robert McLaughlin
  • Publication number: 20210275256
    Abstract: A medical device operating as a stylet is described. The medical device can include an insulating layer (or sheath) encapsulating both a multi-core optical fiber and a conductive medium. The optical fiber can include a cladding and a plurality of core fibers spatially arranged within the cladding. Each of the core fibers can include a plurality of sensors distributed along a longitudinal length of that corresponding core fiber and each of these sensors can be configured to: (i) reflect a light signal of a different spectral width based on received incident light, and (ii) change a characteristic of the reflected light signal for use in determining a physical state of the multi-core optical fiber. The conductive medium can provide a pathway for electrical signals detected at a distal portion of the conductive medium. The conductive medium may be concentric to the cladding, but separate and adjust thereto.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Steffan Sowards, Anthony K. Misener
  • Publication number: 20210268229
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Steffan Sowards, Anthony K. Misener
  • Publication number: 20210271035
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Steffan Sowards, Anthony K. Misener