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Abstract

A fiber-optic transducer apparatus, and a related method of manufacturing it, for particular use in medical applications such as invasive blood pressure and body temperature measurement. The apparatus includes a catheter comprised of a sheath and an enclosed first set of optical fibers for transmitting a light beam to and from the remote end of the catheter, where a transducer modulates it in accordance with the variable to be measured, e.g., blood pressure. A photosensor located at the near end of the catheter measures the modulated intensity of the returned beam, to produce a corresponding measurement signal. The catheter is further comprised of a second set of optical fibers located within the sheath, for transmitting a reference light beam to and from the remote end of the catheter. A second photosensor measures the intensity of the returned reference light beam, to produce a correction signal indicative of variations in transmittance caused by bending of the catheter. It is presumed that the effects of such bending are the same for the second set of optical fibers as for the first set, so the apparatus adjusts the measurement signal in accordance with the correction signal, to produce an adjusted measurement signal that is substantially insensitive to the effects of such bending.

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First Claim