Importance

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Abstract

An oximetric sensor probe is movably coupled to a patient's finger to facilitate transillumination and detection of optical energy through a portion of the patient's finger without subjecting the finger to significant deformation. The finger is received within a receptacle having a cup-shaped closed end and an opposite open end that is rolled up upon itself and is adapted to be unrolled longitudinally along the finger to form a tubular enclosure which closely surrounds the finger. An optical source and an optical detector are arranged in spaced axial alignment with each other on opposite sides of the finger so that optical energy transmitted by the source through the finger is received by the detector. The detected light is analyzed to noninvasively determine the saturation of oxygen within the patient's blood. By virtue of the non-adhesive connection between the probe and the finger, decoupling the optical path between the source and detector is minimized in the event that the patient moves his finger during testing. The optical source and optical detector also are separable from the finger cot such that the optical sensor may be reused with another finger cot.

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First Claim