Patent attributes
An emboli detector device receives a blood flow in a perfusion circuit. The connector-like device has a rigid plastic smooth body hermetically sealed from the blood. There is a calculated thin, but rigid window formed as part of the flow-through tubing wall to allow ultrasonic waves to interrogate the flowing blood. A dampening material is included in the ultrasound path to adjust the acoustic levels to an applicable range to monitor emboli. The device incorporates a mechanism to securely hold the transducer during operation and a sensing system for automatically informing a control system of which one of several standard perfusion circuit tubing diameters is being used. The ultrasound echoes detected by the transducer are provided to a controller which detects the emboli and provides a detection signal to warn the surgeon or other operating room personnel of the embolic event.
