Abstract
Placing the needle inside the epidural space for locoregional anesthesia is a challenging procedure, which even today is left to the expertise of the operator. Recently, we have demonstrated that the use of optically sensorized needles significantly improves the effectiveness of this procedure. Here, we propose an optimized configuration, where the optical fiber strain sensor is directly integrated inside the epidural catheter. The new design allows the solving of the biocompatibility issues and increases the versatility of the former configuration. Through an in vivo study carried out on a porcine model, we confirm the reliability of our approach, which also opens the way to catheter monitoring during insertion inside biological spaces.
Highlights
The epidural procedure consists of injecting the anesthetic in the outermost part of the spinal canal, a thin anatomic space called the epidural space (ES)
We have reported on a smart epidural catheter (EC) that is sensorized by integrating an fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in its lumen
The catheter, and the FBG, suitably inserted inside the epidural needle, acts as a strain sensor able to continuously monitor the force variations applied on the needle tip during its penetration
Summary
The epidural procedure consists of injecting the anesthetic in the outermost part of the spinal canal, a thin anatomic space called the epidural space (ES). Positioning the needle inside the ES is not trivial. There is an increasing interest in the scientific community in proposing alternative approaches and devices in order to enhance the success of the epidural procedures [3,4]. By taking advantage of the intrinsic properties of optical fibers in terms of their ease of integration inside medical needles, several optical approaches have been reported [5,6,7,8,9,10]. The fiber-based devices can be basically classified in two main categories, namely optical refractometers and optical coherence tomography (OCT) probes
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