• Immune to EMI/RFI, MRI and MW/RF compatible
• Low cost - ideal for disposable applications
• Intrinsically electrically isolated
• Interchangeable pre-calibrated probes
• High accuracy and fidelity

The FOBPS is a unique fibre optic blood pressure micro sensor incorporating the design advantages of both an internally placed catheter-tip sensor (e.g., Millar catheter) and the more conventional invasive method in which catheter fluid is coupled directly to an external transducer (e.g., WPI #BLPR). Measuring just 0.59 mm (1.8 French) in diameter, FOBPS is designed to be implanted directly at the measurement site (e.g., blood vessel). Blood pressure measurements are detected and transmitted optically to Fibre Optic Measurement System (FOMS). Pressure measurement information is not subject to the physical artefacts typically associated with similar invasive blood pressure measurement techniques which utilize an external transducer.  Furthermore, the use of noise-immune fibre optic communication eliminates problems associated with electrically energized transducers when recording blood pressure measurements in strong electromagnetic or RF fields, such as those generated by electronic scalpels or MRI systems.

Sensor principle

The sensor tip has a diameter of 0.59 mm (1.8 F) and a length of 5 mm. Embedded in the sensor tip is a cavity. Blood pressure is measured by observing the cavity’s changes in length by way of an optical signal conditioner using a measurement scheme based on white light interferometry. Sensing light is transmitted to and from the sensor tip via a multimode fibre with an outer diameter of 170 mm (0.5 F). The measurement tip is virtually insensitive to any pulling or manipulation of the fibre. All materials used in the sensor tip are bio-compatible and are anti-thrombogenic. As such, the sensor can be positioned even in regions where the blood flow rate is high, e.g., the abdominal aorta.

In order to obtain blood pressure measurements from the FOBPS, it must be connected to the Fibre Optic Measurement System (FOMS), which is dedicated for use with the FOBPS and offers a sampling rate of up to 1000 Hz (via analogue output). The FOBPS design incorporates a memory chip which stores its unique calibration parameters. This elegant design makes the system very convenient to use. Once the FOBPS is connected, the FOMS captures the calibration parameters and adjusts automatically to deliver precise pressure measurement data. The user can easily establish an arbitrary zero reference point (i.e., for 0 mm Hg) within the pressure operating range by pressing a single button. These two easy steps encompass the entire calibration process for the measurement system.

WPI’s high performance MP100 data acquisition system can be used to collect data in real-time from the blood pressure sensor system. MP100 comes with AcqKnowledge software which can record, analyze and filter data in real-time. Data can be analyzed after collection or exported into an Excel spreadsheet. 

Applications

• In vivo pressure monitoring:
      Blood Pressure
      Intra-uterine
      Intra-cranial
      Intra-ocular
• Research Applications
• Product Development

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