SINGLE OPTICAL FIBER PROBE FOR PH/PO2/PCO2 DETECTION

PRESENT CATHETER-BASED OPTICAL PROBES (OPTRODES) FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF VARIOUS PARAMETERS IN BODY FLUIDS REQUIRE SEPARATE SENSORS AND FIBERS FOR EACH PARAMETER MEASURED, THUS REQUIRING LARGE DELIVERY DEVICES. A SMALL, INEXPENSIVE, DISPOSABLE, AND CONTINUOUSLY MONITORING MULTIPARAMETER PROBE WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE, PRESENT CLINICAL INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY, AND PROVIDE DIAGNOSTICS NOT PRESENTLY AVAILABLE. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A COMPOUND SENSOR OPTRODE, INWHICH MULTIPLE PARAMETERS (PH, PCO2,PO2) CAN BE MONITORED A SINGLE, SMALL, OPTICAL FIBER. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF PHASE I ARE TO FIRST BUILD A PCO2/PO2 AND THEN AN O2/PH SENSOR ON A SINGLE OPTICAL FIBER AND MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROBE IN BODY FLUIDS WITH KNOWN O2/CO2 CONCENTRATIONS. THE NEXT STEP WILL BE TO DEVISE A METHOD FOR COMBINING ALL THREE SENSORS ON THE SAME OPTICAL FIBER. THE PHASE II OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO BUILD AND CHARACTERIZE A SINGLE OPTICAL FIBER, MULTISENSING PROBE THAT CAN FIT INSIDEA 22-GAUGE CATHETER, YET ALLOW SUFFICIENT BLOOD DRAW AND BLOOD PRESSURE-MONITORING PERFORMANCE.