Systems and methods for visualizing anatomy, locating medical devices, or placing medical devices

1 . A medical device-placing system, comprising:

an ultrasound probe configured to emit ultrasound signals into a limb of a patient and receive informational signals from the limb of the patient;

a medical-device detector including:

a magnetic-field generator; and

an array of magnetic sensors embedded within a drape configured for surrounding the limb of the patient in a plurality of planes;

a console having console electronic circuitry including memory and a processor configured to:

transform the informational signals to produce ultrasound-image segments corresponding to anatomical structures of the limb of the patient, and

transform magnetic-sensor signals from the array of magnetic sensors into location information for a magnetized medical device within the limb of the patient when the drape surrounds the limb of the patient; and

an alternative-reality headset, including:

a frame having frame electronic circuitry including memory and a processor; and

a display screen coupled to the frame through which a wearer of the alternative-reality headset can see the limb of the patient, the display screen configured to display over the limb of the patient a virtual medical device in accordance with the location information for the virtual medical device within objects of virtual anatomy corresponding to the ultrasound-image segments.

2 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , wherein each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors has a variable spatial relationship to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors depending upon how the drape surrounds the limb of the patient.

3 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 2 , wherein the magnetic-field generator is configured to generate a magnetic field, and the console is configured to determine the variable spatial relationship of each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors from the magnetic-sensor signals produced by the array of magnetic sensors while in a presence of the generated magnetic field, thereby making the variable spatial relationship available known to the console for subsequently transforming the magnetic-sensor signals from the array of magnetic sensors into the location information for the virtual medical device.

4 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound probe is configured with a pulsed-wave Doppler imaging mode for emitting the ultrasound signals and receiving the informational signals, and wherein the console is configured to capture ultrasound-imaging frames in accordance with the pulsed-wave Doppler imaging mode, stitch the ultrasound-imaging frames together with a stitching algorithm, and segment the ultrasound-imaging frames or the stitched ultrasound-imaging frames into the ultrasound-image segments with an image segmentation algorithm.

5 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , wherein the console is configured to transform the ultrasound-image segments into the objects of virtual anatomy with a virtualization algorithm and send both the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy to the alternative-reality headset for display over the limb of the patient.

6 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , wherein the alternative-reality headset is configured to anchor the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy to the limb of the patient over which the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy are displayed.

7 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , the alternative-reality headset further comprising one or more eye-tracking cameras coupled to the frame configured to capture eye movements of the wearer, the processor of the alternative-reality headset configured to process the eye movements with an eye-movement algorithm to identify a focus of the wearer for selecting or enhancing the objects of virtual anatomy, the virtual medical device, or both corresponding to the focus of the wearer.

8 . The medical device-placing system according to claim 1 , the alternative-reality headset further comprising one or more patient-facing cameras coupled to the frame configured to capture gestures of the wearer, the processor of the alternative-reality headset configured to process the gestures with a gesture-command algorithm to identify gesture-based commands issued by the wearer for execution thereof by the alternative-reality headset.

9 . A medical device-locating system, comprising:

a medical-device detector including:

a magnetic-field generator; and

an array of magnetic sensors embedded within a drape configured for surrounding a limb of a patient in a plurality of planes; and

a console having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor configured to transform magnetic-sensor signals from the array of magnetic sensors into location information for a magnetized medical device within the limb of the patient when the drape surrounds the limb of the patient.

10 . The medical device-locating system according to claim 9 , wherein each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors has a variable spatial relationship to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors depending upon how the drape surrounds the limb of the patient.

11 . The medical device-locating system according to claim 10 , wherein the magnetic-field generator is configured to generate a magnetic field, and the console is configured to determine the variable spatial relationship of each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors from the magnetic-sensor signals produced by the array of magnetic sensors while in a presence of the generated magnetic field, thereby making the variable spatial relationship available known to the console for subsequently transforming the magnetic-sensor signals from the array of magnetic sensors into the location information for the virtual medical device.

12 . The medical device-locating system according to claim 9 , further comprising a display screen configured to depict the virtual medical device within the limb of the patient in accordance with the location information for the virtual medical device.

13 . The medical device-locating system according to claim 12 , wherein the display screen is a see-through display screen coupled to a frame of an alternative-reality headset configured to receive from the console a virtual object corresponding to the virtual medical device for depicting the virtual medical device within the limb of the patient in accordance with the location information for the virtual medical device.

14 . A method of a medical device-placing system, comprising:

emitting ultrasound signals into a limb of a patient and receiving informational signals from the limb of the patient by way of an ultrasound probe;

transforming the informational signals with a console having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor to produce ultrasound-image segments corresponding to anatomical structures of the limb of the patient;

transforming magnetic-sensor signals from an array of magnetic sensors embedded within a drape surrounding the limb of the patient in a plurality of planes with the console into location information for a magnetized medical device within the limb of the patient; and

displaying over the limb of the patient on a see-through display screen of an alternative-reality headset having electronic circuitry including memory and a processor in a frame coupled to the see-through display screen a virtual medical device in accordance with the location information for the medical device within objects of virtual anatomy corresponding to the ultrasound-image segments.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors has a variable spatial relationship to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors depending upon how the drape surrounds the limb of the patient.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:

generating a magnetic field with a magnetic-field generator; and

determining the variable spatial relationship of each magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors to another magnetic sensor of the array of magnetic sensors from the magnetic-sensor signals produced by the array of magnetic sensors while in a presence of the generated magnetic field.

17 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

capturing in the memory of the console, ultrasound-imaging frames in accordance with a pulsed-wave Doppler imaging mode of the ultrasound probe while emitting the ultrasound signals and receiving the informational signals;

stitching the ultrasound-imaging frames together with a stitching algorithm; and

segmenting the ultrasound-imaging frames or the stitched ultrasound-imaging frames into the ultrasound-image segments with an image segmentation algorithm.

18 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

transforming the ultrasound-image segments into the objects of virtual anatomy with a virtualization algorithm;

sending both the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy to the alternative-reality headset for display over the limb of the patient; and

anchoring the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy to the limb of the patient over which the virtual medical device and the objects of virtual anatomy are displayed.

19 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

capturing in the memory of the console, eye movements of a wearer using one or more eye-tracking cameras coupled to the frame of the alternative-reality headset; and

processing the eye movements with an eye-movement algorithm to identify a focus of the wearer for selecting or enhancing the objects of virtual anatomy corresponding to the focus of the wearer.

20 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

capturing in the memory of the console, gestures of a wearer using one or more patient-facing cameras coupled to the frame of the alternative-reality headset; and

processing the gestures with a gesture-command algorithm to identify gesture-based commands issued by the wearer for execution thereof by the alternative-reality headset.