Integrated fiber optic sensor umbilical catheter

1. A catheter for a system configured to detect at least one blood gas parameter present in blood in an artery of a patient, the catheter comprising:

a catheter wall forming at least one lumen configured for umbilical arterial catheterization, the catheter wall forming a plurality of channels, each channel being open on a side of the catheter wall along at least a portion of a length dimension of catheter; and

at least one optical fiber in each channel of the catheter wall; and

a permeable membrane covering the open side of the catheter wall and each optical fiber;

wherein at least one blood gas parameter sensor is included in each optical fiber and is configured to sense the at least one blood gas parameter; and

wherein the at least one optical fiber comprises a plurality of optical fibers in each of the channels, including at least two optical fibers tuned for respectively different blood gas parameters in each of the channels.

2. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one lumen is formed in an interior surface of the catheter wall; and

each optical fiber is incorporated in the catheter wall.

3. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one lumen is two or more lumens; and

each of the at least one lumen is formed in an interior surface of the catheter wall.

4. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one lumen is configured to perform one of blood pressure monitoring, arterial blood sampling, blood transfusion, or nutrition infusion.

5. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

each of the optical fibers is embedded in one of the channels.

6. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one blood gas parameter comprises one or more of PaO 2 , PaCO 2 , bicarbonate, pH, or temperature.

7. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

each of the optical fibers has a sensitive segment;

a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors are arranged on the sensitive segment; and

each of the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors on each optical fiber is configured to detect one of the at least one blood gas parameter.

8. The catheter of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors is a luminescent optical fiber chemical sensor tuned to the one of the at least one blood gas parameter.

9. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical fibers comprises:

a first optical fiber having a first plurality of blood gas parameter sensors configured to detect a first blood gas parameter of the at least one blood gas parameter; and

a second optical fiber having a second plurality of blood gas parameter sensors configured to detect a second blood gas parameter of the at least one blood gas parameter.

10. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical fibers comprises:

two O 2 -sensing optical fibers each having a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors configured to detect PaO 2 ;

a CO 2 -sensing optical fiber having a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors configured to detect PaCO 2 ; and

a pH-sensing optical fiber having a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors configured to detect pH.

11. The catheter of claim 10 , wherein the catheter further comprises a thermocouple incorporated in the catheter wall configured to detect temperature in the blood of the artery.

12. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

each channel formed by the catheter wall forms at least one sensorized lumen on an exterior surface of the catheter wall; and

each of the optical fibers is embedded in a respective one of the at least one sensorized lumen.

13. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

each channel formed by the catheter wall forms at least one sensorized lumen on an exterior surface of the catheter wall; and

the plurality of optical fibers comprises two or more optical fibers embedded in one of the at least one sensorized lumen.

14. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of optical fibers comprises a first optical fiber configured to detect a first blood gas parameter of the at least one blood gas parameter and a second optical fiber configured to detect the first blood gas parameter; and

the first optical fiber and second optical fiber are located on opposite sides of a cross-section of the catheter relative to a diameter of the cross-section.

15. The catheter of claim 14 , wherein the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber are symmetrically located in the cross-section relative to the diameter of the cross-section.

16. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein each optical fiber is configured to remain in the artery for continuously detecting the at least one blood gas parameter.

17. The catheter of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of channels comprises a first channel and a second channel;

the plurality of optical fibers comprises at least one optical fiber in the first channel having at least one sensor tuned for the same blood gas parameter as at least one sensor of at least one of optical fiber in the second channel.

18. A method for making a catheter configured to detect at least one blood gas parameter present in blood in an artery of a patient, the method comprising:

providing a catheter wall having at least one lumen configured for umbilical arterial catheterization, and a plurality of channels, each channel being open on a side of the catheter wall along at least a portion of a length dimension of catheter;

providing at least one optical fiber in each channel of the catheter wall;

covering the open side of the catheter wall and each optical fiber with a permeable membrane; and

providing at least one blood gas parameter sensor in each optical fiber, wherein the at least one blood gas parameter sensor is configured to sense the at least one blood gas parameter;

wherein providing the at least one optical fiber comprises providing a plurality of optical fibers in each of the channels, including at least two optical fibers tuned for respectively different blood gas parameters in each of the channels.

19. The catheter of claim 18 , wherein:

the plurality of channels comprises a first channel and a second channel;

at least one of the optical fibers in the first channel has at least one sensor tuned for the same blood gas parameter as at least one sensor of at least one of the optical fibers in the second channel.

20. A method for measuring one or more blood gas parameters, comprising:

inserting, into an artery of a patient, a catheter having a catheter wall forming a plurality of channels, each channel being open on a side of the catheter wall along at least a portion of a length dimension of catheter, at least one optical fiber in each channel of the catheter wall of the catheter, and a permeable membrane covering the open side of the catheter wall and each optical fiber, wherein a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors are arranged on a sensitive segment of the optical fiber;

determining a sensed output from each of the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors for a blood gas parameter for blood present in the artery; and

combining the sensed output from each of the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors into a single output;

wherein the at least one optical fiber comprises a plurality of optical fibers in each of the channels, including at least two optical fibers tuned for respectively different blood gas parameters in each of the channels.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein each of the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors is a luminescent optical fiber chemical sensor having a chemically-sensitive material sensitive to a blood gas associated with one of the one or more blood gas parameters.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more blood gas parameters is one of PaO 2 , PaCO 2 , bicarbonate, pH, or temperature.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein:

the catheter has at least one additional optical fiber integrated into the catheter wall;

a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors are arranged on a sensitive segment of each of the at least one additional optical fiber; and

the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors of each of the at least one additional optical fiber are sensitive to another blood gas parameter.

24. The method of claim 20 , wherein:

the catheter has at least one additional optical fiber integrated into the catheter wall;

a plurality of blood gas parameter sensors are arranged on a sensitive segment of each of the at least one additional optical fiber; and

the plurality of blood gas parameter sensors of each of the at least one additional optical fiber are sensitive to the same blood gas parameter.