Pre-Clinical Proof-of-Concept Study of a Bladder Irrigation Feedback System for Gross Haematuria in a Lab Setup

Abstract

Conventional continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) systems used in Urology have been labor-intensive and challenging for healthcare workers to manage consistently due to inter-observer variability in interpreting the blood concentration in the drainage fluid. The team has come up with a feedback system to control the saline flow-rate. It consists of a sensor probe that measures blood concentration in drainage fluid by measuring the light intensity absorbed by the samples. The other component is a gripper that adjusts the saline flow-rate based on the blood concentration detected. Results have shown that probe utilizing green color LED light can measure blood concentration between 0 and 18 percent. Besides, the gripper actuates to the blood concentration values detected accordingly. The quantification process reduces or even eradicates human error due to the subjective assessment of individual medical professionals.

Safe Hb Concentration Measurement during Bladder Irrigation Using Artificial Intelligence

“…In order to measure the transmitted light, a photo resistor (LDR), or a photo diode (PD) would theoretically be sufficient, as shown in [13]. Taking practical considerations into account, i.e., the fact that the CBI tubes do have reinforcing ribs, a single measurement is not sufficient for a reliable monitoring system.…”

“…In contrast to [13], we decided for a rigid housing instead of a clamp. While a clamp has the advantage that it can be most easily attached to a variety of tubes, it is much harder to know the true length of the measurement distance.…”

“…The new Hb concentration sensor proposed in this article also exploits the light absorption principle and thus, is closely related to the work in [13][14][15]. The advantage of using the absorption principle compared to color monitoring is the improved accuracy of the estimates.…”

“…It thus resembles an automated version of the approach presented in [11]. In [13], Chan et al presented a device to measure the blood concentration, using the light absorption principle. In order to estimate the blood concentration, they investigated light emitting diodes (LED) with different colors (i.e., red, green, blue) and finally decided on using green LED.…”

“…Independence from dietary coloring effects can be achieved through the selection of appropriate light frequencies. In contrast to [13], our approach is far more rigorous. The light absorption properties of blood and other coloring components were taken into account, and an optimal light frequency was selected.…”