10.1117/2.1200710.

0873
Disposable ber-optic sensors
for clinical environments

Eric Pinet
Throwaway devices may be the key to bringing high-performance sen-
sors to market for use in medical applications.
Optical ber sensors (OFSs) are attracting attention in the sens-
ing world, especially for use in health-monitoring devices.
1
Their miniature size, good performance in harsh environments,
and insensitivity to electromagnetic (EM) and radio-frequency
(RF) interference all add to their appeal. But high cost contin-
ues to conne them to niches for which other solutions are not
feasible, leaving few applications suitable for mass production.
Discardable OFSs, however, may represent a unique opportunity
for this emerging technology.
2, 3
Recent advances in minimally invasive medical technologies,
such as those that employ disposable instrumented catheters,
demand smaller and more reliable sensors for feedback. The mi-
nuscule devices required for such interventions must not create
distortion and should be insensitive to EMinterference fromsur-
rounding equipment and surgical tools that use microwave or
RF probes. This is especially important now that magnetic reso-
nance imaging (MRI) of soft tissue is coming into wider use in
operating theaters. Integrating miniature OFSs in state-of-the-art
catheters can meet these challenges.
Still, integrating OFS technology into disposable medical tools
is not trivial.
4, 5
It involves a variety of interdependent issues, in-
cluding optical technology selection, product design and pack-
aging materials, and cost-effective manufacturing and quality
control. For instance, the entire sensor assembly must be biocom-
patible, unaffected by the particular sterilization methods, and
resistant to damage from storage or abuse during manipulation.
Medical staff will also expect OFSs to be simple plug-and-play
technology.
In other words, the OFS system should be part and parcel of
a more complex device that integrates the advantages of ber-
optic technology. It usually consists of an original equipment
manufacturer module (see Figure 1), including the light source
and all associated electro-optic components used to measure,
process, and communicate the OFS signal. Fully integrating the
Figure 1. The single or dual channel signal conditioner unit module
(left) is a small-footprint DIN-rail snap-on optical ber sensor interro-
gating module that can be integrated into a complex medical device or
new platforms (right) to create expandable and customizable tabletop
systems. DIN: German Institute for Standardization.
Figure 2. An intelligent connector that integrates electrical and opti-
cal components used in optical ber sensors designed for medical appli-
cations. The device veries proper connector engagement and transfers
useful data from sensor to interrogator.
module into the medical device requires that the system be reli-
able and simple to use.
As an example, we developed and integrated a custom optical
intelligent connector (see Figure 2) that identies the charac-
teristics of the OFS. Our eld-proven technology makes the OFS
interrogation insensitive to bad sensor connection due to ber
bending or vibration. Moreover, in contrast to light intensity
measurement techniques, our white-light FabryP erot (F-P) in-
Continued on next page
10.1117/2.1200710.0873 Page 2/2
Figure 3. Automated assembly line (left) developed by FISO Technolo-
gies for medical optical ber sensors such as the miniature pressure
sensor shown on the right.
terferometric technology offers an absolute measurement of F-P
cavity length, independent of light source power variations. In
addition, this technology uses multimode bers typically with a
50100m ber core.
6, 7
Compared with other technologies us-
ing single-mode bers (with cores less than 10m), this mini-
mizes adverse effects of dust particles.
As a way to both reduce overall manufacturing costs and in-
crease quality control and product standardization, we also de-
veloped automated assembly lines (see Figure 3). Each step of
medical sensor production, including packaging and shipping,
is performed in a controlled clean roomenvironment. Asoftware
system monitors manufacturing steps and maintenance proce-
dures, with in-process and nal performance parameters logged
into a database for full traceability. This has enabled warranty
of quality and certication by regulatory authorities, such as the
US Food and Drug Administration and CE Marking.
Author Information

Eric Pinet
R&D
FISO Technologies
Qu ebec, Canada
http://www.so.com

Eric Pinet is principal scientist at FISOTechnologies. He received

his engineering degree in physics and chemistry from the

Ecole
Sup erieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in 1991 and
his PhD degree in molecular biophysics from University of Paris
VI in 1996. He has devoted the past six years to research and
development of various ber-optic sensors.
References
1.

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optical ber sensors: from human body to civil structures, Proc. SPIE 6532, pp. 653219
653230, 2007.
2.

E Pinet, A. Pham, and S. Rioux, Miniature ber-optic pressure sensor for medical
applications: an opportunity for intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) therapy, Proc. SPIE
5855, pp. 234237, 2005.
3. C. Hamel and

E. Pinet, Temperature and pressure ber-optic sensors applied to mini-
mally invasive diagnostics and therapies, Proc. SPIE 6083, pp. 608306608315, 2006.
4.

E. Pinet and C. Hamel, True challenges of disposable optical ber sensors for clinical
environment, Proc. SPIE 6619, pp. 66191Q14, 2007.
5.

E. Pinet and C. Hamel, Real challenges of optical ber sensors for clinical environment,
IEEE Sens. J., submitted.
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measuring an optical path difference in a sensing interferometer, US Patent 6,852,254 B2,
2004.
c 2007 SPIE