Cannula with light-emitting optical fiber

A catheter device to visually identify a blood vessel may include a cannula. The cannula may include a distal tip, an elongated tubular shaft, and an inner lumen formed by the elongated tubular shaft. The cannula may also include an optical fiber, which may be disposed within the inner lumen of the cannula. The optical fiber may include a distal end and a proximal end. The optical fiber may be configured to emit light from the distal end.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Placing a cannula in a desired destination of a body of a patient may be a difficult task for a clinician in the medical field. For example, it may be difficult to place the cannula in proper position in a blood vessel, such as a vein, for infusion and/or blood collection. It may also be difficult to place the cannula in proper position in a spinal canal for infusion and/or cerebrospinal fluid collection. The clinician may want to advance the cannula far enough to access the blood or cerebrospinal fluid but may not want to advance the cannula too far so as to injure a wall of the vein, the spinal cord, or the spinal cord dura. Thus, it is important for the clinician to know when the cannula is positioned within the vein or spinal canal.

To assist in positioning the cannula in the vein to be accessed, clinicians have traditionally used a number of techniques. These include use of a tourniquet, palpitation, rubbing the area, asking the patient to make a fist, and others. In some instances, to assist in positioning the cannula of a catheter device in the vein, the clinician may confirm that there is “flashback” of blood into, for example, a flashback chamber associated with the catheter device. Flashback generally entails an appearance of a small amount of blood within the catheter device, which may be visible to the clinician.

Once proper placement of the cannula into the blood vessel is confirmed via flashback, the clinician may apply pressure to the blood vessel by pressing down on the patient's skin over the blood vessel, distal to the cannula. The finger pressure may momentarily occlude the vessel, minimizing further blood flow through the cannula and the catheter device. The clinician may then withdraw the cannula from the catheter device. Flashback of blood into the flashback chamber may occur when the cannula is properly placed within the blood vessel but may be irreversible. Thus, the clinician may not be able to detect when he or she has transfixed the vein. Further, flashback of blood into the flashback chamber may not be instantaneous and may take some time.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for devices, systems, and methods that provide a continuous and/or instantaneous indication of a location of the distal tip of the cannula. Such devices, systems, and methods are disclosed herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to a cannula that includes a light-emitting optical fiber. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and associated methods to visually identify a blood vessel of a patient using a catheter device having the cannula that includes the light-emitting optical fiber. In some embodiments, the cannula of the catheter device may include a distal tip, an elongated tubular shaft, and an inner lumen formed by the elongated tubular shaft. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may be at least partially disposed within the inner lumen of the cannula. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may include a distal end and a proximal end. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may be configured to emit light from the distal end and/or one or more notch features each defining a discontinuity in the optical fiber. Each of the discontinuities may include a localized deviation of optical fiber loss. In some embodiments, one or more of the discontinuities may include a break or notch formed in an outer surface of the optical fiber. The discontinuities may be formed in any suitable manner that increases an amount of light that escapes from the optical fiber. For example, the discontinuities may be formed by sandblasting, laser etching, etc. In some embodiments, one or more of the discontinuities may include a slight chemical etching which may break the surface of the optical fiber, increasing an amount of light that escapes the optical fiber. In some embodiments, one or more of the discontinuities may be formed by a surface finish, which may be rough and/or microscopic. In some embodiments, one or more of the discontinuities may be visible. In some embodiments, in order to increase an amount of light that is emitted from the optical fiber, a number of discontinuities in a particular optical fiber may be increased and/or one or more particular types of discontinuities, such as, for example, larger, visible discontinuities, may be selected. In some embodiments, the cannula may include more than one optical fiber.

In some embodiments, the distal end of the optical fiber may be disposed at least proximate the distal tip of the cannula. Thus, in some embodiments, the cannula may be configured to light up or illuminate at least proximate the distal tip. In some embodiments, a high intensity light source may be coupled with the optical fiber and may produce the light, which may be transmitted along the optical fiber and emitted from the optical fiber. The light emitted from the optical fiber may be referred to in the present disclosure as “emitted light.” In some embodiments, the high-intensity light source may include a lamp, such as, for example, an arc lamp, a quartz halogen lamp, or any other type of high-intensity lamp. In some embodiments, the high-intensity light source may include a laser, a high-intensity light-emitting diode (LED), or another high-intensity light source.

The emitted light may include one or more wavelengths of light. In some embodiments, the emitted light may not include one or more particular wavelengths of light. For example, the emitted light may not include the particular wavelengths corresponding to a color of blood or red, and when the emitted light shines on the blood within the blood vessel, the blood may not reflect the emitted light. For example, the emitted light may not include red light having a light emission peak in wavelengths of 640 to 680 nanometers. In some embodiments, the emitted light, which may not include red light, may include one or more other particular wavelengths of light, which may correspond to a color of tissue and/or skin of the patient. The other particular wavelengths of light may be reflected by tissue and/or skin of the patient. Thus, when the distal tip of the cannula is inserted in the patient, the tissue and/or the skin may be illuminated and may reflect the emitted light, but when the distal tip of the cannula reaches the blood vessel, the blood in the blood vessel may not reflect the emitted light. In some embodiments, in response to the blood not reflecting the emitted light, when the distal tip of the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel, the clinician may observe darkness as opposed to light at a location of the blood vessel. A change from light to the darkness as the cannula moves from the skin and/or the tissue to within the blood vessel may provide a visual cue to the clinician that the distal tip of the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel.

As another example, in some embodiments, the emitted light may not include one or more wavelengths of light corresponding to a color of the tissue and/or the skin. In these embodiments, the emitted light may include red light, corresponding to the color of blood. As the distal tip of the cannula is being inserted in the patient, the tissue and/or the skin may reflect the emitted light at a reduced level compared to the blood or not at all. The blood in the blood vessel may reflect the emitted light and may be illuminated when the emitted light is shined on the blood. The illumination of the blood may indicate the distal tip of the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel. The illumination of the blood in the blood vessel may facilitate an increase in an intensity of light seen by the clinician and reflected from anatomy of the patient (blood vessel, tissue, skin, etc.). For example, the clinician may see a reduced intensity of light or no light reflected from the tissue and/or the skin as the cannula is advanced, and then in response to the cannula reaching the blood of the blood vessel, the increase in the intensity of light may occur as the blood vessel is illuminated.

In some embodiments, when the optical fiber illuminates the blood in the blood vessel, the blood vessel may act as a light pipe and the emitted light may be distributed throughout a length of the blood vessel, which may signal to the clinician that the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel. In some embodiments, when the optical fiber illuminates the blood in the blood vessel, the blood vessel may be seen through the skin of the patient, providing a visual cue to the clinician as to a position of the distal tip of the cannula. Similarly, when the optical fiber illuminates the tissue of the patient, the tissue may be seen through the skin of the patient, providing a visual cue to the clinician as to the position of the distal tip of the cannula.

In some embodiments, the cannula may include an opening in the elongated shaft. In some embodiments, the opening may be disposed towards the distal tip of the cannula. In these and other embodiments, the optical fiber may include one or more grooves, each of which may extend from the distal end of the optical fiber to a portion of the optical fiber aligned with the opening. In some embodiments, the one or more grooves may be configured to allow blood to flow between the distal tip and the opening. In some embodiments, multiple grooves in the optical fiber may allow the optical fiber to rotate while maintaining alignment between one particular groove and the opening. In some embodiments, the blood may then flow out of the opening and into a portion of the catheter device, such as a catheter adapter, for example, where the blood can be seen by the clinician, which may signal to the clinician that the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel.

Once the blood flows out of the opening, the signal to the clinician may not be reversible. Thus, the clinician may unknowingly insert the cannula too far into the blood vessel, transfixing the blood vessel. Advantageously, in some embodiments, the optical fiber may allow continuous monitoring of the position of the cannula. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may indicate the cannula has been inserted too far into the blood vessel and has transfixed the blood vessel. For example, in response to the emitted light including red light and not including a particular wavelength corresponding to a color of the tissue, the blood in the blood vessel may be illuminated when the emitted light is shined on the blood. However, if transfixing of the blood vessel occurs, less light than reflected by the blood or no light may be reflected by tissue of the blood vessel wall or tissue outside of the blood vessel wall, and the clinician may perceive darkness as opposed to light at a location of the tissue.

As another example, in response to the emitted light not including red light and instead including another color of light corresponding to tissue or other colors of light corresponding to the tissue, when the cannula is positioned within the blood vessel, the blood vessel may not reflect light and the clinician may perceive darkness as opposed to light at a location of the blood vessel. However, in response to transfixing the blood vessel and inserting the blood vessel in the tissue, the tissue may illuminate, reflecting the emitted light, and the clinician may observe the illuminated tissue through the skin of the patient.

In some embodiments, the opening may be eliminated, which may reduce manufacturing costs of the cannula. However, in some embodiments, the cannula may include both the opening and the optical fiber, allowing dual mechanisms to detect entry of the distal tip of the cannula into the blood vessel.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber may be fixed within the cannula, and the optical fiber and the cannula may move together in the proximal and/or the distal direction. For example, the optical fiber and the cannula may be configured in an interference fit. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may not move beyond the distal tip of the cannula. In some embodiments, a length of the optical fiber may prevent the optical fiber from moving beyond the distal tip of the cannula.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber may act similar to a guidewire. For example, the optical fiber may be configured to move past the distal tip of the cannula to guide a catheter into the blood vessel of the patient. In some embodiments, the catheter may follow the optical fiber into the blood vessel to reduce trauma to the blood vessel during advancement of the catheter into the blood vessel. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may not only reduce trauma to the blood vessel by guiding the catheter into the blood vessel, but may emit high-intensity light to illuminate the blood vessel, allowing the clinician to more clearly see a location of the blood vessel, which may aid in advancement of the catheter. The illuminated blood vessel may act as a light pipe and the emitted light may be distributed throughout a length of the blood vessel.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber may be configured to emit light from one or more notch features of the optical fiber, each of the notch features defining a discontinuity in the optical fiber. In some embodiments, one or more of the notch features of the optical fiber may be disposed in the distal end of the optical fiber and/or proximate the distal end of the optical fiber. In some embodiments, the notch features of the optical fiber may be exposed when the optical fiber moves past the distal tip of the cannula. In these and other embodiments, the distal end of the optical fiber may be rounded and/or smooth, which may allow the optical fiber to enter the blood vessel more smoothly and/or without puncturing the blood vessel. The rounded distal end of the optical fiber may also make it more difficult for the optical fiber to transfix the blood vessel.

In some embodiments, when the cannula is inserted in the patient, the distal end of a particular optical fiber may be configured to move past the distal tip may be disposed within and/or at least proximate the distal tip of the cannula, allowing the position of the cannula to be determined, as previously described. In some embodiments, in response to the cannula being positioned within the blood vessel, the particular optical fiber may be advanced past the distal tip of the cannula to guide the catheter into the blood vessel. A wavelength of the emitted light from the particular optical fiber may be tuned, in any of the ways previously described, to monitor and/or determine a position of the distal end of the particular optical fiber prior to and/or after advancement of the particular optical fiber past the distal tip of the cannula. For example, the emitted light from the particular optical fiber may not include one or more wavelengths of light corresponding to a color of the tissue and/or the skin. For example, the emitted light from the particular optical fiber may include red light, corresponding to the color of blood. The illumination of the blood in the blood vessel may indicate the distal end of the particular optical fiber is disposed within the blood vessel.

The catheter device may include any catheter device. Example catheter devices may include both straight and ported catheters such as the AUTOGUARD™ shielded catheter commercially available from Becton, Dickinson, and Company, integrated and non-integrated peripheral intravenous catheters, winged needle sets, blood collection sets, an IV access set such as the BD NEXIVA™ Closed Intravenous (IV) Catheter system available from Becton, Dickinson, and Company, etc. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may extend through the catheter device from a proximal end of the catheter device to a distal end of the device or through a portion of the catheter device. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may exit the proximal end of the catheter device and be coupled with the high-intensity light source.

In some embodiments, a proximal end of the optical fiber may be uncoupled from the high-intensity light source and disposed of after use. In some embodiments, the optical fiber may be disposed of with a catheter adapter of the catheter device, for example. In some embodiments, an optical connector may selectively couple the optical fiber to the high-intensity light source. In some embodiments, the optical connector may be disposed in any number of positions. For example, the optical connector may be disposed at a proximal end of the catheter device. Although a single optical fiber may be referred to throughout the present disclosure, it is understood that the catheter device may include multiple optical fibers, which may be disposed within the cannula. For example, multiple optical fibers may emit light and/or be used to guide the catheter.

In some embodiments, a method of assisting introduction of the catheter into the blood vessel of the patient may include inserting the cannula into the blood vessel. The method may also include advancing the optical fiber beyond the distal tip of the cannula such that a portion of the optical fiber is disposed outside the cannula and another portion of the optical fiber is disposed within the cannula. The method may include guiding the catheter along the portion of the optical fiber and into the blood vessel. The method may also include withdrawing the cannula from the catheter, which may be performed after the catheter is positioned within the blood vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The presently preferred embodiments of the described invention will be best understood by reference to the Figures, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the cannula locator device, cannula locator system, and associated methods, as represented inFIGS. 1 through 5, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of some embodiments of the invention.

Generally, this application relates to a cannula that includes a light-emitting optical fiber. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and associated methods to visually locate a blood vessel of a patient using a catheter device, which may include the cannula and the light-emitting optical fiber.

Referring now toFIG. 1, in some embodiments, the cannula10may include a distal tip12, an elongated tubular shaft14, and an inner lumen formed by the elongated tubular shaft14. In some embodiments, an optical fiber16may be at least partially disposed within the inner lumen of the cannula. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may include a distal end18and a proximal end (not illustrated inFIG. 1). In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may be configured to emit light from the distal end18and/or one or more notch features (not illustrated inFIG. 1) defining discontinuities in the optical fiber16. In some embodiments, the notch features may be disposed at least proximate the distal end18. In some embodiments, the cannula10may include multiple optical fibers16. In some embodiments, the multiple optical fibers16may be aligned parallel to each other in the inner lumen of the cannula10. In some embodiments, the multiple optical fibers16may be twisted or braided together, which may increase a strength of the multiple optical fibers16.

In some embodiments, the distal end18of the optical fiber16may be disposed at least proximate the distal tip18of the cannula10, as illustrated inFIG. 1. Thus, in some embodiments, the cannula10may be configured to light up or illuminate at least proximate the distal tip18. In some embodiments, a high intensity light source may be coupled with the proximal end of the optical fiber16and may produce the emitted light, which may be transmitted along the optical fiber16and emitted from the optical fiber16.

The emitted light may include one or more wavelengths of light. In some embodiments, the emitted light may not include one or more particular wavelengths of light. For example, the emitted light may not include the particular wavelengths corresponding to a color of blood or red, and when the emitted light shines on the blood within the blood vessel, the blood may not reflect the emitted light.

For example, the emitted light may not include red light having a light emission peak in wavelengths of 640 to 680 nanometers. In some embodiments, the emitted light, which may not include red light, may include one or more other particular wavelengths of light, which may correspond to a color of tissue and/or skin of the patient. The other particular wavelengths of light may be reflected by tissue and/or skin of the patient. Thus, when the distal tip12of the cannula10is inserted in the patient, the tissue and/or the skin may be illuminated and may reflect the emitted light, but when the distal tip12of the cannula10reaches the blood vessel, the blood in the blood vessel may not reflect the emitted light. In some embodiments, in response to the blood not reflecting the emitted light, when the distal tip12of the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel, the clinician may observe darkness as opposed to light at a location of the blood vessel. A change from light to the darkness as the cannula10moves from the skin and/or the tissue to within the blood vessel may provide a visual cue to the clinician that the distal tip12of the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel. In some embodiments, a distal end of the catheter may be disposed proximate the distal tip. Thus, the position of the distal tip of the cannula10may approximate a position of the catheter20through which the cannula10may extend.

As another example, in some embodiments, the emitted light may not include one or more wavelengths of light corresponding to a color of the tissue and/or the skin. In these embodiments, the emitted light may include red light, corresponding to the color of blood. As the distal tip12of the cannula10is being inserted in the patient, the tissue and/or the skin may reflect the emitted light at a reduced level compared to the blood or not at all. The blood in the blood vessel may reflect the emitted light and may be illuminated when the emitted light is shined on the blood. The illumination of the blood may indicate the distal tip12of the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel. The illumination of the blood in the blood vessel may facilitate an increase in an intensity of light seen by the clinician and reflected from anatomy of the patient (blood vessel, tissue, skin, etc.). For example, the clinician may see a reduced intensity of light or no light reflected from the tissue and/or the skin as the cannula10is advanced, and then in response to the cannula10reaching the blood of the blood vessel, the increase in the intensity of light may occur as the blood vessel is illuminated.

In some embodiments, when the optical fiber16illuminates the blood in the blood vessel, the blood vessel may act as a light pipe and the emitted light may be distributed throughout a length of the blood vessel, which may signal to the clinician that the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel. In some embodiments, when the optical fiber16illuminates the blood in the blood vessel, the blood vessel may be seen through the skin of the patient, providing a visual cue to the clinician as to a position of the distal tip12of the cannula10. Similarly, when the optical fiber16illuminates the tissue of the patient, the tissue may be seen through the skin of the patient, providing a visual cue to the clinician as to the position of the distal tip12of the cannula10.

Referring now toFIG. 2, in some embodiments, the cannula10may opening22an opening22in the elongated shaft14. In some embodiments, the opening22may be disposed towards the distal tip12of the cannula10. In these and other embodiments, the optical fiber16may include one or more grooves24, which may extend from the distal end18of the optical fiber16to a portion of the optical fiber16aligned with the opening22. In some embodiments, a particular groove24may be configured to allow blood to flow between the distal tip12and the opening22. In some embodiments, the blood may then flow out of the opening22and into a portion of the catheter device, such as the catheter20and/or a catheter adapter, for example, where the blood can be seen by the clinician, which may signal to the clinician that the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel.

Typically, once the blood flows out of the opening22, the signal to the clinician may be irreversible. Thus, the clinician may unknowingly insert the cannula10too far into the blood vessel, transfixing the blood vessel. Advantageously, in some embodiments, the optical fiber16may allow continuous monitoring of the position of the cannula10. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may indicate the cannula10has been inserted too far into the blood vessel and has transfixed the blood vessel. For example, in response to the emitted light including red light and not including a particular wavelength corresponding to a color of the tissue, the blood in the blood vessel may be illuminated when the emitted light is shined on the blood. However, if transfixing of the blood vessel occurs, less light than reflected by the blood or no light may be reflected by tissue of the blood vessel wall or tissue outside of the blood vessel wall, and the clinician may perceive darkness as opposed to light at a location of the tissue.

As another example, in response to the emitted light not including red light and instead including another color of light corresponding to tissue or other colors of light corresponding to the tissue, when the cannula10is positioned within the blood vessel, the blood vessel may not reflect light and the clinician may perceive darkness as opposed to light at a location of the blood vessel. However, in response to transfixing the blood vessel and inserting the blood vessel in the tissue, the tissue may illuminate, reflecting the emitted light, and the clinician may observe the illuminated tissue through the skin of the patient.

In some embodiments, the opening22of the cannula10may be eliminated, which may reduce manufacturing costs of the cannula10. However, in some embodiments, the cannula10may include both the opening22and the optical fiber16, allowing dual mechanisms to detect entry of the distal tip12of the cannula10into the blood vessel.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may not move distally or proximally with respect to the cannula10, and the optical fiber16and the cannula10may move together in the proximal and/or the distal direction. For example, the optical fiber16and the cannula10may be configured in an interference fit. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may not move beyond the distal tip12of the cannula10. In some embodiments, a length of the optical fiber16may prevent the optical fiber16from moving beyond the distal tip12of the cannula10.

Referring now toFIG. 3, in some embodiments, the optical fiber16may act similar to a guidewire. For example, the optical fiber16may be configured to move past the distal tip12of the cannula10to guide a catheter20into the blood vessel26of the patient. In some embodiments, the catheter20may follow the optical fiber16into the blood vessel26to reduce trauma to the blood vessel26during advancement of the catheter20into the blood vessel26. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may not only reduce trauma to the blood vessel26by guiding the catheter20into the blood vessel26, but may emit high-intensity light to illuminate the blood vessel26, allowing the clinician to more clearly see a location of the blood vessel26, which may aid in advancement of the catheter20. In some embodiments, the high-intensity light may be emitted from the distal end18and/or one or more other discontinuities in the optical fiber16. The discontinuities may be disposed along an upper and/or lower surface of the optical fiber16, as illustrated inFIG. 3. The discontinuities may be exposed when the optical fiber16moves past the distal tip12of the cannula10. The illuminated blood vessel26may act as a light pipe and the emitted light may be distributed throughout a length of the blood vessel26.

Referring now toFIG. 4, in some embodiments, the optical fiber16may be configured to emit light from one or more notch features28of the optical fiber16, each of the notch features28defining a discontinuity in the optical fiber16. In some embodiments, one or more of the notch features28of the optical fiber may be disposed towards the distal end18of the optical fiber. In some embodiments, the notch features28of the optical fiber16may be exposed when the optical fiber16moves past the distal tip12of the cannula10. In these and other embodiments, the distal end18of the optical fiber may be rounded and/or smooth, which may allow the optical fiber16to enter the blood vessel26more smoothly and/or without puncturing the blood vessel26. The rounded distal end18of the optical fiber16may also make it more difficult for the optical fiber16to transfix the blood vessel26.

The notch features28of the optical fiber16may have various configurations and arrangements. The notch features28may provide multiple locations for light to be emitted from the optical fiber16.

In some embodiments, when the cannula10is inserted in the patient, the distal end18of a particular optical fiber16may be configured to move past the distal tip12may be disposed within and/or at least proximate the distal tip12of the cannula10, allowing the position of the cannula10to be determined, as previously described. In some embodiments, in response to the cannula10being positioned within the blood vessel26, the particular optical fiber16may be advanced past the distal tip12of the cannula10to guide the catheter20into the blood vessel26. A wavelength of the emitted light from the particular optical fiber may be tuned, in any of the ways previously described, to monitor and/or determine a position of the distal end18of the particular optical fiber16prior to and/or after advancement of the particular optical fiber16past the distal tip12of the cannula10.

Referring now toFIG. 5, the catheter device30may include any catheter device. A system31may include the catheter device30and a high-intensity light source32. Examples of catheter devices may include both straight and ported catheters such as the AUTOGUARD™ shielded catheter commercially available from Becton, Dickinson, and Company, integrated and non-integrated peripheral intravenous catheters, winged needle sets, blood collection sets, an IV access set such as the BD NEXIVA™ Closed Intravenous (IV) Catheter system available from Becton, Dickinson, and Company, etc. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may extend through the catheter device30from a proximal end of the catheter device30to a distal end of the device or through a portion of the catheter device30. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may extend from at least proximate the distal tip, beyond a proximal end33of the cannula, and/or through an opening in the proximal end of the catheter device30. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may exit the proximal end of the catheter device and be coupled with the high-intensity light source32.

In some embodiments, the cannula10may include a hypodermic needle such as, for example, an introducer needle. Further, the cannula10may be used in any suitable manner. For example, the cannula may be used during various medical procedures, such as, for example, an intravenous infusion, peripheral nerve block, blood draw, spinal tap, spinal anesthesia, or epidural. In these and other embodiments, the cannula10may be used with or without the catheter device30.

In some embodiments, the high-intensity light source32may include a lamp, such as, for example, an arc lamp, a quartz halogen lamp, or any other type of high-intensity lamp. In some embodiments, the high-intensity light source may include a laser, a high-intensity light-emitting diode (LED), or another high-intensity light source.

In some embodiments, a proximal end34of the optical fiber16may be uncoupled from the high-intensity light source32and disposed of after use. In some embodiments, the optical fiber16may be disposed of with a catheter adapter36and/or a needle hub38of the catheter device30, for example. In some embodiments, an optical connector (not illustrated inFIG. 5) may selectively couple the proximal end34of the optical fiber16to the high-intensity light source. In some embodiments, the optical connector may be disposed in any number of positions. For example, the optical connector may be disposed at a proximal end of the catheter device30. Although a single optical fiber may be referred to throughout the present disclosure, it is understood that the catheter device30may include multiple optical fibers, which may be disposed within the cannula10. For example, multiple optical fibers16may emit light and/or may be used to guide the catheter20.

Referring now toFIG. 6, in some embodiments, a method100of assisting introduction of the catheter20into the blood vessel26of the patient may begin at block102. At block102, the cannula10may be inserted into the blood vessel26. Block102may be followed by block104. At block104, the optical fiber16may be advanced beyond the distal tip12of the cannula10such that a portion of the optical fiber16is disposed outside the cannula10and another portion of the optical fiber16is disposed within the cannula10.

Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. In some embodiments, the method100may include additional blocks. For example, the method100may include guiding the catheter20along the portion of the optical fiber16and into the blood vessel26. As another example, the method100may include withdrawing the cannula10from the catheter, which may be performed after the catheter is positioned within the blood vessel. As a further example, the method100may include tuning a wavelength of light emitted from the optical fiber16to detect a position of the cannula10and/or the optical fiber16advanced beyond the distal tip12.

In addition to the previously described embodiments of the optical fiber16, the optical fiber16may be modified in any suitable manner that allows it to fulfill its intended purpose. Further, the cannula10and optical fiber16may be used in any suitable manner. For example, the cannula10and optical fiber16may allow a clinician to appropriately position the distal tip12of the cannula10during various medical procedures, such as, for example, an intravenous infusion, blood draw, spinal tap, or epidural. In some embodiments, the wavelength of the light may be tuned based on a color of a medium at a destination of the distal tip12.

Also, in addition to the previously described embodiments of the system31, the system31may be modified in any suitable manner that allows it to fulfill its intended purpose. Further, in addition to the previously described embodiments of the catheter device30, the catheter device30may be modified in any suitable manner that allows it to fulfill its intended purpose.