MEASURING OF BLOODGASES

Abstract: This invention concerns a method and an equipment for the measuring and evaluation of at least two components, for instance pH and pO2 that are parts of the electrode potential of the electrode in an electrical way by means of a common electrode. In particular, the invention concerns the evaluation of pH and pO2 in a measuring point with one and the same antimony electrode. This evaluation is carried out by the electrode potential being measured without as well as with a known voltage applied over the electrode and that the components are evaluated by means of the measured values.

Description: MEASURING OF BLOODGASES This invention is related to a method and an equipment for the measuring and determining in an electric way by means of a common electrode at least two components, for instance pH and p0 2 , which are parts of the electrode potential of the electrode. In particular the invention concerns measuring of pH and pO 2 with one and the same antimony electrode. The measuring of bloodgases constitute one of the cornerstones within the medical dia¬ gnostics. The oxygen value pO 2 describes how well the blood is saturated by oxygen in the lungs and how good the saturation by oxygen is in relation to the oxygen needs of the tissues, and the blood becomes aciditied, that is the pH-value is reduced when the require¬ ments are greater than the available oxygen. Another central parameter in the analyse of bloodgases is the carbon dioxide level, pC0 2 , which is a measurement on how well the sugar decomposing products are ventilated out from the lung. Since the middle of the 19th century one has strived to find good systems for the measur¬ ing of pH, pO 2 and pCO 2 in blood and tissue. The standard method for measuring pH has since long time being with glassbased electrod¬ es. The draw back of these have been that they are brittle and suffer from drift, which contributes to the impossibility of using them for continuos measuring in blood or tissue or for instance control of patients. The standard method for measuring oxygen levels in medical appliances has been by means of a Clark-electrode. This has a complex structure including the enclosing of the electrode in a number of membranes and corresponding electrolytic solutions to provide a stable measuring system. The complexity of the construction and the drift of the measuring device has how ever resulted in that it is not possible to use for continuos measurements for supervising or control proposes. The tendency of tromboses around the electrode type has further contributed to the difficulties. Also for the measuring of carbon dioxide continuously in bloodstream or tissue of patients a good method and equipment is missing today. The traditional equipment for this is based on a pH-electrode which is placed inside a membrane that is pervious for carbon dioxide. The solution inside the membrane is a buffer that through the addition of the carbon di¬ oxide from the measured environment will become more acid when the carbon dioxide is solved in the fluid to make carbonic acid. The acidification inside the membrane is then proportional to the carbon dioxide levels outside of this and can be measured by means of a conventional pH-electrode. From the Swedish patent document 409 372 a metal electrode for the measuring of pH etc. in liquids is previously known. This consist of a sensor of metal enclosed in a holder, the metal is monocrystaline with only one crystal plane exposed to the testing liquid. With such an electrode of antimony pH measuring with high resolution (0,02 pH-units) is made possible. This electrode type has the same good characteristic for pH measuring as glass¬ based pH-electrodes and have several practical advantages in comparison to the glass electrode since the electrode type is less vulnerable, easy to sterilise and not harmful to biological tissue. A remaining problem with antimony based electrodes is how ever the oxygen dependency. This has been investigated in a number of studies where among other things it has been shown that the oxygen dependent part of the electrode voltage is stable thereby enabling simultaneous oxygen measuring provided that the pH component can be identified and subtracted. In the described case (Sjδberg, P. Skeletal muscle surface pH and p0 2 . Lin- kόping University Medical Dissertations No 325, 1990. Linkδping) where the electrode has been used for tissue measuring this has been carried out by for a short time cutting of the flow of blood to the tissue. This results in the oxygen pressure for a short time be¬ coming 0 and it is thereby possible to identify pH part of the signal. By then subtracting this the oxygen levels before the cut off can be calculated. The drawback with this method is that the cut off may influence the environment of the measuring and that some tissues can not endure the cut off method, for instance the central nerve system. It should therefor be of a great value to be able to separate the two components of the electrode voltage in an electrical manner. One purpose of this invention is to separate the two signal parts at a antimony based or other metal electrode in a reliable and simple way so that values for pO 2 and pH can be obtained from one and the same sensor. A second object is to obtain values of pO 2 and pCO 2 from one and the same sensor in a similar manner. A further object is to obtain these pairs of measured values from the same measuring point. This and other objects are obtained with the invention in accordance with the appended patent claims. The invention is now to be described more in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Fig 1 shows schematically a measuring device for the execution of a measuring method in accordance with the invention. Fig 2 shows the voltage as a function of the pH value from an antimony electrode for different oxygen concentrations. Fig 3 shows the voltage of an antimony electrode as a function the temperature. Fig 4 shows the current as a function of the oxygen pressure for different pH values at a polarographic measurement with an antimony electrode. Fig 5 shows the current as a function of the temperature at polarographic measuring. The measurement set up in accordance with fig 1 is constituted by an antimony electrode 1 coupled to an electrometer amplifier 2 with a high inofedance, an AD-transformer 3 and a device for data collection and analysis 4 that can be constituted by a personal computer. The electrometer amplifier enables potentiometric (voltage measuring) with a high res¬ olution (0,01 mV), and polarographic measurement, comprising subjecting the electrode to a voltage and measuring of the current flowing through the electrode. The measurement resolution is in this connection in the size of one nanoampere. At polarographic measure- ment the voltage may be varied between + 1 V and -1 V. This is done by means of the connectable voltage source 5, at the connection of which the electrometer amplifier 2 is reset for current measuring. At tests carried out according to the invention a electrode of highly refined monocrystaline crystalographicly orientated antimony has been used with a diameter of 1 mm enclosed in a cylindrically shaped epoxy plastic shroud. The electrode surface is covered with a mem¬ brane of polytetrafluoro ethylene and enclosed in a measuring chamber, which is placed in a water bath, where the temperature may be monitored with good precision. The electrode may be exposed to different gases through a system of hoses extending to the measuring chamber. At the following described test, that is shown in the diagrams according to fig 2- 5, the electrode has been exposed to five different mixtures of gases, AGA special gas containing 0, 5, 10, 15 and 21 % of oxygen and different buffers (TRIS) 7,0; 7,2; 7,4; 7,6; 7,8; 8,0; while the electrode has been set for potentiometric (fig 2-3) or polarographic (fig 4-5) measuring. The Y-axes of the diagrams are given with the unit bit, that with known scale factors can be recalculated to a voltage in V respectively a current in A. At an investigation of the potentiometric measuring properties of the electrode type results essentially identically to previous investigations of the electrode characteristic of the antimony has been obtained. It is thus from fig 2 apparent that the oxygen sensitivity has a non-linear dependency with high sensitivities in the interval 0-10 kPa. It is further from fig 3 apparent that the pH sensitivity is high and linear (58 mV/pH-units). It is further apparent from this tests that the temperature dependency is linear and thereby compensatible and that the response time of the electrode is extremely short, in the size of milliseconds. When investigating the polarographic properties of the electrode type, that is with a DC voltage applied over the electrode, a study of the current-voltage curves of the electrode a similar pattern was obtained as the one obtained with the classical Clark electrode. The difference lays in the voltage plateau laying around 900 mV in comparison with 700 mV for platinum. Since the curve has a plateau like program the antimony is well suited for oxygen measurements in this set up for measuring, provided that the voltage is held constantly around 900 mV, see fig 4. The antimony electrode does also at this voltage show a high oxygen sensitivity, recalculated to oxygen pressure 0,005 kPa. The sensitivity is constant within the tested area, that is also interesting from a medical point of view (see fig 5). This electrode reaction has also turned out to be non pH sensitive, something that strongly simplifies the calculation process. The temperature dependency is as it is apparent from fig 6 linear and compensatable similar to that of Clark electrodes. The response time and the stabilising time at the switch of measuring mode is probably dependent of the close environment of the measuring surface. Times of at maximum a few seconds may be acceptable and possible to obtain. A system for the measuring of pO 2 and pH with the same electrode in accordance with what has been described above can be described through the following system of equations, in which U and I are voltage measured at potentiometric measuring and current measured at polarographic measuring respectively, T is the temperature and A, B, C, D and E are constants: U = A(pH) + B(pO 2 ) + C(T) I = D(pO 2 ) + E(T) By shifting between potentiometric and ampereometric measuring set up with an electrode of a highly refined crystalliographicly orientated antimony the double sensitivity of the electrode type may in accordance with this invention be separated. The electrode may thereby be used for the measurement of pH as well as pO 2 or for the measuring of pO 2 as well as pCO 2 in the same measuring point. In the latter case the electrode is surrounded in a way known per se by a membrane that is permeable to carbon dioxide. The solution inside of the membrane is a buffer that through the addition of the carbon dioxide from the measured environment will have a reduction in pH when the carbon dioxide solves in the liquid and makes carbonic acid. The reduce in pH inside the membrane is calculated from the potentiometric and the amperometric measured values and since this is proportional to the carbon dioxide level outside the membrane this can hereby be measured. The invention is not to be limited by what is described in the described embodiment but only by the wording of the patent claims. At the polarographic measuring preferably a voltage is chosen during the measurement in a range, in which the current-voltage curve is as level as possible. This is normally a plateau area that for an antimony electrode is about 900 mV and for an electrode of platinum 700 mV. From the above given equation system it is obvious that the two measured values obtained at polarographic measuring and at a potentiometric measuring are dependent of pH and oxygen level and the temperature. These dependencies and the corresponding functions can respectively be established by series of tests where pH, oxygen level and temperature are known and a current is measured at polarographic measuring and the voltage at potentio¬ metric measuring. It is then possible to construct correspondency tables for the determin¬ ation of oxygen level and pH from measured current and voltage. Alternatively corre¬ sponding calculation algorithms may be determined and implemented in a computer equip¬ ment. Since only one very simple electrode of a low-cost material can be used, this may be of a discardable type and very small, with a minimum of inconvenions to the patient. Also an electrode for accurate measuring of oxygen and carbon dioxide level can be made very small since it may be made rotationally symmetric and with few and simple components. The invented method can be used for measurements not only of blood but also for the measurements of other body liquids in gullet, stomach etc. The measuring must not necessarily take place inside the body of a patient but may also take place in a device for dialysis etc.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Method for determining at least two components dependent of different substances that constitute the electrode potential of an electrode, characterised in that the electrode poential is measured both without and with a known voltage applied over the electrode and that the components are measured by means of the obtained values. 2. Method according to claim 1 characterised in that the active surface of the electrode is constituted by antimony. 3. Method according to claim 1 and 2 characterised in that the components are constitut¬ ed by pO 2 an pH. 4. Method according to claim 1 and 2 characterised in that the applied voltages 0,9 V. 5. Equipment for the measurement and evaluation of at least two components in an electric way by means of a common electrode, for instance pH and pO 2 , that are parts of the electrode potential of the electrode, characterised in that a measuring electrode, a volt¬ age source, means for sensitive measuring of current or voltage, means for connection of the voltage source over the measuring electrode and means for recoupling of the means for sensitive measuring between voltage measuring and current measuring. 6. Equipment according to claim 5 characterised in that the means for coupling the vol¬ tage source over the measurement electrode and the means for recoupling the means for sensitive measuring from voltage measuring to current measuring are integrated. 7. Equipment according to claim 5 or 6 characterised in AD-transformer for the trans¬ forming of the measured values from the means for sensitive measuring and calculation and registration for the storing of measured values and the calculation from these of the at least two components. 8. Equipment according to any of the claim 5-7 characterised in that the electrode is of antimony. 9. Equipment according to claim 8 characterised in that the components that are measur¬ ed are pH and pO 2 . 10.Equipment according to claim 8 characterised in that the electrode is surrounded by a membrane permeable to carbon dioxide, and that the electrode inside the membrane is surrounded by a buffer that through the addition of carbon dioxide from the measured environment will have its pH reduced when the carbon dioxide is solved in the liquid making carbonic acid and that the reduction of pH inside the membrane provides a measure of the carbon dioxide level outside of the membrane so that pCO 2 and pO 2 outside of the membrane can be calculated. 11. Method for the measuring of pH and oxygen level in a liquid in particular blood, characterised in that the measuring is done with the same electrode by alternatively potentiometric measuring and polarographic measuring, at the potentiometric the voltage over the electrode being measured and at the polarographic measurement the current is measured and that the obtained values are used to calculate pH and oxygen level. 12. Method according to claim 11 characterised in that the electrode is surrounded by a buffer liquid in which the carbon dioxide in for instance blood will solve itself, sur¬ rounded by a membrane that is permeable to the carbon dioxide, so that pH inside of the membrane essential will be proportional to the carbon dioxide level that thereby can be calculated instead of the pH in the blood. 13. Method according to any of the previous claims characterised in that the electrode is of monocrystaline antimony with only one crystal plane in contact with the liquid. 14.Method according to any of the previous claims characterised in that the polaro¬ graphic measuring is used an applied voltage within a plateau range of the current- voltage curve for the electrode respectively the material thereof. 15.Electrode for the execution of method according to claim 12 for measuring of oxygen and carbon dioxide level at the same time, characterised in that it enclose an electrode surrounded by a buffer in which carbon dioxide solve, which buffer in turn is surround¬ ed by a membrane that is permeable to carbon dioxide.

Inventors: NILSSON GERT, SJOEBERG FOLKE, NILSSON, GERT, SJOEBERG, FOLKE
Applicants: FORSKARPATENT I LINKOEPING AB, NILSSON GERT, SJOEBERG FOLKE, NILSSON, GERT, SJOEBERG, FOLKE
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G01N27
IPC codes: G01N27