Inventors:
Edward V. Thomas - Albuquerque NM
Mark R. Robinson - Albuquerque NM
David M. Haaland - Albuquerque NM
Mary K. Alam - Albuquerque NM
Assignee:
Sandia Corporation - Albuquerque NM
International Classification:
A61B 500
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for, preferably, determining noninvasively and in vivo at least two of the five blood gas parameters (i. e. , pH, PCO. sub. 2, [HCO. sub. 3. sup. - ], PO. sub. 2, and O. sub. 2 sat. ) in a human. The non-invasive method includes the steps of: generating light at three or more different wavelengths in the range of 500 nm to 2500 nm; irradiating blood containing tissue; measuring the intensities of the wavelengths emerging from the blood containing tissue to obtain a set of at least three spectral intensities v. wavelengths; and determining the unknown values of at least two of pH, [HCO. sub. 3. sup. - ], PCO. sub. 2 and a measure of oxygen concentration. The determined values are within the physiological ranges observed in blood containing tissue. The method also includes the steps of providing calibration samples, determining if the spectral intensities v. wavelengths from the tissue represents an outlier, and determining if any of the calibration samples represents an outlier.