Magnetic Catheter Placement in Neonates: A Handheld Solution to Radiation Exposure and Operational Delays

Abstract

Abstract The use of subcutaneous devices has greatly advanced the field of medicine and surgery. However, localizing these devices internally requires imaging techniques such as X‐ray or ultrasound. A novel magnetic tracking system for subcutaneous medical devices is presented, providing the capability for precise device localization in an extremely compact and portable pocket‐size format. It is entirely benign, avoids X‐rays, and can be used to immediately confirm the proper instrument placement. It is implemented on umbilical catheters and endotracheal tubes and is characterized by bench‐test, cadaveric, and in vivo studies. The systems consist of a magnetic tip fixed to the distal end of the subcutaneous device, as well as a Magnetic Sensing‐Array Device that utilizes a matrix of magnetic field sensors to localize the magnetic tip. The bench‐tests show a high localization accuracy for a distance up to 4 cm. The accuracy is slightly reduced during cadaveric and in vivo tests, due to factors impacting the application, such as the dermal surface topography. Regardless, the magnetic subcutaneous medical device tracking system is shown to be robust in performance and functionality in real‐world clinical applications, and with its intuitive approach and portability, it has the potential to make real‐time subcutaneous device tracking widely accessible.

Keywords

• endotracheal tubes
• localization
• magnetic tracking
• umbilical catheters