Design and Clinical Test of a Passive Ultrasound Probe Holder Mechanism for Arterial Puncturing

This paper proposes a new ultrasonography guided arterial puncturing and guidewire insertion mechanism. In conventional arterial puncturing, a physician holds an ultrasound probe in one hand and a needle in the other. Due to the prolong holding of ultrasound probe in hand, physicians and sonographers face musculoskeletal disorders. Also the contact force exerted by the hand of the physician is variable. The purpose of this study is to develop a passive device that will not only hold the ultrasound probe, but also performs needle and guidewire insertion with precision and accuracy. To test the effectiveness of the device, animal experimentation has been performed. This device showed 100% successful insertion rate and the operating time has been reduced from 4.5 minutes to 3.8 minutes. The proposed ultrasound probe holder exerts a stable contact force on the skin of the patient which helps to provide a stable image.