Fiber-optic transducer for blood pressure measurements

A novel type of fiber-optic pressure transducer has been developed and tested for biomedical application. It consists of two parts: a pressure-sensing membrane and a fiber-optic displacement transducer which is based on the light intensity loss caused by angular misalignment between two fibers. The light intensity change is registered by a photodiode. The pressure transducer is registered by a photodiode. The pressure transducer has been evaluated for static and dynamic pressure measurements. Not only does it have adequate linearity and frequency response, safety, and small size, but also it may be an attractive device for developing multiple-site pressure-detecting catheters.<
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