US 12,446,917 B2
Hands-free ultrasound assembly and system
Zachary S. Davis, Sandy, UT (US)
Assigned to Bard Access Systems, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed by Bard Access Systems, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/487,627.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/085,072, filed on Sep. 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0096119 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 17/34 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 17/3403 (2013.01) [A61B 8/4455 (2013.01); A61B 8/461 (2013.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.02); A61B 2017/3407 (2013.01); A61B 2017/3413 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound-probe assembly, comprising:
an ultrasound probe including:
a probe body;
a stabilizer extending from the probe body, the stabilizer configured for hands-free stabilization of the ultrasound probe when the ultrasound probe is placed on a patient;
a probe head in a patient-facing portion of the probe body, the probe head including ultrasonic transducers in an array; and
a needle-guide holder extending from the probe body; and
a single-use pad coupled to a patient-facing side of the stabilizer, the single-use pad configured to interface with a skin surface of the patient,
wherein:
the stabilizer includes first and second elongated arcuate stabilizer arms extending along the patient-facing side of the ultrasound probe,
the first and second elongated arcuate stabilizer arms extend:
away from opposite right and left sides of the probe body, respectively, and
away from a front side of the probe body, and
a consistent distance between mid-sections of the first and second elongated arcuate stabilizer arms is greater than a consistent distance between free end sections of the first and second elongated arcuate stabilizer arms.