Systems and methods for a cerebrospinal fluid flow detector
First Claim
1. A fluid flow detector, comprising:
- a casing defining an interior chamber;
a rotatable wheel disposed within interior chamber of the casing, the rotatable wheel including an axle and a plurality of radially extending arms extending from the axle, wherein at least one of the plurality of radially extending arms includes a radiopaque marker; and
a fluid pathway extending through the casing, wherein the fluid pathway is in fluid flow communication with at least one of the radially extending arms of the rotatable wheel;
wherein the rotatable wheel rotates about an axis defined by the axle and arranged within the interior chamber such that the flow of fluid through the fluid pathway causes movement of the plurality of radially extending arms and provides a visual indication of fluid flow through the channel based on a difference in position of the radiopaque marker when the rotatable wheel is rotated by the flow of fluid through the fluid pathway.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments for a cerebrospinal fluid flow detector for detecting the flow of cerebrospinal fluid are disclosed. In some embodiments, the cerebrospinal fluid flow detector includes a casing with a rotatable wheel having a plurality of radially extending arms disposed therein. The rotatable wheel is in communication with a channel having a distal end in communication with an inlet port and a proximal end in communication with an outlet port such that the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the channel causes the rotatable wheel to rotate. In some embodiments, each radially extending arm includes at least one radiopaque marker in which movement of the rotatable wheel caused by fluid flow through the channel allows an X-ray imaging apparatus to detect the difference in position of a respective radiopaque marker at multiple times caused by rotation of the rotatable wheel.
6 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A fluid flow detector, comprising:
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a casing defining an interior chamber; a rotatable wheel disposed within interior chamber of the casing, the rotatable wheel including an axle and a plurality of radially extending arms extending from the axle, wherein at least one of the plurality of radially extending arms includes a radiopaque marker; and a fluid pathway extending through the casing, wherein the fluid pathway is in fluid flow communication with at least one of the radially extending arms of the rotatable wheel; wherein the rotatable wheel rotates about an axis defined by the axle and arranged within the interior chamber such that the flow of fluid through the fluid pathway causes movement of the plurality of radially extending arms and provides a visual indication of fluid flow through the channel based on a difference in position of the radiopaque marker when the rotatable wheel is rotated by the flow of fluid through the fluid pathway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A fluid flow detector system, comprising:
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a fluid flow detector, comprising a casing defining an interior chamber and a channel formed through the casing and disposed within the interior chamber for establishing fluid flow communication between an inlet port and an outlet port; a rotatable wheel disposed within the interior chamber, the rotatable wheel defining an axle with a plurality of arms extending radially from the axle; and a radiopaque marker associated with at least one of the plurality of arms; and wherein rotation of the rotatable wheel when fluid flows through the channel causes movement of the radiopaque marker as the plurality of arms rotates and provides a visual indication of fluid flow through the fluid flow detector. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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coupling a fluid flow detector to a source of fluid, the fluid flow detector comprising a casing defining an interior chamber, a rotatable wheel defining a plurality of radially extending arms disposed within the interior chamber of the casing, and a fluid pathway extending through the casing and in fluid flow communication with the rotatable wheel, wherein the rotatable wheel includes a radiopaque marker, and wherein the flow of fluid through the fluid pathway applies a force to the radially extending arms causing the rotatable wheel to rotate and change the position of the radiopaque marker; capturing a first x-ray image at a first position of the radiopaque marker at a first time sequence; capturing a second x-ray image showing a second position of the radiopaque marker at a second time sequence; and comparing the first position of the radiopaque marker with the second position of the radiopaque marker to identify a change in position of the radiopaque marker indicative of a fluid flow through the fluid flow detector. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification