Cerebrospinal fluid purification system
First Claim
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1. A method for ameliorating a symptom of meningitis in a patient, said method comprising:
- selecting a patient having a symptom of meningitis;
removing cerebrospinal fluid from a first location in a lumbar cerebrospinal fluid space of the patient;
removing at a flow rate a causative agent from the removed cerebrospinal fluid, thereby conditioning the cerebrospinal fluid; and
returning the conditioned cerebrospinal fluid to the patient at a second location in a cervical cerebrospinal fluid space, a thoracic cerebrospinal fluid space, or a ventricle of the patient, wherein the cerebrospinal fluid is returned to the patient at substantially the same flow rate at which it is removed;
wherein the removing and returning steps are performed concurrently using one or more catheters, each catheter comprising one or more lumens.
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Abstract
The present invention provides methods and systems for conditioning cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by removing target compounds from CSF. The systems provide for a catheter flow path and exchange of a majority volume portion of CSF in the CSF space. The removal and/or delivery of specific compounds can be tailored to the pathology of the specific disease. The removal is targeted and specific, for example, through the use of specific size-exclusion thresholds, antibodies against specific toxins, and other chromatographic techniques, as well as delivery and/or removal of targeted therapeutic agents.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for ameliorating a symptom of meningitis in a patient, said method comprising:
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selecting a patient having a symptom of meningitis; removing cerebrospinal fluid from a first location in a lumbar cerebrospinal fluid space of the patient; removing at a flow rate a causative agent from the removed cerebrospinal fluid, thereby conditioning the cerebrospinal fluid; and returning the conditioned cerebrospinal fluid to the patient at a second location in a cervical cerebrospinal fluid space, a thoracic cerebrospinal fluid space, or a ventricle of the patient, wherein the cerebrospinal fluid is returned to the patient at substantially the same flow rate at which it is removed; wherein the removing and returning steps are performed concurrently using one or more catheters, each catheter comprising one or more lumens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification