Medical devices

• US 20050102026A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L & P 100 Limited
• Original Assignee: L & P 100 Limited
• Inventors: Davies, G. Alban, O'Riordan, Simon John Patrick, Turner, Nicholas McMahon, Payne, Peter Alfred, Davies, Julie A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,416,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/2.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1473 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter A61B5/1482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6862 Stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6876 Blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/005 Detecting noise caused by implants, e.g. cardiac valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/24 Heart valves ; Vascular valves, e.g. venous valves; Heart implants, e.g. passive devices for improving the function of the native valve or the heart muscle; Transmyocardial revascularisation [TMR] devices; Valves implantable in the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/86 Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer

Abstract

There is disclosed a medical device adapted to be implanted in the heart of a patient and operable therein i) as a heart valve; or ii) to assist in the functioning of one of the patient'"'"'s heart valves; or iii) to monitor the functioning of one of the patient'"'"'s heart valves. The device includes one or more sensors for sensing a physiologically or clinically relevant parameter of a patient. A telemetric communication device telemetrically transmits data related to a parameter sensed by the sensor to a remote device.

Claims

1. A medical device adapted to be implanted in the heart of a patient and operable therein i) as a heart valve;

or ii) to assist in the functioning of one of the patient'"'"'s heart valves;

or iii) to monitor the functioning of one of the patient'"'"'s heart valves;

the medical device con rising;

at least one sensor for sensing a physiologically or clinically relevant parameter of the patient; and

telemetric communication means for telemetrically transmitting data related to the parameter sensed by the sensor to a remote device.

2. The medical device according to claim, 1 wherein the medical device comprises a heart valve for regulating the flow of blood through the medical device.

3. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the telemetric communication means comprises a passive device adapted to be powered by energy transmitted by the remote device.

4. The medical device according to claim 3 wherein the telemetric communication means comprises a transponder.

5. The medical device according to claim 4 wherein the telemetric communication means comprises an RF tag device.

6. The medical device according to claim 3 wherein the telemetric communication means is powered by an RF field.

7. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the telemetric communication means transmits data using an RF field,

8. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the telemetric communication means comprises an integrated circuit.

9. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the sensor senses blood pressure of the patient.

10. The medical device according to claim 9 wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least two spaced apart sensors for sensing blood pressure at different locations in the heart of the patient.

11. The medical device according to claim 10 wherein the telemetric communication means telemetrically transmits data related to the difference in the blood pressures sensed by the at least two spaced apart sensors.

12. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the sensor senses acoustic signals.

13. The medical device according to claim. 12 wherein the said at least one sensor senses blood pressure and acoustic signals.

14. The medical device according to claim, 13 wherein said at least one sensor comprises a single sensor that senses both blood pressure and acoustic signals.

15. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a passive sensor.

16. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a piezoelectric sensor,

17. The medical device according to claim 16 wherein the piezoelectric sensor comprises a polymeric active sensing area.

18. The medical device according to claim 17 wherein the polymeric active sensing area comprises PVDF.

19. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the medical device comprises a tissue valve device having a valve wall formed from tissue.

20. The medical device according to claim 19 further comprising a stent support for the valve wall, and wherein the sensor and the telemetric communication means are disposed between the stent support and the valve wall.

21. The medical device according to claim 19 wherein the medical device is stentless.

22. The medical device according to claim 19 further comprising a protective cover disposed around the periphery of the medical device, and wherein the sensor and the telemetric communication means are disposed between the valve wall and the protective cover.

23. The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the medical device comprises a mechanical heart valve.

24. A system for monitoring a patient comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing a physiologically or clinically relevant parameter of a patient;

telemetric communication means for telemetrically transmitting data related to the parameter sensed by the sensor; and

a remote device for receiving the data telemetrically transmitted by the telemetric communication means.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the remote device provides power remotely to the telemetric communication means.

26. The system according to claim 24 wherein the remote device comprises a memory unit for storing data transmitted by the telemetric communication means.

27. The system according to claim 24 wherein the remote device comprises data analysis means for performing a physiologically relevant analysis of data transmitted by the telemetric communication means.

28. The system according to claim 24 wherein the remote device comprises data transmission means.

29. The system according to claim 24 further comprising a data storage device which is separate to the remote device, and wherein the remote device comprises means to write data on the data storage device.

30. The system according to claim 29 wherein the data storage device comprises a card having a magnetic data storage area, a DVD, a CD or another disc storage medium.