EXTERNAL SENSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GASTRIC RESTRICTION DEVICES
First Claim
1. A method for determining the flow rate of a fluid passing through a restricted portion of a gastric lumen of a patient comprising:
- providing a magnetic sensor external to the patient, the magnetic sensor configured to detect a quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen;
measuring the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at a first time with the magnetic sensor;
measuring the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at a second time with the magnetic sensor; and
determining the flow rate by subtracting the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at the second time from the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at the first time and dividing the subtracted value by the elapsed time between the first time and the second time.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for quantifying the amount or rate of magnetically susceptible fluid within a gastric lumen are described. In one aspect, a magnetic sensor located external to the patient is configured to detect a quantity of fluid disposed within the gastric lumen. The quantity of fluid may include fluid that is contained upstream with respect to a restriction formed in the gastric lumen (e.g., by a gastric restriction device). The quantity of fluid disposed within the gastric lumen is determined by the magnetic sensor. This quantity may be evaluated over time to then calculate a real time flow rate which can then be displayed to the physician. The methods and devices allow a physician or other trained person to dynamically view real time development of fluid flow within a restricted gastric lumen and may be used in conjunction with adjustments to the gastric restriction device to achieve target or desired flow rates.
-
Citations
41 Claims
-
1. A method for determining the flow rate of a fluid passing through a restricted portion of a gastric lumen of a patient comprising:
-
providing a magnetic sensor external to the patient, the magnetic sensor configured to detect a quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen; measuring the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at a first time with the magnetic sensor; measuring the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at a second time with the magnetic sensor; and determining the flow rate by subtracting the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at the second time from the quantity of fluid disposed upstream of the restricted portion of the gastric lumen at the first time and dividing the subtracted value by the elapsed time between the first time and the second time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method of adjusting a gastric restriction device configured to restrict a portion of a gastric lumen of a patient comprising:
-
administering a volume of test fluid to a patient, the test fluid comprising a carrier fluid and a magnetically detectable component; measuring the flow rate of the test fluid through the restriction of the gastric lumen using a magnetic sensor device located external to the patient; and adjusting the gastric restriction device to achieve a target flow rate through the restriction. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A method of determining the quantity of fluid within a gastric lumen of the patient comprising:
-
administering a quantity of test fluid to a patient, the test fluid comprising a carrier fluid and a magnetically detectable component; and measuring the quantity of test fluid contained in the gastric lumen using a magnetic sensor device located external to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
-
-
26. A system for determining the flow rate of fluid passing through a restricted portion of a gastric lumen of a patient comprising:
-
at least one transmit coil operatively coupled to an alternating current source; and at least one receive coil configured for detecting a quantity of a magnetically detectable fluid contained in the gastric lumen, the at least one receive coil operatively coupled to a controller configured to output a signal corresponding to the quantity of magnetically detectable fluid contained in at least a portion of the gastric lumen over a period of time. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
-
41-44. -44. (canceled)
Specification