Cerebrospinal Fluid Evaluation Systems
First Claim
1. An apparatus for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt applied to the body of a patient for transmitting said CSF between first and second locations of said body, said apparatus comprising:
- a pad that is placed against the skin of a patient over the location of the CSF shunt, said pad comprising a pair of temperature sensors that are aligned in a first direction to form an upstream temperature sensor and a downstream temperature sensor with respect to the shunt, said pad further comprising a third temperature sensor that is not aligned in said first direction, each of said temperature sensors generating respective temperature data; and
a sensor processing device that is electrically coupled to said pad for receiving temperature data from each of said temperature sensors, said sensor processing device using said temperature data to determine a flow rate or flow status of said CSF through said shunt when a temperature source is applied to said pad.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and devices for testing for the presence, absence and/or rate of flow in a shunt tubing implanted under the skin by using a measurement pad having a plurality of temperature sensor configurations, or by using other temperature sensor arrangements, or by using a temperature sensitive material, which are positioned over, or in the vicinity of, the CSF shunt in substantially an upstream and downstream orientation. A temperature source, e.g., a cooling agent, is then applied at a predetermined location with respect to the measurement pad that is insulated from the temperature sensors, or to the temperature sensitive material. The movement of this temperature “pulse” is detected by the temperature sensors, or temperature sensitive material, via the shunt tubing as the CSF carries the temperature pulse while a control sensor detects the pulse via convection through the skin. The temperature data from these sensors are provided to a CSF analyzer that subtracts the control sensor data from each of the other sensors for determining a CSF shunt flow status or flow rate. A reader is used to optically or electrically detect the changes in the temperature sensitive material for determining a CSF shunt flow status or flow rate.
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Citations
108 Claims
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1. An apparatus for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt applied to the body of a patient for transmitting said CSF between first and second locations of said body, said apparatus comprising:
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a pad that is placed against the skin of a patient over the location of the CSF shunt, said pad comprising a pair of temperature sensors that are aligned in a first direction to form an upstream temperature sensor and a downstream temperature sensor with respect to the shunt, said pad further comprising a third temperature sensor that is not aligned in said first direction, each of said temperature sensors generating respective temperature data; and a sensor processing device that is electrically coupled to said pad for receiving temperature data from each of said temperature sensors, said sensor processing device using said temperature data to determine a flow rate or flow status of said CSF through said shunt when a temperature source is applied to said pad. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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16. An apparatus for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt applied to the body of a patient for transmitting said CSF between first and second locations of said body, said apparatus comprising:
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a pad that is placed against the skin of a patient over the location of the CSF shunt, said pad comprising a pair of temperature sensors that are aligned in a first direction, one of said temperature sensors being positioned over the CSF shunt while said other temperature sensor is not positioned over the CSF shunt, each of said temperature sensors generating respective temperature data; and a sensor processing device that is electrically coupled to said pad for receiving temperature data from each of said temperature sensors, said sensor processing device using said temperature data to determine a flow rate or flow status of said CSF through said shunt when a temperature source is applied to said pad. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt, said method comprising:
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applying a pair of temperature sensors against the skin aligned with the CSF shunt to form an upstream temperature sensor and a downstream temperature sensor while simultaneously applying a third temperature sensor against the skin in the vicinity of the CSF shunt but not over the shunt; applying a temperature source over the CSF shunt and upstream of said pair of temperature sensors for a predetermined period; collecting temperature data after said predetermined period of time has elapsed; subtracting temperature data of said third temperature sensor from each of the temperature data from said pair of temperature sensors to form first and second temperature differences respectively; and determining a flow rate or flow status of the CSF through the shunt from said first and second temperature differences. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt, said method comprising:
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applying first and second temperature sensors against the skin wherein said first temperature sensor is positioned over the CSF shunt and the second temperature sensor is applied against the skin in the vicinity of the CSF shunt but not over the shunt; applying a temperature source over the CSF shunt and upstream of said first temperature sensor for a predetermined period; collecting temperature data after said predetermined period of time has elapsed; subtracting temperature data of said second temperature sensor from the temperature data of said first temperature sensor to form a temperature difference; and determining a flow rate or flow status of the CSF through the shunt from said temperature difference. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt applied to the body of a patient for transmitting said CSF between first and second locations of said body, comprising:
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applying a first temperature sensor at a first location external to said body in a vicinity of the CSF shunt and applying a second temperature sensor at a second location external to said body and under which the CSF shunt is located, said first location being upstream of said second location; applying a control temperature sensor at a third location under which the CSF shunt is not located but which is aligned with said second temperature sensor, said control temperature sensor providing temperature correction signals representative of a temperature of said exterior of the body; applying a temperature source directly to said first temperature sensor; determining a flow rate or flow status of said CSF through said shunt to provide a determined CSF flow rate or flow status; and adjusting said determined CSF flow rate in accordance with said temperature correction signals to provide a CSF flow rate corrected in accordance with said background temperature. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
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65. An apparatus for evaluating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow rate or flow status in a CSF shunt applied to the body of a patient for transmitting said CSF between first and second locations of said body, said apparatus comprising:
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a first temperature sensor, positioned at a first location external to the body and in the vicinity of the CSF shunt and providing first temperature outputs; a second temperature sensor, positioned at a second location external to the body and under which the CSF shunt is located and providing second temperature outputs, said second location being downstream of said first location; a control temperature sensor, positioned at a third location external to the body and aligned with said second temperature sensor for providing temperature correction signals representative of a temperature of the exterior of the body and forming third temperature outputs; a sensor processing unit, in communication with said first and second temperature sensors and with said control temperature sensor, said sensor processing unit using said first through said third temperature outputs for determining a flow rate or flow status of said CSF through said shunt when a temperature source is applied directly to said first temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68)
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69. A device for detecting or quantifying fluid flow in a subcutaneous tube of a subject, said device comprising a temperature sensitive material having properties that change with temperature, said temperature sensitive material being applied to the skin of the subject over the subcutaneous tube;
- and wherein a temperature change, applied to the skin at an upstream location of the subcutaneous tube, alters a property of said temperature sensitive material when it arrives at said material, said temperature sensitive material providing a correlation between the property change and flow status or flow rate.
- View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94)
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95. A method for detecting or quantifying fluid flow in a subcutaneous tube of a subject, said method comprising:
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applying a temperature sensitive material having properties that change with temperature, to the skin of the subject over the subcutaneous tube; applying a temperature source to the skin of the subject at an upstream location with respect to said temperature sensitive material; and correlating changes in properties of said temperature sensitive material with different flow rates for indicating flow status or flow rate. - View Dependent Claims (93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108)
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Specification