IMPLANTABLE PRESSURE MEASURING UNIT AND CONFIGURATION FOR INTERNAL PRESSURE MEASUREMENT IN A BLOOD VESSEL

• US 20090048524A1
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Biotronik VI Patent AG (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Biotronik VI Patent AG (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: WILDAU, Hans-Jurgen, Diebold, Michael, Harder, Claus, Lippert, Michael, Czygan, Gerald, Schmitz-Rode, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/190,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20090048524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/486
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0257 using atmospheric pressure
• 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 5/02156 Calibration means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02158 provided with two or more sensor elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6862 Stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6876 Blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6882 Anchoring means

Abstract

Implantable pressure measuring unit for internal pressure measurement in a blood vessel or heart of a patient, having a pressure sensor having electrical signal output, fixing means adapted to the intended measurement location for fixing the pressure sensor, a power supply unit of the pressure sensor, a signal detection unit connected by a line to the signal output of the pressure sensor, and a transmitting unit connected to a measurement data output of the signal detection unit, in particular for wireless transmission of measurement data to an analysis unit, in particular outward from the patient body.

Claims

1. An implantable pressure measuring unit (3, 7;

3′

) for measurement of internal pressure in a blood vessel or heart of a patient (P), comprising;

a pressure sensor (17;

17.1, 17.2) having an electrical signal output;

a fixing means (23;

24) adapted to fix the pressure sensor at an intended measurement location;

a power supply unit (29) of the pressure sensor;

a signal detection unit (31) connected to the electrical signal output of the pressure sensor by a line; and

,

a transmitting unit (37) connected to a measurement data output of the signal detection unit, wherein the transmitting unit is configured for wireless transmission of measurement data to an analysis unit (11) outside of a patient'"'"'s body.

2. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means comprises a flow guiding means situated on a pressure sensor body wherein

the flow guiding means is configured to bloodstream-induced dynamically center the pressure sensor in a blood vessel or heart, or,

the pressure sensor is configured to favorable flow bloodstream-induced center the pressure sensor in a blood vessel or heart.

3. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means have

vascular wall supports (24) that elastically project or are spreadable from a pressure sensor body (13),

a support spiral or helix, or,

a vascular wall anchor for introduction into a wall of a blood vessel or heart, on a branch section.

4. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means comprises a stent (23) connected to a pressure sensor body (13).

5. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means (23, 24) are dimensioned to fix the pressure sensor in a pulmonary artery (PA).

6. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor (17) is removably (21) connected to the fixing means (23) in such a way that the pressure sensor may be pulled out of the blood vessel while the fixing means remain therein.

7. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor (17) is permanently connected to the fixing means (23) in such a way that it may be explanted together with the fixing means with little injury, in that the fixing means may be detached easily from a wall, or from tissue.

8. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 7, wherein the fixing means (23) that are permanently connected to the pressure sensor are implemented as active, retractable, or unscrewable fixing means.

9. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 7, wherein the fixing means (23) that are permanently connected to the pressure sensor are shaped as passive fixing means that project from a pressure sensor body, wherein the fixing means may be folded in.

10. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the signal detection unit (31) has a separate housing (7) which is implemented for implantation remotely from the pressure sensor, outside a blood vessel or heart.

11. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 10, wherein the separate housing (7) of the signal detection unit (31) receives the power supply unit (29) of the pressure sensor (17;

17.1, 17.2) and a power supply line connection (5) is provided between the power supply unit and the pressure sensor.

12. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 10, further comprising:

a control unit (41) configured to control the pressure sensor and transmitting unit; and

,

optionally, wherein the power supply is provided in the separate housing (7) of the signal detection unit (3 1).

13. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 10, wherein the separate housing is the housing of an implantable therapy device, or a cardiac stimulation device.

14. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit configured to control the pressure sensor and transmitting unit and wherein the power supply unit, signal detection unit, transmitting unit, and the control unit are received in a pressure sensor body; and

,

optionally, wherein the power supply is received in the pressure sensor body.

15. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a preprocessing unit (33) configured to preprocess a measured value;

a measured value buffer memory (35) configured to internally buffering the measured value; and

,

wherein the preprocessing unit and measured value buffer memory are connected downstream from the signal detection unit (3 1).

16. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the pressure sensor (17;

17.1, 17.2) comprises a coating which inhibits endothelialization; and

,

optionally, the fixing means (23, 24) comprise a coating which inhibits endothelialization.

17. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit (29) has a primary or secondary element.

18. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit comprises an energy receiving unit for wireless energy supply from outside the patient'"'"'s body, in particular for wireless charging of a secondary element in the power supply.

19. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor (17.2) configured to measure an additional variable in the patient'"'"'s body.

20. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 19, wherein the second sensor comprises a further pressure sensor (17.2) in a Prandtl tube configuration with the pressure sensor (17.1) wherein the pressure sensor and further pressure sensor are configured to obtain a flow velocity signal.

21. The implantable pressure measuring unit according to claim 19, further comprising a temperature sensor (18) configured to determine a temperature of blood and/or for temperature compensation of a pressure measurement signal.

22. A configuration (1) for measurement of internal pressure in a blood vessel (PA) or heart of a patient (P), having an implantable pressure measuring unit (3, 7;

3′

) according to claim 1 further comprising;

an analysis unit (11) implemented for extracorporeal placement, which has an external telemetry unit (43) for measurement data connection; and

,

optionally, a control signal connection from the analysis unit to the transmitting unit (37) of the pressure measuring unit.

23. The configuration according to claim 22, wherein the analysis unit (11) has an atmospheric pressure sensor (57) and a pressure compensation unit (55) wherein the analysis unit is configured to calculate an internal pressure value corrected for atmospheric pressure.

24. The configuration according to claim 22, wherein the analysis unit (11) has a temperature compensation unit (55), connected to the pressure sensor (17;

17.1, 17.2) and a temperature sensor (18) of the implantable pressure measuring unit (3, 7;

3′

), wherein the analysis unit is configured to calculate an internal pressure value compensated for blood temperature.

25. The configuration according to claim 22, wherein the analysis unit (11) has a secondary variable analysis unit connected to the pressure sensor (17;

17. 1) and/or further sensors (17.2;

18) of the implantable pressure measuring unit.

26. The configuration according to claim 25, wherein the secondary variable analysis unit is implemented to determine a beat volume and/or an ejection power of a right ventricle by pulse shape analysis of a pressure measurement signal of the implantable pressure measuring unit.