TRANSCUTANEOUS TELEMETRY OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID SHUNT PROGRAMMABLE-VALVE PRESSURE USING NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) LIGHT
First Claim
1. In a programmable valve system of the type which is implanted in a medical patient and used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space of the patient to a terminus such as the patient peritoneal cavity;
- said system including means for establishing a flow path for said CSF to said terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of said valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted;
the improvement enabling an observer to be apprised of the actual opening pressure setting of the said valve, comprising;
(a) means implantable at said patient and responsive to said actual opening pressure setting for generating an NIR telemetry signal indicative of said actual setting for transcutaneous transmission through the skin of said patient to an external point; and
(b) means positionable externally of said patient for receiving said telemetry signal at said external point and for producing therefrom observer intelligible data indicating the said actual opening pressure setting of said valve.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improvement for a programmable valve system of the type implanted in a patient and used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space to a terminus such as the peritoneal cavity. Such system includes means for establishing a flow path for the CSF to the terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of the valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted. The improvement enables an operator to be apprised of the actual opening pressure setting of the valve. A sensor is implantable at the patient and responds to the actual opening pressure setting, by generating an NIR telemetry signal indicative of the actual setting. This signal is transcutaneously transmitted through the skin of the patient to an external point. The telemetry signal is processed to produce observer intelligible data indicating the opening pressure setting of the valve.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. In a programmable valve system of the type which is implanted in a medical patient and used to divert cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from an intraventricular space of the patient to a terminus such as the patient peritoneal cavity;
- said system including means for establishing a flow path for said CSF to said terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of said valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted;
the improvement enabling an observer to be apprised of the actual opening pressure setting of the said valve, comprising; (a) means implantable at said patient and responsive to said actual opening pressure setting for generating an NIR telemetry signal indicative of said actual setting for transcutaneous transmission through the skin of said patient to an external point; and (b) means positionable externally of said patient for receiving said telemetry signal at said external point and for producing therefrom observer intelligible data indicating the said actual opening pressure setting of said valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- said system including means for establishing a flow path for said CSF to said terminus, which flow path includes a normally closed valve and means for adjusting the opening pressure of said valve in order to regulate the quantity of CSF diverted;
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11. A system for retrieving the biometric pressure data from a programmable valve implanted in an organism comprising:
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an intracorporeal device sealed within the organism; an extracorporeal device outside the organism; a freespace optical data channel established between the intracorporeal device and the extracorporeal device for communication of the biometric pressure data; a freespace electromagnetic power transmission channel established from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device for transmission of power; and a freespace mechanical power transmission channel established from the extracorporeal device to the intracorporeal device for manipulation of a position of the intracorporeal device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of moving an implanted device in an organism comprising the steps of:
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activating the implanted device through an inductively coupled power source; electromagnetically creating an altered position of the device; and deriving an optical data signal from the altered position; and transmitting it out of the organism. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification