MULTIPURPOSE CEREBROSPINAL FLUID SENSOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF OPERATION OF THE SAME
First Claim
1. A shunt monitoring system for use with cerebrospinal fluid drainage systems in a patient, the shunt monitoring system comprising:
- a flow channel disposed through the system in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is optically analyzed by a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise;
a pressure sensor for measuring the intracranial pressure (ICP) of the patient;
a glucose sensor; and
a temperature sensor;
an integrated memory chip for archiving recorded sensor data disposed in the system and coupled to the suite of sensors;
an integrated wireless radio transmitter coupled to the integrated memory chip; and
a battery coupled to the suite of sensors, the wireless radio transmitter, and the integrated memory chip.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monitoring device for the detection of obstructions in real time through the collection of pressure data from an on-board pressure sensor. This system is designed to integrate into medical devices equipped with a CSF drainage system, such as implantable shunts. CSF analysis data can be transmitted in real-time wirelessly to a physician or can be stored on-board in a memory card and retrieved wirelessly at a later time. Information from the CSF sensors can be used by physicians to monitor CSF conditions known to cause shunt malfunction/obstruction such as elevated protein concentrations, evidence of an on-going or recent hemorrhage such as presence of heme proteins, and concentrations of administered medications/drugs over time. It can be used to monitor for CSF infections, in which increased pressure, increased temperature, CSF high protein and low glucose, would be suggestive of CSF infections.
8 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A shunt monitoring system for use with cerebrospinal fluid drainage systems in a patient, the shunt monitoring system comprising:
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a flow channel disposed through the system in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is optically analyzed by a plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise; a pressure sensor for measuring the intracranial pressure (ICP) of the patient; a glucose sensor; and a temperature sensor; an integrated memory chip for archiving recorded sensor data disposed in the system and coupled to the suite of sensors; an integrated wireless radio transmitter coupled to the integrated memory chip; and a battery coupled to the suite of sensors, the wireless radio transmitter, and the integrated memory chip. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12)
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2. The monitoring system of claim 0 where the monitoring system comprises means for being used in a conventional shunt system and is coupled to a distal catheter of the shunt system and is implanted into the peritoneum of the patient.
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3. The monitoring system of claim 0 where the plurality of sensors monitor the CSF of the patient in real-time and in-vivo.
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10. The monitoring system of claim 0 where the plurality of sensors, the flow channel, the integrated memory chip, and the battery are comprised of sterilized and biocompatible materials.
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11. The monitoring system of claim 0 where the integrated wireless radio transmitter comprises means for communicating data wirelessly with an external processing unit.
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13. The monitoring system of claim 0 further comprising an alarm circuit coupled to the suite of sensors for generating warning or alarm signals.
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14. A method for monitoring a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage system in a patient comprising:
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directing a flow of CSF through a flow channel; measuring a plurality of physical parameters of the CSF using a plurality of sensors disposed within the flow channel; recording the measured parameters in an integrated memory chip coupled to the plurality of sensors; and transmitting the recorded parameters wirelessly to an external processing unit. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for monitoring the response to a pharmacological therapy performed on a patient comprising:
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performing the pharmacological therapy to the patient; measuring a plurality of physical parameters of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the patient; and analyzing the measured parameters of the CSF and its constituent concentrations. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification