Apparatus and method for removing obstructions in bodily organs or cavities
First Claim
1. Apparatus for removal of a soluble obstruction in a bodily organ or cavity, comprising:
- source reservoir means for containing a fluid capable of dissolving said obstruction;
first and second fluid conduits attached to and forming a fluid circuit with said reservoir means and said organ or cavity and providing fluid communication between said reservoir means and said organ or cavity;
pump means associated with each of said conduits to move said fluid in said conduits around said circuit;
means for detecting and measuring fluid pressure in said organ or cavity, said means adapted to classify said pressure as high, normal or low according to predetermined physiological criteria; and
means operatively connecting said means for detecting and measuring pressure and each of said pump means and responsive to said organ or cavity fluid pressure to cause said pump means to maintain forward fluid flow at low and normal pressure and to decrease or reverse fluid flow at high pressure.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fully automatic organ pressure sensitive apparatus for dislodging and removing obstructions in bodily cavities or organs by both delivering and removing fluid thereto, operable by high rate continuous or intermittent infusion of fluid solvent over a set pressure range to effect rapid dissolution and removal of the obstruction without complications to the patient. By continuous feedback monitoring of fluid pressure in the bodily organ or cavity of interest, the apparatus can constantly vary infusion and aspiration rates to maintain the set passages range. If the pressure persists above or below the set range, the apparatus activates a safety feature leading to a period of maximal aspiration and cessation of infusion, followed by cessation of solvent transfer and triggering of an alarm to alert the operator.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. Apparatus for removal of a soluble obstruction in a bodily organ or cavity, comprising:
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source reservoir means for containing a fluid capable of dissolving said obstruction; first and second fluid conduits attached to and forming a fluid circuit with said reservoir means and said organ or cavity and providing fluid communication between said reservoir means and said organ or cavity; pump means associated with each of said conduits to move said fluid in said conduits around said circuit; means for detecting and measuring fluid pressure in said organ or cavity, said means adapted to classify said pressure as high, normal or low according to predetermined physiological criteria; and means operatively connecting said means for detecting and measuring pressure and each of said pump means and responsive to said organ or cavity fluid pressure to cause said pump means to maintain forward fluid flow at low and normal pressure and to decrease or reverse fluid flow at high pressure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for removing a soluble obstruction in a bodily organ or cavity, comprising:
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inserting a catheter into said organ or cavity, said catheter having at least two fluid conduits each communicating with source and receiver reservoir means for containing a fluid suitable for dissolving said obstruction, said catheter, reservoir means and conduits forming a fluid circuit; providing a pump in each of said conduits for moving said fluid through said conduits between said reservoir and said organ or cavity; detecting and measuring fluid pressure in said organ or cavity, said pressure being classified as high, normal or low according to predetermined physiological criteria; causing said pumps by means responsive to said high, normal or low pressure to produce forward fluid flow in said circuit when said pressure is low or normal and to halt or reverse said fluid flow when said pressure is high, said fluid thus at normal or low pressure contacting and dissolving said obstruction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Apparatus for removal of gallstones from the gallbladder, comprising:
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a reservoir for containing fluid capable of dissolving gallstones; first and second fluid conduits each having one end communicating with said reservoir and another end communicating with the gallbladder; pump means comprising first and second pumps operatively associated respectively with said first and second conduits for moving said fluid in said first conduit in the infusion direction from said reservoir into the gallbladder, and for moving said fluid in said second conduit in the aspiration direction from the gallbladder to said reservoir; whereby, by simultaneous infusion and aspiration, continuous withdrawal of said fluid after exposure to said gallstones can be maintained at a substantial rate over prolonged periods; said apparatus including a control system for selectively inhibiting infusion, said control system including means for continuously monitoring pressure within said gallbladder, means for determining the relationship of said pressure with respect to a desired range based on predetermined physiological criteria, and means for selectively inhibiting infusion in response to said pressure being above said desired range. - View Dependent Claims (19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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20. In a gallstone removal apparatus which includes a liquid transfer system for introducing liquid solvent to and removing said liquid solvent from the gallbladder of a living patient via a catheter in a manner to cause the gallstone to disintegrate and be removed with the liquid;
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the improvement wherein the liquid transfer system includes a control system comprising a controller and means for continuously determining and supplying to the controller the actual liquid pressure within the gallbladder during the treatment; said controller having means to receive from the attending operator a pressure setting related to the predetermined pressure at which flow of the solvent out of the gallbladder into other parts of the body may occur and said controller being responsive to actual sensed gallbladder pressure to cause pump means to automatically reduce the quantity of solvent within said gallbladder upon the occurrence of actual gallbladder pressure in excess of a high pressure value based upon said setting, thereby preventing release of said solvent into the body. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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- 34. In a method of removing gallstones from the gallbladder of a patient by infusion and aspiration of a solvent, the steps of inputting into a control system a predetermined pressure value for the respective patient representing the pressure at which leakage from the gallbladder into other parts of the body may occur, infusing and aspirating the solvent into and out of the gallbladder, monitoring the actual fluid pressure within the gallbladder and, with said control system, in response to actual pressure approaching said predetermined value, stopping the infusion and aspirating solvent from the patient.
Specification