Implantable device for estimating glucose levels
First Claim
1. An implantable device for estimating the glucose level by measuring the osmotic pressure due to glucose, characterized in that it comprises:
- a first measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a first glucose-hemipermeable membrane, said first chamber cooperating with a first pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure,a second measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a second membrane permeable to glucose and non-permeable to molecules larger than glucose, this second chamber cooperating with a second pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of the measured pressure, andmeans associated with said first and second pressure sensors for providing through the difference between the measured pressures, an accurate estimation of the osmotic pressure due solely to glucose and, consequently, of the glucose level.
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Abstract
An implantable device which comprises two measurement chambers each of which comprises an internal measurement chamber insulated from its surroundings by a glucose-hemipermeable membrane for the first measurement chamber, and by a glucose-permeable membrane which is impermeable to molecules larger than glucose for the second measurement chamber, connected to a pressure sensor for each of the measurement chambers, and linked to an electronic system provided for informing the environment outside the organism of the value of the pressure measured in each of the two measurement chambers and, therefore, of the glucose level.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An implantable device for estimating the glucose level by measuring the osmotic pressure due to glucose, characterized in that it comprises:
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a first measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a first glucose-hemipermeable membrane, said first chamber cooperating with a first pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure, a second measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a second membrane permeable to glucose and non-permeable to molecules larger than glucose, this second chamber cooperating with a second pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of the measured pressure, and means associated with said first and second pressure sensors for providing through the difference between the measured pressures, an accurate estimation of the osmotic pressure due solely to glucose and, consequently, of the glucose level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An implantable device for estimating the glucose level by measuring the osmotic pressure due to glucose, characterized in that it comprises:
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a first measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a first glucose-hemipermeable membrane, said first chamber cooperating with a first pressure sensor, which is turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure, a second measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a second membrane permeable to glucose and non-permeable to molecules larger than glucose, this second chamber cooperating with a second pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure, and means associated with said first and second pressure sensors for providing through the difference between the measured pressures, an accurate estimation of the osmotic pressure due solely to glucose and, consequently, of the glucose level, wherein the first and second membranes are each stiffened by a third perforated membrane of low elasticity, and each of the measuring chambers contains macromolecules, the concentration of which is selected according to the values of the osmotic pressures which are to be measured and to the optimal operational range of the first and second pressure sensors. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. An implantable device for estimating the glucose level by measuring the osmotic pressure due to glucose, characterized in that it comprises:
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a first measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a first glucose-hemipermeable membrane, said first chamber cooperating with a first pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure, a second measuring chamber insulated from the surrounding medium by a second membrane permeable to glucose and non-permeable to molecules larger than glucose, this second chamber cooperating with a second pressure sensor, which in turn is connected to an electronic system for transmitting information pertaining to the value of a measured pressure, and means associated with said first and second pressure sensors for providing through the difference between the measured pressures, an accurate estimation of the osmotic pressure due solely to glucose and, consequently, of the glucose level, wherein the first and second membranes are each stiffened by a third perforated membrane of low elasticity, and each of the measuring chambers contains macromolecules, the concentration of which is selected according to the values of the osmotic pressures which are to be measured and to the optimal operational range of the first and second pressure sensors, wherein the electronic system connected to the first and second pressure sensors is a LC-type resonant passive system, the resonance frequency of which varies as a function of the pressure which is measured, the value of this pressure being determined by a magnetically coupled variable oscillator, and each of the first and second pressure sensors is made of photolithographically machined silicon.
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Specification