System including an implantable device and methods of use for determining blood pressure and other blood parameters of a living being
First Claim
1. A blood pressure monitoring system, said system arranged to be used in a living being, the being having a blood vessel in which blood flows and which exhibits a pressure, said system being arranged for monitoring the blood pressure within the blood vessel of the living being and comprising a passive sensor unit and an associated energy application unit, said sensor unit being adapted to be implanted within the body of the being, said energy application unit being adapted to be located externally of the body of the being for wireless transmission of energy waves to said sensor unit, said sensor unit being constructed to at least partially surround the wall of the blood vessel to cause a first portion of the blood vessel to assume a flat shape and to enable the flat shaped portion of the blood vessel to move to a position in response to the blood pressure within the blood vessel, said sensor unit operating in response to said energy applied to said sensor unit by said externally located energy application unit to provide a wireless output signal indicative of the position of the flat shaped portion of the blood vessel, whereupon the blood pressure within the blood vessel may be determined.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for monitoring blood pressure within a blood vessel of a living being. The system includes an implantable sensor unit and an associated externally located energy application transceiver. The sensor unit is in the form of a housing including a movable deflection member and a tuned circuit including an inductor coil and a capacitor. The housing surrounds the wall of the blood vessel and includes a wall portion arranged to flatten a portion of the periphery of the blood vessel. The deflection member extends through a slot in the wall portion of the housing for engagement with only the flattened portion of the blood vessel to move in response to the pressure applied to the flattened portion of the blood vessel by the blood. The deflection member includes a ferrite core. The ferrite core is arranged to move with respect to the coil in response to the movement of the deflection member, thereby changing the inductance of the tuned circuit. Electrical energy is provided from the transceiver unit to energize the tuned circuit of the sensor unit, which when energized provides a wireless electrical output signal representative of pressure changes within the blood vessel back to the transceiver. Since the deflection member only engages the flattened portion of the blood vessel the electrical output signal is linear with respect to blood pressure.
265 Citations
27 Claims
- 1. A blood pressure monitoring system, said system arranged to be used in a living being, the being having a blood vessel in which blood flows and which exhibits a pressure, said system being arranged for monitoring the blood pressure within the blood vessel of the living being and comprising a passive sensor unit and an associated energy application unit, said sensor unit being adapted to be implanted within the body of the being, said energy application unit being adapted to be located externally of the body of the being for wireless transmission of energy waves to said sensor unit, said sensor unit being constructed to at least partially surround the wall of the blood vessel to cause a first portion of the blood vessel to assume a flat shape and to enable the flat shaped portion of the blood vessel to move to a position in response to the blood pressure within the blood vessel, said sensor unit operating in response to said energy applied to said sensor unit by said externally located energy application unit to provide a wireless output signal indicative of the position of the flat shaped portion of the blood vessel, whereupon the blood pressure within the blood vessel may be determined.
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13. A method for monitoring the blood pressure within a blood vessel of a living being, the being having a blood vessel in which blood flows and which exhibits a pressure, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing an energy application unit located externally of the body of the being; (b) implanting a sensor unit within the body of the being to engage a portion of the blood vessel to cause the portion of the blood vessel to assume a flat shape, while allowing the flat shaped portion of the blood vessel to move to a position in response to the blood pressure within the blood vessel of the being; and (c) monitoring the movement of said flat shaped portion of the blood vessel in response to energy applied wirelessly from outside the body of the being. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification