Self adjusting hydrocephalus valve
First Claim
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1. A self adjusting hydrocephalus valve for regulating cerebrospinal fluid in a patient, comprising:
- a housing enclosing therein a chamber that is able to permit fluid flow therethrough,an inlet port in fluid communication with the chamber to accommodate passage of fluid into the chamber, and an outlet port in fluid communication with the chamber to accommodate passage of fluid out of the chamber; and
a valve mechanism disposed within the housing for regulating the rate of fluid flow through the chamber, the valve mechanism including a valve seat adjacent to an opening in the inlet port, a blocking member configured to seat in the valve seat, and a biasing element for exerting a biasing force against the blocking member to selectively maintain the blocking member against the valve seat and prevent fluid flow therethrough, the biasing element being configured to respond to a pressure difference within the valve;
wherein the biasing element has a self-adjusting, damped resistance to allow fluid release at a rate which is proportional to an average pressure difference over time, the biasing element configured to accommodate passage of fluid from the inlet port to the chamber without passage through the biasing element.
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Abstract
A self adjusting hydrocephalus valve that continuously drains cerebrospinal fluid at a rate which is proportional to the average pressure difference across the valve. The valve employs a ball-in-cone mechanism having an associated biasing element that is insensitive to high frequency pressure variations for regulating the opening of the valve mechanism. The biasing element includes flexible bellows having a preset tension.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A self adjusting hydrocephalus valve for regulating cerebrospinal fluid in a patient, comprising:
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a housing enclosing therein a chamber that is able to permit fluid flow therethrough, an inlet port in fluid communication with the chamber to accommodate passage of fluid into the chamber, and an outlet port in fluid communication with the chamber to accommodate passage of fluid out of the chamber; and a valve mechanism disposed within the housing for regulating the rate of fluid flow through the chamber, the valve mechanism including a valve seat adjacent to an opening in the inlet port, a blocking member configured to seat in the valve seat, and a biasing element for exerting a biasing force against the blocking member to selectively maintain the blocking member against the valve seat and prevent fluid flow therethrough, the biasing element being configured to respond to a pressure difference within the valve; wherein the biasing element has a self-adjusting, damped resistance to allow fluid release at a rate which is proportional to an average pressure difference over time, the biasing element configured to accommodate passage of fluid from the inlet port to the chamber without passage through the biasing element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification