Method and system for determining the pressure of a fluid in a syringe, an access port, a catheter, and a gastric band

• US 8,939,888 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apollo Endosurgery US, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Augarten, Mike, Snow, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): MATTHEWS, CHRISTINE HOPKINS
• Application Number:
  US13/101,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 600/37, 600/561, 606/157, 604/909
• US Class Current: 600/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0043 using injection ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0056 using injection ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3125 specific display means, e.g. to indicate dose setting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/486 Indicating injection pressure

Abstract

A method and system for determining pressure in a syringe, and more specifically to a syringe pressure accessory which can be connected to a syringe to determine pressure in a syringe and a gastric band. The syringe pressure accessory can detect a pressure of a syringe and/or a gastric band and digitally display the pressure. The syringe pressure accessory can include a durable unit and a disposable unit. The disposable unit can be disposed of after a single use, while the durable unit can be reused with multiple disposable units. The syringe pressure accessory can also include a syringe attachment unit and one or more display units for a caretaker or a patient. The display unit can be wirelessly connected to the syringe attachment unit to display a pressure chart or the results of various analysis of the pressure data. Markers can be added to the pressure chart.

Claims

1. A system for determining a pressure of a fluid in a gastric band for the treatment of obesity, the system comprising:

a needle having a tip and a base, the needle further having a channel between the tip and the base for carrying the fluid;

a syringe fluidly coupled to the needle, the syringe having a plunger and a barrel; and

a syringe pressure accessory having a first end coupled to the base of the needle and a second end coupled to the barrel of the syringe and providing a fluid path between the syringe and the needle, the syringe pressure accessory including;

a disposable unit disposable after a single use, the disposable unit having a pressure sensor configured to access the fluid path for obtaining pressure data and a data storage coupled to the pressure sensor, the data storage configured to store pressure sensor calibration data,

a durable unit configured to be reusable and coupled to the disposable unit, the durable unit positioned at a location outside the fluid path, the durable unit configured to analyze the obtained pressure data, the durable unit comprising;

a microcontroller configured to control operation of the durable unit;

a status LED coupled to the microcontroller, the status LED configured to indicate a status of the durable unit;

a radio coupled to the microcontroller, the radio configured to send and receive signals between the durable unit and a remote display unit;

an antenna coupled to the radio, the antenna for assisting the radio in sending and receiving the signals between the durable unit and the remote display unit;

an on indicator coupled to the microcontroller, the on indicator configured to indicate whether the durable unit is powered; and

a battery coupled to the microcontroller and the on indicator, the battery configured to power the microcontroller and the indicator, and

a valve located between the syringe and the needle, the valve having an open configuration for allowing the fluid to flow through the valve and a closed configuration for preventing the fluid from flowing through the valve which isolates the pressure of the fluid and improves accuracy of the pressure data obtained by the pressure sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the durable unit further includes a physical interface configured to receive input from a user to trigger a pressure reading.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the physical interface is a mechanical switch.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the valve may further include a detector configured to detect whether the valve is in the open configuration or the closed configuration, the detector further configured to trigger the pressure sensor to begin obtaining the pressure reading when the valve is in the closed configuration.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the detector is a switch for sensing whether the valve in the open configuration or the closed configuration.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the status LED is configured to provide a visual indication of a pressure change.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the status LED provides the visual indication of the pressure change by changing illumination intensity, changing a color or changing a flashing frequency when the pressure change exceeds a predefined threshold.

8. A system for determining a pressure of a fluid in a gastric band for the treatment of obesity, the system comprising:

a needle having a tip and a base, the needle further having a channel between the tip and the base for carrying the fluid;

a syringe fluidly coupled to the needle, the syringe having a plunger and a barrel; and

a syringe pressure accessory having a first end coupled to the base of the needle and a second end coupled to the barrel of the syringe and providing a fluid path between the syringe and the needle, the syringe pressure accessory including;

a disposable unit disposable after a single use, the disposable unit having

a pressure sensor configured to access the fluid path for obtaining pressure data,

a data storage coupled to the pressure sensor, the data storage configured to store pressure sensor calibration data;

a battery coupled to the pressure sensor and the microcontroller, the battery configured to power the microcontroller; and

an on indicator coupled to the microcontroller and the battery, the on indicator configured to indicate whether the disposable unit is powered;

a durable unit comprising;

a microcontroller configured to control operation of the durable unit;

a status LED coupled to the microcontroller, the status LED configured to indicate a status of the durable unit;

a radio coupled to the microcontroller, the radio configured to send and receive signals between the durable unit and a remote display unit; and

an antenna coupled to the radio, the antenna for assisting the radio in sending and receiving the signals between the durable unit and the remote display unit configured to be reusable and coupled to the disposable unit, the durable unit positioned at a location outside the fluid path, the durable unit for analyzing the obtained pressure data, and

a valve located between the syringe and the needle, the valve having an open configuration for allowing the fluid to flow through the valve and a closed configuration for preventing the fluid from flowing through the valve which isolates the pressure of the fluid and improves accuracy of the pressure data obtained by the pressure sensor.