METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE PRESSURE OF A FLUID IN A SYRINGE, AN ACCESS PORT, A CATHETER, AND A GASTRIC BAND

• US 20110270027A1
• Filed: 05/05/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apollo Endosurgery US, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allergan, Inc. (Canada) (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Snow, Sean, Augarten, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 8,939,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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,

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 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 the accuracy of the pressure data obtained by the pressure sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the valve is a manual valve configured to be manipulated between the open configuration and the closed configuration by a user.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the durable unit comprises:

a microcontroller configured to control the 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.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the disposable unit comprises a data storage coupled to the pressure sensor, the data storage configured to store pressure sensor calibration data.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the durable unit further includes a physical interface configured to receive input from a user to trigger the pressure reading.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the physical interface is a mechanical switch.

7. The system of claim 5 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.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the detector is a switch for sensing whether the valve in the open configuration or the closed configuration.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein the status LED is configured to provide a visual indication of a pressure change.

10. The system of claim 9 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.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the durable unit comprises:

a microcontroller configured to control the 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.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the disposable unit comprises:

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.

13. A single-use syringe pressure accessory for determining a pressure of a fluid in a gastric band for the treatment of obesity, the syringe pressure accessory comprising:

a microcontroller configured to control a pressure determination operation;

a status LED coupled to the microcontroller, the status LED configured to indicate a pressure status;

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

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

an on indicator coupled to the microcontroller, the on indicator configured to indicate a power status;

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

a pressure sensor coupled to the battery, the pressure sensor for obtaining a pressure reading of the fluid; and

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

14. The syringe pressure accessory of claim 13 further comprising a 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 the accuracy of the pressure data obtained by the pressure sensor.

15. 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 durable unit configured to be reusable, the durable unit having a pressure sensor configured to access the fluid path for obtaining pressure data;

a disposable unit disposable after a single use, the disposable unit having a membrane for allowing the pressure sensor of the durable unit to obtain the pressure data; and

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

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the durable unit comprises a fluid conduit configured to provide the fluid path between the needle and the syringe;

and wherein the membrane is coupled to the fluid conduit and the pressure sensor.

17. A syringe pressure accessory system for use in conjunction with a gastric band disposed in a patient for the treatment of obesity, the syringe pressure accessory system comprising:

a syringe having a plunger and a barrel;

a disposable unit coupled at a first end to the barrel of the syringe;

a needle having a tip and a base, the needle further having a channel between the tip and the base for carrying fluid, the base of the needle being coupled to a second end of the disposable unit; and

a display unit coupled to the disposable unit, the display unit including;

a microcontroller configured to control the operation of the display unit;

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

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

a pressure sensor coupled to the on indicator, the pressure sensor fluidly coupled to a fluid path between the needle and the syringe, the pressure sensor for obtaining a pressure reading;

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

a display screen configured to display the obtained pressure reading.

18. The syringe pressure accessory system of claim 17 wherein the pressure sensor is configured to be coupled to the disposable unit via a membrane, the membrane being located between the pressure sensor and a tube.

19. The syringe pressure accessory system of claim 18 wherein the tube is attached on a first end to the pressure sensor and attached on a second end to a fluid conduit, the fluid conduit configured to provide the fluid path between the syringe and the needle.

20. The syringe pressure accessory system of claim 18 wherein the fluid conduit further comprises a valve located between the syringe and the needle, having a open configuration for allowing fluid to flow through the valve and a closed configuration for preventing fluid flow through the valve which isolates the pressure of the fluid and improves the accuracy of the pressure data obtained by the pressure sensor.