Gas column pressure monitoring catheters
US6673022B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 18, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jan 6, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 18, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/03
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A catheter has a pressure sensitive bladder at a distal end and a pressure transducer at a proximal end with the proximal end attached to a mammalian body and the bladder inserted within the mammalian body. The bladder partially filled with a gas responds to pressure changes within the body and the pressure transducer senses the changes via gaseous communication with the bladder. In one embodiment, the bladder is inserted in a human brain with the transducer mounted on a bolt affixed to the skull. Initial dissection of the brain tissue is effected by over-inflation of the bladder by a manual piston pump or a blunt ended slender rod. The transducer may be mounted on a bolt inserted within a hole drilled in the skull. An antimicrobial agent may be dispersed from openings in a seal between the bolt and the skull, from a porous seal, or from a ribbed or threaded outer surface of the bolt. In one embodiment, the catheter is inserted through an inner opening in the bolt and a drain may also be inserted through the bolt. In another embodiment, the pressure transducer is attached to the neck or shoulder area of a patient and a flexible catheter connects the transducer to a bladder inserted…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.