In vivo fluid flow sensor
AssigneeCanary Medical Switzerland AG
InventorsMark A. Adler, Steven Cazarez, Jeffrey M. Gross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are devices, systems, and methods for in vivo monitoring of the flow of a biological fluid in an anatomic structure, such as blood flow through a heart valve (e.g., mitral valve, tricuspid valve, and/or aortic valve) or heart chamber. The disclosed devices, systems, and methods can continuously measure and evaluate blood flow forward and backward at an inlet of a heart valve for determination of heart function or dysfunction and/or in compilation with other monitored data that can be used to measure or predict secondary factors.
Claims20
An implantable sensor device for in vivo monitoring of blood flow in a blood vessel, comprising:
- a first arm configured to attach to a first exterior portion of the blood vessel and a second arm configured to attach to a second exterior portion of the blood vessel;
- a connection apparatus coupled to each of the first arm and the second arm;
- an ultrasound sensor assembly comprising a first ultrasound sensor assembly and a second ultrasound sensor assembly;
- the first ultrasound sensor assembly comprising a first set of one or more acoustic transducer elements coupled to the first arm;
- the second ultrasound sensor assembly comprising a second set of one or more acoustic transducer elements coupled to the second arm;
- wherein one or both of the first set of one or more acoustic transducer elements and the second set of one or more acoustic transducer elements include at least one of a first acoustic transducer element that is configured to transmit an acoustic signal to propagate through the blood vessel or a second acoustic transducer element configured to receive acoustic signals that have propagated through the blood vessel and are indicative of a fluid flow parameter of blood in the blood vessel;
- and
- wherein at least one of the first set or the second set of the one or more acoustic transducer elements includes a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.