Central venous pressure sensor and method to control a fluid or volume overload therapy
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorsElizabeth S. Scheurer, Ramesh Wariar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable system for monitoring a hydration state of a patient and adjusting fluid removal from the patient includes a pressure sensor implantable within an inferior vena cava of the patient and a processor. The pressure sensor senses and generates an output representative of a baseline inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient and chronically senses and generates outputs representative of an inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient. The processor compares differences between the baseline inferior vena caval pressure value and subsequent inferior vena caval pressure values. The processor can reside in another implantable device or in an external device/system.
Claims20
A method of determining a hydration state of a patient comprising:
- measuring a first inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient using a pressure sensor chronically implanted at least partially within a central venous system of the patient;
- chronically measuring a plurality of second inferior vena caval pressure values of the patient at periodic intervals using the pressure sensor;
- remotely transmitting the first and second inferior vena caval pressure values to one or both of an external device and an implant within the patient;
- comparing differences in the first inferior vena caval pressure value to the second inferior vena caval pressure values;
- and
- correlating the differences between the first inferior vena caval pressure value and any one or a plurality of the second inferior vena caval pressure values to the hydration state of the patient.
A method of controlling a fluid or volume overload therapy being administered to a patient comprising:
- sensing and generating an output representative of a baseline inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient before administering the fluid or volume overload therapy using a pressure sensor;
- chronically sensing and generating outputs representative of the inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient during the fluid or volume overload therapy;
- comparing differences between the output representative of the baseline inferior vena caval pressure value and the outputs representative of subsequent inferior vena caval pressure values generated during the fluid or volume overload therapy;
- and
- adjusting the fluid or volume overload therapy based on the differences between the baseline inferior vena caval pressure value and the subsequent inferior vena caval pressure values of the patient during the fluid or volume overload therapy.
An implantable system for monitoring a fluid level of a patient during a volume overload therapy, the implantable system comprising:
- a pressure sensor implantable within a central venous of the patient for sensing and generating an output representative of a baseline inferior vena caval pressure value of the patient and for chronically sensing and generating outputs representative of inferior vena caval pressure values of the patient;
- and
- a processor for comparing differences between the baseline inferior vena caval pressure value and subsequent inferior vena caval pressure values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.