Detection and clearing of occlusions in catheters

A system comprising:

• a catheter in fluid communication with a fluid of a patient's body;
• a shunt in fluid communication with the catheter;
• a detection circuit, comprising one or more wires in electrical communication with the fluid;
• a transmission circuit comprising one or more other wires in electrical communication with the fluid;
• a detection unit, in electrical communication with the detection circuit, monitoring one or more electrical properties of the detection circuit to detect an occlusion in the catheter;
• and
• an external energy source, in electrical communication with the transmission circuit, providing energy to the transmission circuit to remove detected occlusions.

A system comprising:

• a catheter in fluid communication with a fluid of a patient's body;
• a shunt in fluid communication with the catheter;
• a detection circuit in electrical communication with the fluid;
• a transmission circuit in electrical communication with the fluid;
• an electronics interface disposed in the shunt and in electrical communication with the detection circuit, the transmission circuit, or both;
• and
• a probe electrically coupleable to the electronics interface.

A method comprising:

• transmitting a first signal through a detection circuit comprising a detection unit and one or more wires disposed in a catheter and in electrical communication with a fluid in the catheter;
• detecting a change in one or more electrical properties of the detection circuit indicating an occlusion;
• and
• transmitting a second signal from an external energy source to the one or more wires disposed in the catheter to remove the occlusion.