Dual-thermistor thermodilution catheter
AssigneeNova Medical Specialties
InventorsJoseph C. Griffin, James L. Skaggs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for reporting accurate results in thermodilution by single pulmonary arterial catheterization procedures comprises an elongated multilumen catheter having a distally-placed thermistor and proximally-placed thermistor and a plurality of electrical sensing means connected to the thermistors. The proximal thermistor is so positioned as to be substantially totally immersed in the blood-injectate mixture to rapidly and accurately determine the temperature thereof. The use of two thermistors so placed provides highly accurate temperature data requiring substantially no correction.
Claims6
A multilumen catheter for accurate single catheterization thermodilution measurement of cardiac output comprising:
- an elongate multiple lumen catheter body having a distal end and a proximal end;
- manifold means located at the proximal end of said catheter body for separately connecting the lumens of said catheter body to sources of fluid, sources of gas and instrumentation and measuring means;
- a plurality of electrical connection means located in one of said lumens communicating with said instrumentation and measuring means and including at least two thermistors;
- a first one of said thermistors being connected to at least one of said electrical connection means and being located adjacent the exterior surface of the catheter body near the distal end of said catheter body in a manner so as to be capable of sensing the temperature of fluids adjacent said exterior surface;
- at least one other of said thermistors being connected to at least one other of said electrical connection means and located proximally of said first thermistor by means of passage of said one other thermistor and attached electrical connection means from said one lumen containing said plurality of electrical connection means into a second of said lumens at a point adjacent said distally located first thermistor, and said one other thermistor being located at a predetermined locus proximal of said distally located first thermistor and affixed in said second lumen, said one other thermistor accurately sensing the temperature of fluid adapted to be present in said second lumen that is adapted to contact said one other thermistor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.