US 5,711,302 AGranted

Disposable transducer with digital processing and readout

AssigneeMerit Medical Systems, Inc.

InventorsFred P. Lampropoulos, Don C. Kartchner, Steven R. Taylor

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Abstract

A self-contained battery operated disposable blood pressure monitor having a semi-conductor transducer therein, the front side of which is intended to be fluid communication with an incompressible fluid in a intracorporeal catheter inserted in the heart of a patient for direct blood pressure monitoring. A calibration port vents the backside of the transducer to calibration and atmospheric pressures. The monitor contains circuitry electrically connected to the transducer which receives electrical signals output by the semi-conductor chip in response to the pressures exerted upon it through the pressure monitoring port. The circuity then electronically processes the signals so as to derive electronic data representing the mean arterial pressure pulse rate, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The circuitry also analyzes the pressure wave forms of the pressure signals detected for poor signals so that it can present a visual diagnostic representative of the problematic pressure condition.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A totally self-contained, disposable pressure monitoring apparatus for monitoring and displaying physiological pressures of a patient that are either essentially constant intracompartmental pressures or cyclic hemodynamic pressures, comprising:

housing means for defining a transducer chamber and comprising a pressure monitoring port means for providing communication of fluid pressures to the transducer chamber;
transducer means, situated in said transducer chamber so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for sensing said fluid pressures and for outputting an electrical signal proportional to said sensed fluid pressures, said transducer means being placed in fluid communication with said pressure monitoring port means;
electronic circuit means, electrically connected to said transducer means and mounted within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for receiving said electrical signals and for electronically processing said signals, said electronic circuit means comprising digital processor means programmed so as to (1) automatically derive electronic data responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that the derived data will represent either the cyclic hemodynamic or essentially constant intracompartmental physiological pressures of the patient, and so as to (2) automatically alter the output of a digital display responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that depending on whether the electronic data represent the cyclic hemodynamic pressures or the essentially constant intracompartmental pressure of the patient;
display means, electrically connected to said electronic circuit means and contained within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for providing a visual display of the physiological pressures of the patient, said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically alter the output of the display so that, in the case of data representing the cyclic hemodynamic pressures, locations are provided on said display for displaying a mean pressure value, a pulse rate value, and systolic and diastolic values, and said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically display, in the case of data representing an essentially constant intracompartmental pressure, only a constant pressure value displayed at each said location;
and
power means, mounted within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for supplying all operational electrical power to said transducer means, said electronic circuit means, and said display means.

3 more elements

A totally self-contained disposable pressure monitoring apparatus for monitoring and displaying physiological pressures of a patient that are either essentially constant intracompartmental pressures or cyclic hemodynamic pressures, comprising:

housing means for defining a transducer chamber and comprising a pressure monitoring port means for providing communication of fluid pressures to the transducer chamber;
transducer means, situated in said transducer chamber so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for sensing said fluid pressures and for outputting an electrical signal proportional to said sensed fluid pressures, said transducer means being placed in fluid communication with said pressure monitoring port means, said transducer means comprising a diaphragm that is flexed in response to the sensed fluid pressures, a front side of the diaphragm disposed over the pressure monitoring port means;
first hermetic sealing means for creating an airtight seal so that the front side of the diaphragm is in fluid communication only with the pressure monitoring port means and the sensed fluid pressures in the fluid passageway;
said housing means further comprising a calibration port means for providing a vent to atmosphere and for providing communication of calibration pressure to the transducer means;
said transducer means further comprising a backside of the diaphragm in fluid communication with the atmospheric or calibration pressures communicated through the calibration port means;
second hermetic sealing means for creating an airtight seal so that the backside of the diaphragm is in fluid communication only with the calibration port means and the atmospheric or calibration pressures communicated therethrough;
electronic circuit means, electrically connected to said transducer means and mounted within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for receiving said electrical signals and for electronically processing said signals, said electronic circuit means comprising digital processor means programmed so as to (1) automatically derive electronic data responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that the derived data will represent either the cyclic hemodynamic or essentially constant intracompartmental physiological pressures of the patient, and so as to (2) automatically alter the output of a digital display responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that depending on whether the electronic data represent the cyclic hemodynamic pressures or the essentially constant intracompartmental pressure of the patient;
display means, electrically connected to said electronic circuit means and contained within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for providing a visual display of the physiological pressures of the patient, said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically alter the output of the display so that, in the case of data representing the cyclic hemodynamic pressures, locations are provided on said display for displaying a mean pressure value, a pulse rate value, and systolic and diastolic values, and said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically display, in the case of data representing an essentially constant intracompartmental pressure, only a constant pressure value displayed at each said location;
and
power means, mounted within said housing means, for supplying all operational electrical power to said transducer means, said electronic circuit means, and said display means.

7 more elements

housing means for defining a transducer chamber and comprising a pressure monitoring port means for providing communication of fluid pressures to the transducer chamber;
a transducer means, situated in said transducer chamber so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for sensing said fluid pressures and outputting an electrical signal proportional to said sensed fluid pressures, said transducer means being placed in fluid communication with said pressure monitoring port means;
electronic circuit means, electrically connected to said transducer means and mounted within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for receiving said electrical signals and for electronically processing said signals so as to (1) automatically derive electronic data responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that the derived data will represent either the cyclic hemodynamic or essentially constant intracompartmental physiological pressures of the patient, and so as to (2) automatically alter the output of a digital display responsive to the electrical signal sensed by said transducer means so that depending on whether the electronic data represent the cyclic hemodynamic pressures or the essentially constant intracompartmental pressure of the patient, said electronic circuit means comprising:
means for amplifying said signal output by the transducer means;
means for converting said amplified signal from an analog to a digital form;
digital processor means for processing said digital form of said signal so as to derive therefrom digital data which represents the monitored physiological pressures;
data memory means for storing the digital data derived by said digital processor means;
and
program memory means for storing machine-readable instructions utilized by said digital processor means to derive, store, retrieve and display said digital data;
and
display means, electrically connected to said electronic circuit means and contained within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, for providing a visual display of the physiological pressures of the patient, said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically alter the output of the display so that, in the case of data representing the cyclic hemodynamic pressures, locations are provided on said display for displaying a mean pressure value, a pulse rate value, and systolic and diastolic values, and said display means responding to said electronic circuit means so as to automatically display, in the case of data representing an essentially constant intracompartmental pressure, only a constant pressure value displayed at each said location;
and
power means, mounted within said housing means, for supplying all operational electrical power to said transducer means, said electronic circuit means, and said display means.

10 more elements

A totally self-contained, disposable pressure monitoring apparatus for monitoring and displaying comprising;

a housing means for defining a transducer chamber and comprising a pressure monitoring port means for providing communication of fluid pressures to the transducer chamber;
a piezoresistive semiconductor transducer, mounted in said transducer chamber so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, in fluid communication with said fluid pressures in the fluid passageway through the pressure monitoring port, said transducer generating an electrical signal proportional to the sensed fluid pressure;
and
a controller mounted within said housing means so as to be totally self-contained within said housing means and disposable therewith, and electrically connected to said transducer, said controller comprising:
means for amplifying said signal output by said transducer;
means for converting said amplified signal from an analog to a digital form;
processor means for processing said digital form of said signal so as to electronically monitor and automatically display either (1) in the case of hemodynamic pressure, a mean pressure value, a pulse rate value, and systolic and diastolic values, or (2) in the case of an essentially constant intracompartmental pressure, only a constant pressure value by performing the steps of:
deriving data from said digital signals which represents a numerical value of either (a) the systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean pressure and pulse rate or an essentially constant pressure value;
electronically storing all said derived data;
and
automatically displaying said numerical values for either said case in a visually perceptible manner to a system user;
data memory means for storing the digital data derived by said digital processor means;
program memory means for storing machine-readable instructions utilized by said digital processor means to perform said steps;
display means for automatically providing in the case of hemodynamic pressure, a mean pressure value, a pulse rate value, and systolic and diastolic values, and, and for automatically providing in the case of an essentially constant intracompartmental pressure, only a constant pressure value;
and
power means for supplying electrical power to said piezoresistive semiconductor transducer and said controller.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.