System and method for detecting abnormal medicament pump fluid pressure

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing an indication of abnormal upstream fluid pressure, abnormal downstream fluid pressure, and/or abnormal differential upstream versus downstream fluid pressures for a medicament pump that is implantable within a person's body and has a pressurized source of fluid. The system includes upstream and downstream fluid pressure sensors, which could be commercially available strain gauges attached to, or incorporated into, the wall of the inlet tubing and the wall of the outlet tubing, respectively, for sensing the amount of deformation of the tubing walls as a result of fluid pressure changes. Fluid source overpressurization could be indicated, via activation of an alarm, based upon detection of either: abnormally high upstream fluid pressure; or the difference between the upstream fluid pressure and the downstream fluid pressure exceeding a predetermined range of acceptable values. Pump outlet tube occlusion could be indicated, via activation of an alarm, based upon detection of either: abnormally high downstream fluid pressure; or the difference between the upstream fluid pressure and the downstream fluid pressure being less than a predetermined range of acceptable values. Even when the differential pressure is within an acceptable range of values, the inlet and outlet pressure values can be used to distinguish between (1) normal conditions at both the inlet and outlet; and (2) abnormal conditions at both the inlet and outlet that can not be detected differentially, such as simultaneous overpressurization at both the inlet and outlet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.