SHUNTCHECK, INC.;Frederick J. Fritz;Marek Swoboda;Mark E. Mattiucci;Matias G. Hochman
发明人:
Frederick J. Fritz,Marek Swoboda,Mark E. Mattiucci,Matias G. Hochman
申请号：
US14648358
公开号：
US10499816B2
申请日:
2013.11.26
申请国别(地区):
US
年份:
2019
代理人:
摘要：
An apparatus and method that utilizes thermal dilution to detect a wide range of flow rates and/or flow status in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt systems. The use of a large cold source in combination with thermosensor pad of a particular construction provide a fluid flow analyzer with the ability to detect very low levels of CSF flow. In addition, a method for adjusting thermal dilution readings to compensate for varying shunt catheter depth is shown and for determining a steady state of the thermal dilution readings. The thermosensor pad is conformable to a patient's skin contour thereby making the apparatus and method less sensitive to ambient temperature errors and, as a result, more accurate in assessing CSF flow. Furthermore, a software error check is provided for identifying poor sensor-to-skin contact for alerting an operator to re-apply the thermosensor pad to correct, as well as a post-test check to determine if temperature data is reasonable before determining flow status or flow rate.
