Patent ID: 7959607
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. A fluid delivery device for delivering fluid to an intervertebral disc through a fluid conduit during a discography procedure and monitoring selected parameters of the fluid delivered to the intervertebral disc, said device comprising: a housing including a reservoir for storing the fluid, said housing having a hand-held portion; a manually actuated pump disposed in said housing and configured to pump fluid from said reservoir, said pump including a manual actuator; a discography needle connected to said housing for receiving the fluid discharged by said pump, said discography needle shaped for percutaneous insertion into the intervertebral disc to direct the fluid into the intervertebral disc and having a length of at least 5 cm and an outer diameter of 16 gauge or smaller diameter; a pressure sensor disposed in said housing and positioned to sense the pressure of the fluid discharged by said pump, said pressure sensor producing a pressure signal representative of the sensed pressure; a volume sensor disposed in said housing for sensing a volume of the fluid discharged by said pump, said volume sensor producing a volume signal representative of the volume of fluid discharged by said pump; a controller disposed in said housing and connected to said pressure sensor for receiving the pressure signal and to said volume sensor for receiving the volume signal, said controller configured to: based on the volume signal, determine the cumulative volume of fluid discharged by said pump; and generate output signals representative of the pressure and volume of the fluid discharged by said pump; a display mounted to said housing and in communication with said controller for receiving the output signals representative of the pressure and volume of discharged fluid, said display configured to, based on said controller output signals, display indications of the pressure and volume of fluid discharged by said pump; a battery disposed in said housing for actuating said pressure sensor, said volume sensor, said controller and said display, wherein said housing, including said reservoir, said pump including said actuator, said pressure sensor, said volume sensor, said controller, said display and said battery cumulatively have a weight of 1.5 kilograms or less; and a selectable volume tare switch attached to said housing and in communication with said controller and configured for resetting said value of the volume to zero upon actuation, so that said controller generates an output signal indicating the volume of fluid discharged by said pump after the resetting operation.