Patent ID: 8323244
Filing Date: 2012-12-04
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying the presence of a catheter malfunction in an implanted catheter, the method comprising: measuring pressure of a fluid located within a lumen in a catheter implanted in a patient, wherein the lumen extends to an infusion section that is located at a selected internal delivery site in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient; developing a pressure modulation profile of the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient based on the measured pressure of the fluid in the lumen, wherein developing the pressure modulation profile is based on measuring the pressure of the fluid in the lumen when the fluid is stationary within the lumen; comparing the pressure modulation profile to a selected pressure profile, wherein the selected pressure profile includes a physiological pressure modulation; and determining the existence of a catheter malfunction if the pressure modulation profile does not include a feature of the physiological pressure modulation of the selected pressure profile.