Patent ID: 6394977
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: A61M,G01L

Abstract:
A syringe system for inflating a balloon-tipped catheter comprising:a syringe comprising a barrel and a plunger selectively operable to increase or decrease fluid pressures by inserting the plunger into the barrel to expel fluid into the catheter or by retracting the plunger to permit reentry of fluid into the barrel from the catheter, respectively; a housing well defining a port on the barrel of the syringe; and a removable pressure gauge comprising: a housing which includes a neck portion that removably mates with said housing well of the syringe, the neck portion holding a transducer with a diaphragm disposed across the neck portion and which encloses the bottom of the housing while permitting fluid within the syringe barrel to be communicated through said port to the diaphragm disposed within said neck portion to detect pressures of the fluid within the syringe barrel, the housing further including a transparent window which encloses the top of the housing; and wherein the housing contains within it: a graduated dial that represents in discrete increments a plurality of pressures and a pointer for indicating pressure by pointing to a particular one of the increments; a stepper motor connected to the pointer and which drives the pointer in discrete increments corresponding to the increments on the dial; a microprocessor connected to the transducer and programmed so that pressures detected by the transducer are converted to digital signals used to control movement of the pointer by means of the stepper motor; and a battery connected to the transducer, microprocessor and the stepper motor to supply electrical energy to each.