Patent ID: 8343139

Claim:
A system for relieving fluid pressure from a body cavity of a patient comprising a drainage catheter for insertion into the body cavity, said catheter having an outlet end and an inlet end including at least one drainage aperture, said inlet end adapted to be inserted into the cavity at a predetermined position within the cavity with said outlet end extending from the body cavity, a one-way pressure-responsive valve that opens when the differential between atmospheric pressure and the pressure within the body cavity exceeds a predetermined difference and closes when said differential is less than said predetermined difference, said valve having an outlet and an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet end of the drainage catheter to permit pressure-regulated flow of fluid from the body cavity through the catheter, said outlet of the pressure-responsive valve being at substantially atmospheric pressure and the inlet of the pressure-responsive valve being at the pressure within the body cavity, a reservoir having an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the pressure-responsive valve so as to receive the fluid that passes therethrough, and a mounting member adapted to be detachably coupled to the patient nearby the body cavity, said drainage catheter, pressure-responsive valve, and reservoir being configured to be attached to the mounting member in predetermined fixed positions relative to each other where the inlet end of the drainage catheter, the inlet and outlet of the pressure-responsive valve, and the inlet of the reservoir all lie in substantially the same plane so essentially no hydrostatic pressure affects the flow of fluid from the cavity of the patient even with changing positions of the patient, wherein the body cavity is within the cranium and the mounting member comprises a headband adapted to be wrapped around the head of the patient.