The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 20, 1991
Filed:
Jan. 31, 1990
Kenneth M Riff, Plymouth, MN (US);
Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
Apparatus and method for detecting changes in the posture of a patient. Two pressure sensors are chronically implanted at different places in the cardiovascular system. One may be positioned in the right heart, for example, and the other placed in the inferior vena cava. The positioning is selected for ease of chronic implantation. However, the positions chosen must be such that the differences in pressure with changes in posture are differentially measurable. The differences in pressure changes sensed at the two positions enable electronic circuitry to determine changes in posture of the patient. These changes in posture may be used to indicate associated physiological changes such as increased or decreased demand on the cardiovascular system or changes in other homeostatic functions. Compensation for this changing cardiovascular or other homeostatic functions may be partially met through increasing or decreasing the escape interval of a demand cardiac pacemaker or by altering the drug delivery regimen of an implantable drug dispenser.