Balloon catheter inflation device including apparatus for monitoring and

Abstract

An inflation device includes a syringe forming a cylindrical chamber containing a plunger carrying a stopper or piston arrangement. The chamber is designed to contain an inflation fluid and is in fluid communication with the lumen of a balloon catheter. Movement of the plunger within the chamber will increase or decrease the pressure of the fluid within the chamber and lumen, thereby inflating or deflating the balloon at the distal end of the catheter. A pressure sensor is mounted to the housing in fluid communication with the lumen and is electrically connected to a battery-operated transmitter. The transmitter broadcasts signals representing pressure within the lumen and balloon to a remote receiver. The receiver includes a microprocessor containing a clock and operable to display time and pressure data. A flexible insulator strip is interposed between the battery and the transmitter circuit to prevent operation of the transmitter until desired by the cardiologist. The housing of the inflation device may be opened to remove the batteries for separate disposal and to render the circuit inoperative to prevent reuse. A look-up table associated with the microprocessor permits display of balloon diameter during the procedure.