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:
Sep. 19, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 02, 1997
Alan Coombes, Hingham, MA (US);
Eric J Brown, Stoughton, MA (US);
Johnson & Johnson Professional, Inc., Raynham, MA (US);
Abstract
A catheter-based physiological pressure sensing device, which can be calibrated in vivo, is disposed in the distal end of a catheter, and is preferably in the form of a bulb-like device. The pressure sensing device includes a pressure sensor tip and pressure sensor element disposed in the pressure sensor tip. The pressure sensor element has first and second opposing surfaces which form separate and isolatable first and second chambers. An aperture is formed in an external wall of the pressure sensor tip to provide a passageway into the first chamber and expose the first surface of the pressure sensor element to a physiological pressure. A blocking element, such as a balloon, is disposed in the first chamber and is adapted for selectively blocking the aperture. To measure a physiological pressure, the aperture is unblocked to allow an outside pressure into the first chamber and a reference pressure is presented to the second chamber so that the surfaces of the pressure sensing element can measure the differential pressure. To calibrate or zero the device, the blocking element blocks the aperture to seal the first chamber with respect to external pressure and a fluid at a known pressure is introduced to the first and second chambers. The pressure sensor element provides an output signal indicative of a zero offset pressure to a pressure monitoring circuit to calibrate, or zero, the sensor and enhance the accuracy of subsequent pressure measurements.