A device for use in pressure sensing such as hydrocephalus shunts, having a housing enclosing a chamber with at least one port communicating with the chamber. A wall of the chamber includes a flexible portion or thin diaphragm that deflects with transitions in pressure to contact an upstand structure of the housing. A pressure sensor is contained within an enclosure sealed from the chamber by a flexible membrane and which receives fluid pressure from the chamber. This arrangement allows for calibration of the device by identifying a knee feature in pressure data associated with the diaphragm making contact with the upstand.

A system and related method are provided for draining cerebrospinal fluid from a bodily cavity of a patient, such as a ventricle in the brain in one application. The system includes a reservoir which may be a collapsible container configured for fluidic connection to a shunt located in the bodily cavity. The collapsible container may be an elastically deformable bladder in one embodiment. A pump is fluidly connected to the collapsible container and draws cerebrospinal fluid therefrom. A programmable controller directs the pump to repeatedly activate and deactivate at a predetermined time interval. A plurality of sensors may be provided which are communicably coupled to the controller for monitoring pump motor current draw, tension in the resilient body of the container, pressure, and orientation of the patient. The controller is configurable to deactivate the pump when abnormal operating conditions are detected by the sensors.

A method for removing bodily fluid includes drawing bodily fluid that has accumulated in excess, converting the drawn fluid from bulk liquid form to aerosol form, and disposing of the aerosol via evaporation of liquid droplets and absorption and/or diffusion of vapor. Conversion from bulk liquid to aerosol may include collecting the bulk liquid fluid in a reservoir, conveying the bulk liquid bodily fluid to an atomizer, converting the bulk liquid fluid into an aerosol having ultrafine droplets, and ejecting the aerosol into a subcutaneous space for disposal via evaporation of liquid droplets and absorption and/or diffusion of vapors. The method may be performed with a subcutaneous atomizer that may be controlled locally or by an external transmitter for effecting a conversion and mist rate to keep pace with the accumulation of excess bodily fluid.

Embodiments of a system for improved interrogation of shunt functionality are disclosed. The system includes a fluid flow detector having a microfluidic chamber configured for receiving the passage of bodily fluid flow. The fluid flow detector generates measurements and other data and provides wireless access to the same.

A cerebral spinal fluid shunt plug includes a shunt plug housing having a shunt valve recess formed therein and an intracranial monitoring device recess with an access hole. A shunt valve is positioned within the shunt valve recess of the shunt plug housing and an intracranial monitoring device is passed through the central access hole of the shunt plug housing.

Disclosed is a system that includes pressure sensors to assist in monitoring pressure at a selected location. Pressure sensors may be applied to or incorporated into catheters and/or shunts positioned within a patient. A monitoring system may then receive signals from the pressure sensors to monitor pressure at the location over time.

A device that can be placed within or near the cranial vault that fluctuates in size in response to changes in CSF pressure is disclosed. The device diminishes in size when CSF pressures rise and increases in size as CSF pressures diminish. The device has the effect of reducing the flow of CSF occurring in the foramen magnum and provides an alternative to craniovertebral decompression in Chiari I patients. The device may have applications in other neurologic illnesses associated with abnormal CSF flow, such as Idiopathic Syringomyelia, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, and CSF dural leaks.

A drainage or infusion catheter and methods of use are disclosed. In one embodiment, the catheter includes a tube body having a proximal end and a distal end, and a plurality of ports arranged along the tube body from the distal end to the proximal end. The distal end of the tube body is configured to deform around itself into a substantially spiral shape so as to cover at least one of the plurality of ports located near the proximal end of the tube body. In another embodiment, a flap is configured to erupt from apertures arranged in the tube and extend outwardly around the tube body so as to cover at least one of the plurality of ports located near the proximal end of the tube body.

The invention relates to an in-utero ventriculoamniotic shunting device that includes a composite shunt tube composed of polymer material, e.g., silicone-based material, and metallic wire, having a bend or curve formed in the length of the shunt tube, with one or more anchors composed of super-elastic wire or mesh, e.g., shape memory alloy wire or mesh structures, attached to the shunt tube, and a one-way passive valve composed of a thin polymer membrane. The anchors are effective to prevent migration and dislodgement of the shunting device following its deployment, and the valve is effective to prevent the backflow of amniotic fluid.