Medical oscillating compliance devices and uses thereof

摘要

The present invention relates to devices and systems that alter intracranial compliance, cerebral blood flow and/or intracranial pressure pulsatility/waveform by oscillating the contraction and expansion of a compressible composition within the cranial or spinal cavities such that they increase intracranial capacity. The contraction and expansion of the compressible composition in the oscillating compliance devices can be due to an individual's intracranial pressure, the result of the expansion and compression of a reservoir which is mediated by the contractility of the heart or driven by a pump gaited to a biorhythm. The invention also relates to methods for protecting an individual's brain from abnormal arterial pulsations and for altering an individual's cerebral blood flow using the devices and systems of the invention. The oscillating compliance devices can be used to treat several diseases and/or conditions characterized by altered/abnormal intracranial compliance, cerebral blood flow and/or intracranial pressure pulsatility/waveform, including hydrocephalus, stroke, dementia and migraine headaches, vasospasms, congestive heart failure, cardiopulmonary bypass or carotid endarterectomy.

主权项

1. An oscillating compliance device comprising a compressible composition capable of being placed within an epidural space or a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space of an individual's brain or spinal cord, wherein the compressible composition is capable of free expansion and compression to affect the individual's intracranial compliance (ICC), cerebral blood flow (CBF), intracranial pressure (ICP) pulsatility, or combinations thereof, a pump coupled to said compressible composition for the expansion and compression of the compressible composition and a reservoir coupled to said pump, a biorhythm sync connected to said pump and for connecting to a source of the individual's biorhythm for capturing an associated biorhythm waveform in order to synchronize said pump with the individual's biorhythm source, and configured for displacing a substance from the compressible composition and returning the substance to the compressible composition, the compressible composition comprising a generally planar balloon being about 5-50 mm long and configured to be between less than about 1 mm, to 5 mm thick when deflated and inflated, the pump being reciprocating and comprising a linear stroke fluid cylinder attached to and mechanically driven by a ball screw linear actuator that is driven by a stepper motor, the biorhythm sync providing a repeating cadence waveform having a peak that is capable of repeating under a second of time, for selectively synchronizing with desired phases of the biorhythm waveform, the cadence waveform having a predetermined shape, and necessary data for controlling the pump's expansion and compression, the pump's expansion and compression of the compressible composition being adjustably selected by the cadence waveform for altering ICP pulsatility waveforms, including increasing and decreasing ICP pulsatility amplitude as desired.