1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a body implantable pressure sensor, particularly attached to an endocardial lead for implantation in a right heart chamber, for responding to blood and atmospheric pressure and blood temperature and providing modulated pressure and temperature related signals to an implanted or external hemodynamic monitor and/or cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker/cardioverter/defibrillator.
2. Description of the Background Art
Efforts have been underway for many years to develop implantable pressure transducers and sensors for temporary or chronic use in a body organ or vessel. Many different designs and operating systems have been proposed and placed into temporary or chronic use with patients. Indwelling pressure sensors for temporary use of a few days or weeks are available, and many designs of chronically or permanently implantable pressure sensors have been placed in clinical use.
Piezoelectric crystal or piezoresistive pressure transducers mounted at or near the distal tips of pacing leads, for pacing applications, or catheters for monitoring applications, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,296, 4,432,372, 4,485,813, 4,858,615, 4,967,755, and 5,324,326, and PCT Publication No. WO 94/13200, for example. The desirable characteristics and applications for patient use of such lead or catheter bearing, indwelling pressure sensors are described in these and other patents and the literature in the field. Generally, the piezoelectric or piezoresistive transducers have to be sealed hermetically from blood. Certain of these patents, e.g. the '296 patent, disclose sealing the piezoresistive bridge elements within an oil filled chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,562 describes a piezoresistive bridge of four, orthogonally disposed, semiconductor strain gauges formed interiorly on a single crystal silicon diaphragm area of a silicon base. A protective silicon cover is bonded to the base around the periphery of the diaphragm area to form a sealed, evacuated chamber. Deflection of the diaphragm due to ambient pressure changes is detected by the changes in resistance of the strain gauges.
Because the change in resistance is so small, a high current is required to detect the voltage change due to the resistance change. The high current requirements render the piezoresistive bridge unsuitable for long term use with an implanted power source. High gain amplifiers that are subject to drift over time are also required to amplify the resistance-related voltage change.
Other semiconductor sensors employ CMOS IC technology in the fabrication of pressure responsive silicon diaphragm bearing capacitive plates that are spaced from stationary plates. The change in capacitance due to pressure waves acting on the diaphragm is measured, typically through a bridge circuit, as disclosed, for example, in the article "A Design of Capacitive Pressure Transducer" by Ko et al., in IEEE Proc. Symp. Biosensors, 1984, p.32. Again, fabrication for long term implantation and stability is complicated.
In addition, differential capacitive plate, fluid filled pressure transducers employing thin metal or ceramic diaphragms have also been proposed for large scale industrial process control applications as disclosed, for example, in the article "A ceramic differential-pressure transducer" by Graeger et al., Philips Tech. Rev., 43:4:8693, Feb. 1987. The large scale of such pressure transducers does not lend itself to miniaturization for chronic implantation.
Despite the considerable effort that has been expended in designing such pressure sensors, a need exists for a body implantable, durable, long-lived and low power pressure sensor for accurately sensing absolute pressure waves and related parameters in the body over many years.