Hypertension System And Method

Abstract

Disclosed are hypertension systems and related methods that include a blood pressure sensor located or implanted under the skin of a patient, and electronics, which may have the size and shape of a wrist watch, for example, that monitors the blood pressure of the patient by communicating with the implanted sensor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for monitoring blood pressure of a patient, comprising:
 an in-vivo sensor assembly configured for implantation beneath the skin of the patient, the sensor assembly configured to resonate at a frequency corresponding to a physiological blood pressure of a patient, the sensor assembly comprising a unitary hermetic housing that encloses a variable capacitor and an inductor within an interior chamber of the housing, wherein the variable capacitor and inductor is configured to emit a return signal when subjected to a burst of RF energy; and   an external electronics assembly configured to selectively energize the sensor assembly to affect the wireless monitoring of the blood pressure of the patient.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the external electronics assembly comprises at least one of:
 a frequency source configured to transmit a transmission signal;   a transmit coil coupled to the frequency source;   a bounce back circuit coupled to the frequency source and the transmit coil, and   a directional coupler coupled to the transmit coil and having first and second outputs, wherein the directional coupler is configured to isolate the transmission signal from the return signal.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly is configured for implantation beneath the skin of a wrist of the patient. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the external electronics assembly has the size and shape of a wrist watch. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the external electronics assembly is disposed on a wrist of the patient. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the external electronics assembly further comprises a voltage controlled oscillator; and a prescaler, wherein the first output of the directional coupler is coupled to the voltage controlled oscillator and to a prescaler. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising a microcontroller, and wherein the prescaler has an output coupled to an input of the microcontroller. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the microcontroller is coupled to a liquid crystal display used to display the blood pressure of the patient. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the external electronics assembly further comprises:
 a timekeeping chip coupled to the microcontroller; and   a barometric pressure integrated circuit coupled to the timekeeping chip, wherein the microcontroller is configured to compensate blood pressure readings based upon sensed barometric atmospheric pressure.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein a digital-to-analog (D/A) output of the microcontroller is coupled to an analog input of the voltage controlled oscillator. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 2 ; wherein the second output of the directional coupler is coupled to the bounce back circuit. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein, when the frequency source is varied, and when the frequency corresponds to the resonant frequency of the sensor, energy bounces back from the transmit coil to the bounce back circuit and is detected and processed to output the blood pressure of the patient. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the frequency source comprises a direct digital synthesizer. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the transmit coil is energized by the frequency source. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a microcontroller having a frequency counter, wherein the frequency source comprises a voltage controlled oscillator coupled to and controlled by the microcontroller. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein an analog sweep voltage from a digital-to-analog (D/A) output of the microcontroller drives an analog frequency control input of the voltage controlled oscillator to energize the transmit coil with pulses of differing frequency. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the frequency source is configured to vary a frequency across a predetermined range. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the frequency source continuously sweeps across the predetermined range of frequencies. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the external electronics assembly further comprises a voltage controlled oscillator and a frequency counter. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the external electronics assembly further comprises a microcontroller, wherein the bounce back circuit comprises an amplifier coupled to a detector, and wherein an output of the detector is coupled to an analog input of the microcontroller. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless monitoring electronics comprises a miniaturized one port network analyzer. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the implantable sensor assembly is mounted within a lumen of the patient. 
     
     
         23 . A hypertension monitoring method for a patient, comprising:
 providing an in-vivo blood pressure sensor, comprising a unitary hermetic housing that encloses a variable capacitor and an inductor within an interior chamber of the housing, wherein the variable capacitor and inductor is configured to emit a return signal when subjected to a burst of RF energy, wherein the variable capacitor and an inductor of the in-vivo pressure sensor is configured to resonate at a frequency corresponding to a physiological blood pressure of the patient;   implanting the in-vivo blood pressure sensor beneath the skin of the patient;   selectively energizing the in-vivo blood pressure sensor via an external electronics assembly; and   wirelessly monitoring and recording blood pressure of the patient with the external electronics assembly.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the external electronics assembly comprises at least one of:
 a frequency source configured to transmit a transmission signal;   a transmit coil coupled to the frequency source;   a bounce back circuit coupled to the frequency source and the transmit coil, and   a directional coupler coupled to the transmit coil and having first and second outputs, wherein the directional coupler is configured to isolate the transmission signal from the return signal.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the sensor assembly is configured for implantation beneath the skin of a wrist of the patient. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the external electronics assembly has the size and shape of a wrist watch. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the external electronics assembly is disposed on a wrist of the patient. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein a resonant frequency output by the variable capacitor and an inductor of the in-vivo pressure sensor corresponds to the blood pressure of the patient. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising:
 transmitting a variable frequency signal by way of the transmit coil;   detecting a resonant frequency signal corresponding to the resonant frequency of the blood pressure sensor in the patient using the bounce back circuit coupled to the transmit coil; and   processing the resonant frequency signal bounced back from the bounce back circuit to determine the physiological blood pressure of the patient.