STENT GRAFT MONITORING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF
Assemblies are provided for positioning within a lumen comprising a stent graft; and a sensor positioned on the stent graft. Within certain aspects the sensors are wireless sensors, and include for example one or more fluid pressure sensors, contact sensors, position sensors, pulse pressure sensors, blood volume sensors, blood flow sensors, chemistry sensors (e.g., for blood and/or other fluids), metabolic sensors (e.g., for blood and/or other fluids), mechanical stress sensors and/or temperature sensors.
1 - 71 . (canceled)
72 . A method for monitoring an aneurysm, the method comprising:
a. providing a patient with an endovascular stent graft configured for treating an abdominal aortic aneurysm or a thoracic aortic aneurysm, and at least one sensor located in an aneurysm sac of an aorta of the patient;
b. making measurements with at least one of the at least one sensor according to a desired schedule of measurements times, to provide data;
c. collecting and storing the data in a memory located in the aneurysm sac, to provide stored data;
d. outputting the stored data to a receiving unit located outside of the patient to provide outputted data;
e. detecting blood flow in the aneurysm sac from the outputted data to provide a detection of an endoleak in the aneurysm sac at a measurement time according to the schedule; and
f. monitoring the endoleak to determine a degree of the endoleak as determined at the measurement times.
73 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is selected from a fluid pressure sensor, a blood volume sensor, a pulse pressure sensor, a glucose sensor, and a blood flow sensor.
74 . The method of claim 73 wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a temperature sensor located in the aneurysm sac.
75 . The method of claim 74 comprising: (g) detecting a temperature in the aneurysm sac around the stent graft; and (b) determining whether said temperature increases over time.
76 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is not located within the stent graft.
77 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is a wireless sensor.
78 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is connected to a wireless microprocessor.
79 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is connected to the memory.
80 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor is a plurality of sensors.
81 . The method of claim 72 wherein the at least one sensor comprises more than one type of sensor