New intraventricular catheter for volume pressure response measurements.

Abstract

Measurements of the volume-pressure response (VPR) to determine the relative position of a patient on the graphic volume-pressure curve have been used to derive clinically useful information. One reason that these measurements have not been used more frequently has been the fear of introducing infection into the ventricular system. We have designed an intraventricular catheter that allows repeated VPR measurements and reduces the risk of infection.