Bone implants for the treatment of infection

• US 10,004,548 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc.
• Inventors: Dehnad, Houdin, Chopko, Bohdan Wolodymyr, Chirico, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOLES, SAMEH RAAFAT
• Application Number:
  US15/012,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/56 Surgical instruments or methods for treatment of bones or joints; Devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/866 Material or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00893 pharmaceutically effective
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/561 Implants with special means for releasing a drug
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30677 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products, e.g. antibiotics, into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00113 Silver or Ag-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/102 Metals or metal compounds, e.g. salts such as bicarbonates, carbonates, oxides, zeolites, silicates
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/104 Silver, e.g. silver sulfadiazine
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/404 Biocides, antimicrobial agents, antiseptic agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/602 Type of release, e.g. controlled, sustained, slow
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2400/16 Materials with shape-memory or superelastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/022 Metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/088 Other specific inorganic materials not covered by A61L31/084 or A61L31/086
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/16 Biologically active materials, e.g. therapeutic substances A61L31/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0084 being one or more injection needles

Abstract

Described herein are devices, systems and methods for treating disease and/or infection by the release of silver from an implant over an extended period of time. In particular, the devices described herein may be used to treat infections such as osteomyelitis by the controlled release of silver ions from multiple sites of an extended-use implant. This implant typically includes a plurality of arms that both anchor and help distribute the released ions within the tissue. Power may be applied to release the silver ions into the tissue.

Claims

1. A method of preventing infection in a bone using an implantable screw having a deployed configuration in which a silver-eluting arm extends from the implantable screw and an undeployed configuration in which the arm is not extended from the implantable screw, the method comprising:

inserting the implantable screw into a bone in an undeployed configuration;

deploying the arm from the implantable screw into the bone, wherein deploying the arm places a silver reservoir on the arm in electrical communication with a galvanic reactor metal;

galvanically releasing silver from the silver reservoir on the arm over an extended period of time at a sustained level, wherein the arm comprises a nickel titanium alloy covered by an adhesion layer and a silver coating, wherein the adhesion layer is formed after removal of a titanium oxide layer from the outer surface of the nickel titanium alloy and before the silver coating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting comprises inserting the implantable screw in the undeployed configuration in which the silver reservoir is not in electrical communication with the galvanic reactor metal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying comprises extending the arm from a passageway through the implantable screw and out of a distal region of the implantable screw.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying comprises placing the silver reservoir in direct contact with the galvanic reactor metal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the implantable screw comprises inserting the implantable screw into a patient'"'"'s foot.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the implantable screw comprises inserting the implantable screw into a patient with diabetes and/or poor blood circulation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the arm from the implantable screw and replacing the arm with a new arm after the period of time.