System, devices, and methods including actively-controllable electrostatic and electromagnetic sterilizing excitation delivery system

• US 20090177254A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC A Limited Liability Corporation of The State of Delaware
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Smith, Michael A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Boyden, Edward S., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Rivet, Dennis J., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Leuthardt, Eric C., Dacey, Ralph G. JR., Della Rocca, Gregory J., Santiago, Paul, Stewart, Todd J., Dowling, Joshua L.
• Application Number:
  US12/315,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177254A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/0011 using physical methods

Abstract

Systems, devices, methods, and compositions are described for providing an actively-controllable disinfecting implantable device configured to, for example, treat or prevent an infection in a biological subject.

Claims

1. An implantable device, comprising:

an actively-controllable excitation component configured to concurrently or sequentially deliver a first sterilizing stimulus and a second sterilizing stimulus, in vivo, to target tissue proximate at least a portion of the actively-controllable excitation component, at least one of the first sterilizing stimulus or the second sterilizing stimulus having a peak emission wavelength in the x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, near infrared, microwave, or radio frequency spectrum; and

a controller circuit configured to regulate at least one parameter associated with the delivery of the sterilizing stimulus.

2. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the actively-controllable excitation component is configured to deliver a first electromagnetic sterilizing stimulus and a second electrical sterilizing stimulus, in vivo, to tissue proximate the first outer surface, the second electromagnetic sterilizing stimulus having at least one of an illumination intensity, an energy-emitting pattern, a peak emission wavelength, an ON-pulse duration, an OFF-pulse duration, or a pulse frequency different than the first electromagnetic sterilizing stimulus.

3. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of

an excitation intensity, an excitation frequency, an excitation pulse frequency, an excitation pulse ratio, an excitation pulse intensity, an excitation pulse duration time, an excitation pulse repetition rate, a sterilizing stimulus delivery regimen parameter, a spaced-apart sterilizing stimulus delivery pattern parameter, a spatial electric field modulation parameter, a spatial electric field magnitude parameter, a spatial electric field distribution parameter, an ON-rate, or an OFF-rate associated with the delivery of the sterilizing stimulus.

4. The implantable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source, the power source electromagnetically, magnetically, ultrasonically, optically, inductively, electrically, or capacitively-coupled to the actively-controllable excitation component.

5. The implantable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source, the power source including at least one of a thermoelectric generator, piezoelectric generator, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) generator, or a biomechanical-energy harvesting generator.

6. The implantable device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors configured to determine at least one physiological characteristic associated with a tissue proximate the first outer surface.

7. The implantable device of claim 6, wherein the at least one physiological characteristic includes at least one parameter associated with an infection, an inflammation, an infective stress, or a sepsis.