IMPLANTABLE STIMULATING ASSEMBLY

• US 20170120044A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Nicholas Charles Pawsey
• Inventors: PAWSEY, Nicholas Charles
• Application Number:
  US15/337,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20170120044A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0541 Cochlear electrodes

Abstract

An electrode array, including a plurality of electrodes, and an electrode carrier carrying the plurality of electrodes, wherein the electrode carrier is made of a viscoelastic material, such as by way of example, a viscoelastic silicone, wherein in some embodiments, the electrode carrier is devoid of non-viscoelastic silicone. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrode carrier is configured to recover to a curved, unrestrained and relaxed state, from a substantially straight state in no less than thirty seconds.

Claims

1. An electrode array, comprising:

a plurality of electrodes; and

an electrode carrier carrying the plurality of electrodes, wherein

the electrode carrier includes a viscoelastic material.

2. The electrode array of claim 1, wherein:

the electrode carrier is made of a viscoelastic material.

3. The electrode array of claim 1, wherein:

the electrode carrier is made of viscoelastic silicone.

4. The electrode carrier of claim 3, wherein:

the electrode carrier is devoid of non-viscoelastic silicone.

5. The electrode array of claim 2, wherein:

the electrode carrier has a curved configuration in an unrestrained and relaxed state.

6. The electrode array of claim 1, wherein:

the electrode carrier is configured to recover to a curved, unrestrained and relaxed state, from a substantially straight state in no less than 30 seconds.

7. The electrode array of claim 2, wherein:

the electrode carrier is configured to recover to a curved, unrestrained and relaxed state, from a substantially straight state in no less than one minute.

8. A method, comprising:

obtaining an implantable component; and

inserting the implantable component into a recipient, wherein

subsequent to the full insertion of the implantable component, the implantable component transforms from a first geometry to a second geometry without;

external force relief, external pressure relief, reaction force, mass transfer and net energy transfer inducing the transformation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the action of transforming from the first geometry to the second geometry is entirely a result of an elastic material devoid of metal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the action of transforming from the first geometry to the second geometry is executed without moving any component relative to the implant that initiates or results in the transformation.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the implantable component is a cochlear electrode array;

the action of inserting the implantable component into the recipient entails inserting the electrode array into a cochlea;

the first geometry is a curved geometry resulting at least in part from the curvature of the cochlea; and

the second geometry is a curved geometry having an average radius of curvature that is lower than that of the first geometry.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the implantable component is a cochlear electrode array;

the action of inserting the implantable component into the recipient entails inserting the electrode array into a cochlea of a recipient in a third geometry;

the first geometry is a curved geometry resulting at least in part from the curvature of the cochlea; and

the third geometry is one of a substantially straight geometry or a negatively curved geometry relative to the curved geometry of the first geometry.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the implantable component is a cochlear electrode array;

the action of inserting the implantable component into the recipient entails inserting the electrode array into a cochlea of a recipient in the first geometry; and

the transformation from the first geometry to the second geometry takes at least about one minute.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the implantable component is a curved cochlear electrode array;

the action of inserting the implantable component into the recipient entails inserting the electrode array into a cochlea of a recipient in a third geometry;

the second geometry is a curved geometry;

the third geometry is one of a substantially straight geometry or a negatively curved geometry relative to the curved geometry of the second geometry; and

the second geometry is closer to a relaxed state of the electrode array than the third geometry.

15. A method, comprising:

obtaining a curved electrode array assembly;

inserting a first portion of the electrode array assembly into a cochlea of a human in a deformed state that is deformed from a relaxed, unrestrained state of the electrode array assembly such that;

the first portion corresponds to a portion of the electrode array assembly extending a first distance of the electrode array assembly starting from a tip of the electrode array to a location proximal of the tip that is located in the cochlea; and

the portion of the electrode array making up the first distance is inserted at a first angular insertion depth into the cochlea, wherein

the first portion of the electrode array assembly achieves a second angular insertion depth greater than the first angular insertion depth after the first portion making up the first distance is located in the cochlea.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

a difference between the first angular depth and the second angular depth based on a round window frame of reference is at least 30 degrees.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

a difference between the first angular depth and the second angular depth based on a round window frame of reference is at least 45 degrees.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

a difference between the first angular depth and the second angular depth based on a round window frame of reference is at least 60 degrees.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the action of inserting the first portion of the electrode array assembly into the cochlea entails inserting the first portion such that the first portion does not contact a modiolus portion of the cochlea until after the electrode array assembly is inserted the first distance.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the electrode array assembly achieving the second angular insertion depth occurs automatically.