Infusion device intended for implantation in a living body
First Claim
1. An infusion device for implantation in a patient'"'"'s body, comprisinga protective housing;
- a flexible walled reservoir positioned within said housing, formed of a fluid impermeable material and adapted to contain an infusion liquid therein;
a conveying and dosing unit positioned within said housing for conveying said infusion liquid from said reservoir to a catheter discharge opening; and
means communicable with the interior of said reservoir for permitting refilling of said reservoir from exterior of said housing;
said protective housing having means providing communication between the interior of said housing exteriorly of said reservoir and bodily fluids exterior of said housing.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The exemplary embodiments relate to a device housing implantable in the body and having a reservoir for the infusion of fluid and having a conveying and dosing unit for conveying the fluid from the reservoir to the discharge opening of a discharge catheter. In known devices of this type, the reservoir is held at a reference pressure which is lower in comparison to the pressure at the fluid discharge location in order, in case of a defect, to prevent fluid from flowing out. According to the present disclosure, pressure equalization between the inside space of the housing and the environment is effected for example by a hydrophobic or hydrophilic diaphragm with pores of a specific size or a diffusion diaphragm in combination with a pressure control valve in the wall of the device housing.
81 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An infusion device for implantation in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising
a protective housing; -
a flexible walled reservoir positioned within said housing, formed of a fluid impermeable material and adapted to contain an infusion liquid therein; a conveying and dosing unit positioned within said housing for conveying said infusion liquid from said reservoir to a catheter discharge opening; and means communicable with the interior of said reservoir for permitting refilling of said reservoir from exterior of said housing; said protective housing having means providing communication between the interior of said housing exteriorly of said reservoir and bodily fluids exterior of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An infusion device for implanation in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising
(a) a device housing implantable in the patient'"'"'s body, (b) a reservoir contained in said device housing for storing an infusion liquid therein, said reservoir comprising flexible reservoir wall means formed of essentially fluid impermeable material and having an outer space within said device housing exteriorly of said reservoir wall means, (c) conveying and dosing unit contained in said device housing for conveying said infusion liquid from said reservoir to a catheter discharge opening, and (d) refilling means for refilling said reservoir with said infusion liquid from outside of said housing, (e) said device housing having pressure equalization means providing gaseous communication between the exterior of said device housing and the outer space of said reservoir within said device housing, said pressure equalization means thereby providing for pressure equalization between the outer space of said reservoir within said device housing and the outer environment of said device housing.
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22. An infusion device for implantation in a patient'"'"'s body, comprising
a flexible walled reservoir formed of a fluid impermeable material adapted to contain an infusion liquid therein; -
a conveying and dosing unit in fluid communication with the interior of said reservoir for conveying said infusion liquid from said reservoir to a catheter discharge opening; an implanted protective housing implanted in the patient'"'"'s body and containing said conveying and dosing unit and said flexible walled reservoir therein, with the exterior of said flexible walled reservoir being exposed to the pressure of an interior space of said housing such that said flexible walled reservoir is constricted in volume by an excess pressure in said interior space of said housing over the pressure interiorly of the reservoir, said housing having pressure equalization means transmissive of gaseous media but non-transmissive for liquid media providing gaseous communication between said interior space of said housing and gaseous media in the patient'"'"'s body at the exterior of said housing such that the pressure in said interior space and thus the pressure interiorly of said reservoir is substantially equivalent to the pressure of ambient atmosphere external to the patient'"'"'s body during operation of said conveying and dosing unit thereby to prevent an underpressure interiorly of the reservoir relative to atmospheric pressure.
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Specification