Cochlear prosthetic package

• US 5,105,811 A
• Filed: 05/16/1991
• Issued: 04/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commonwealth of Australia
• Original Assignee: Commonwealth of Australia
• Inventors: Kuzma, Janusz
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/701,482
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 128/419 C, 128/419 E, 128/419 P, 128/420, 128/600
• US Class Current: 607/57
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3754 Feedthroughs
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 17/305 by embedding in glass or ceramic material
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/67 Implantable hearing aids or parts thereof not covered by H04R25/606

Abstract

A cochlear prosthetic package having a cup-shaped titanium case with a ceramic plate; a plurality of hermetically-sealed feedthroughs are formed in the plate by sintering the plate with hollow metallic tubes located in plate holes and then sealing at least one end of each tube. An electrode cable connector is provided which allows removal and replacement of a case even in the presence of body fluids. A telemetry coil is contained in a metallic tube which extends out of the case; the coil-containing tube has its two ends hermetically-sealed to the case by ceramic insulating bushings.

Claims

1. An implantable medical prosthetic package comprising an hermetically sealed case, said case having a plurality of feedthroughs on a region thereof, a two-ended tube adapted to contain a coil extending outwardly of said case, and a pair of means for connecting the two ends of said tube to said case such that the inside of the tube is topologically continuous with the inside of the case while maintaining an hermetic seal.

2. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said tube and at least part of said case are made of electrically conductive metal, said pair of connecting means are insulating bushings, and the two ends of said tube are electrically unconnected other than through the tube itself.

3. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 2 wherein said plurality of feedthroughs are contained in a ceramic plate which forms part of said case.

4. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 3 further including connector means extending outwardly of said ceramic plate from a position generally central to the positions of said feedthroughs.

5. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 4 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, holes in said resilient material and said rigid cover for allowing said connector means to pass therethrough when said cover is placed on said ceramic plate, and means for attachment to the connector means when it extends out of the hole in said rigid cover for forcing the connector against said ceramic plate.

6. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 5 wherein said resilient material distributes the force applied by said attachment means uniformly across said ceramic plate.

7. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 6 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second facing sheet containing said connector parts.

8. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 7 wherein the outer face of said ceramic plate is highly polished to exclude any fluid which would otherwise be disposed at the interface of said ceramic plate and said resilient material when the connector is forced against said ceramic plate.

9. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 8 wherein each of said feedthroughs is a hollow tube sealed at the end inside said case and formed at the end outside said case to receive a mating connector part.

10. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 9 wherein the outside end of each of said feedthroughs is conically shaped.

11. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 10 wherein each of said connector parts has a configuration which allows a cavity to form between said resilient material and said ceramic plate around each of said feedthroughs when the connector is forced against said ceramic plate.

12. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 11 wherein each of said connector parts includes a pin extending partially into said resilient material, and the electrode cable wire connected to said pin has a diameter which is substantially smaller than that of said pin.

13. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 12 wherein said connector means include a shaft which extends outwardly of said ceramic plate and passes through a hole in the ceramic plate, and a head which is secured to the face of said ceramic plate which is inside said case, said head including an undercut around said shaft to reduce the contact area of said ceramic plate and said head.

14. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 13 wherein the diameter of the hole in said ceramic plate is greater than that of said shaft, and said shaft does not contact the wall of said hole.

15. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 14 where said plurality of feedthroughs extend through respective holes in said ceramic plate and hermetic seals surround said feedthroughs, each of the hermetic seals consisting of a bond between the respective feedthrough and the surrounding ceramic formed during the sintering of said ceramic plate.

16. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 15 wherein said tube is bendable.

17. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 16 wherein said case and said tube are symmetrical about a plane passing therethrough.

18. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of feedthroughs are contained in a ceramic plate which forms part of said case.

19. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 18 further including connector means extending outwardly of said ceramic plate from a position generally central to the positions of said feedthroughs.

20. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 19 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, holes in said resilient material and said rigid cover for allowing said connector means to pass therethrough when said cover is placed on said ceramic plate, and means for attachment to the connector means when it extends out of the hole in said rigid cover for forcing the connector against said ceramic plate.

21. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 20 wherein said resilient material distributes the force applied by said attachment means uniformly across said ceramic plate.

22. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 21 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second facing sheet containing said connector parts.

23. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 21 wherein the outer face of said ceramic plate is highly polished to exclude any fluid which would otherwise be disposed at the interface of said ceramic plate and said resilient material when the connector is forced against said ceramic plate.

24. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 20 wherein each of said connector parts has a configuration which allows a cavity to form between said resilient material and said ceramic plate around each of said feedthroughs when the connector is forced against said ceramic plate.

25. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 20 wherein each of said connector parts includes a pin extending partially into said resilient material, and the electrode cable wire connected to said pin has a diameter which is substantially smaller than that of said pin.

26. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 19 wherein said connector means includes a shaft which extends outwardly of said ceramic plate and passes through a hole in the ceramic plate, and a head which is secured to the face of said ceramic plate which is inside said case, said head including an undercut around said shaft to reduce the contact area of said ceramic plate and said head.

27. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 26 wherein the diameter of the hole in said ceramic plate is greater than that of said shaft, and said shaft does not contact the wall of said hole.

28. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 18 wherein said plurality of feedthroughs extend through respective holes in said ceramic plate and hermetic seals surround said feedthroughs, each of the hermetic seals consisting of a bond between the respective feedthrough and the surrounding ceramic formed during the sintering of said ceramic plate.

29. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 18 wherein said tube is bendable.

30. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 18 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, and means for attaching the connector to said case and for forcing said connector parts against said feedthroughs in said ceramic plate.

31. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 30 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second facing sheet containing said connector parts.

32. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 30 wherein the outer face of said ceramic plate is highly polished to squeeze out any fluid which would otherwise be disposed at the interface of said ceramic plate and said resilient material when the connector is attached to said case.

33. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 30 wherein each of said connector parts has a configuration which allows a cavity to form between said resilient material and said ceramic plate around each of said feedthroughs when the connector is attached to said case.

34. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 18 wherein each of said feedthroughs is a hollow tube sealed at the end inside said case and formed at the end outside said case to receive a mating part.

35. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim .34 wherein the outside end of each of said feedthroughs is conically shaped.

36. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said tube is bendable.

37. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said case and said tube are symmetrical about a plane passing therethrough.

38. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 further including connector means extending outwardly of said case from a position generally central to the positions of said feedthroughs.

39. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, and means for attaching the connector to said case to mate said connector parts with said feedthroughs and to force said resilient material against said case.

40. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 39 wherein said resilient material distributes the force-applied by said attaching means uniformly across the facing region of said case.

41. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 40 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet-adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second facing sheet containing said connector parts.

42. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 39 wherein each of said connector parts has a configuration which allows a cavity to form between said resilient material and said case around each of said feedthroughs when said connector is attached to said case.

43. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 39 wherein each of said connector parts includes a pin extending partially into said resilient material, and the electrode cable wire connected to said pin has a diameter which is substantially smaller than that of said pin.

44. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said case includes a shaft which extends outwardly therefrom and passes through a hole in the case, and a head which is secured to the internal wall of said case, said head including an undercut around said shaft to reduce the contact area of said case wall and said head.

45. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 44 wherein the diameter of the hole in said case is greater than that of said shaft, and said shaft does not contact the wall of said hole.

46. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 1 where said plurality of feedthroughs extend through respective holes in said case in a region consisting of ceramic material, and hermetic seals surround said feedthroughs, each of the hermetic seals consisting of pressure applied to the respective feedthrough by the surrounding ceramic material resulting from the shrinking thereof.

47. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 46 wherein said tube is made of electrically conductive metal and its two ends are electrically unconnected other than through the tube itself.

48. An implantable medical prosthetic package comprising an hermetically sealed case, a two-ended tube adapted to contain a coil extending outwardly of said case, and a pair of means for connecting the two ends of said tube to said case such that the inside of the tube is topologically continuous with the inside of the case while maintaining an hermetic seal.

49. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 48-. wherein said tube and at least part of said case are made of electrically conductive metal, said pair of connecting means are insulating bushings, and the two ends of said tube are electrically disconnected.

50. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 49 wherein said tube is bendable.

51. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 49 wherein said case and said tube are symmetrical about a plane passing therethrough.

52. An implantable medical prosthetic package comprising an hermetically sealed case, said case having a plurality of feedthroughs on a region thereof, a hollow tube extending outwardly of said case such that the inside of the tube is topologically continuous with the inside of the case, said tube being hermetically sealed, and means associated with said tube for serving as an antenna.

53. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 52 wherein said plurality of feedthroughs are contained in a ceramic plate which forms part of said case.

54. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 53 further including connector means extending outwardly of said ceramic plate from a position generally central to the positions of said feedthroughs.

55. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 54 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, holes in said resilient material and said rigid cover for allowing said connector means to pass therethrough when said cover is placed on said ceramic plate, and means for attachment to the connector means for forcing the connector against said ceramic plate.

56. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 55 wherein said resilient material distributes the force applied by said attachment means uniformly across said ceramic plate.

57. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 56 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second, facing sheet containing said connector parts.

58. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 57 wherein the outer face of said ceramic plate is highly polished to exclude any fluid which would otherwise be disposed at the interface of said ceramic plate and said resilient material when the connector is forced against said ceramic plate.

59. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 53 wherein said plurality of feedthroughs extend through respective holes in said ceramic plate and hermetic seals surround said feedthroughs, each of the hermetic seals consisting of a bond between the respective feedthrough and the surrounding ceramic formed during the sintering of said ceramic plate.

60. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 52 wherein said tube is bendable.

61. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 52 further including a connector having a rigid cover, an electrode cable extending through said rigid cover, resilient material within said rigid cover containing a plurality of connector parts for mating with respective feedthroughs on said case, each of said connector parts being coupled to a respective wire in said electrode cable, and means for attaching the connector to said case and for forcing said connector parts against said feedthroughs in said ceramic plate.

62. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 61 wherein said resilient material includes a first sheet adjacent to said rigid cover, and a second facing sheet containing said connector parts.

63. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 62 wherein the outer face of said ceramic plate is highly polished to exclude any fluid which would otherwise be disposed at the interface of said ceramic plate and said resilient material when the connector is attached to said case.

64. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 63 wherein each of said connector parts has a configuration which allows a cavity to form between said resilient material and said ceramic plate around each of said feedthroughs when the connector is attached to said case.

65. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 52 wherein each of said feedthroughs is a hollow tube sealed at the end inside said case and formed at the end outside said case to receive a mating part.

66. An implantable medical prosthetic package in accordance with claim 65 wherein the outside end of each of said feedthroughs is conically shaped.