Intracorporeal light treatment of blood
First Claim
1. Apparatus for administering intracorporeal photopheresis to blood flowing in a patient'"'"'s body to destroy or affect an undesirable component in the blood, where the undesirable component has absorbed a photoreactive agent having a characteristic light absorption waveband, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) an implantable housing adapted to be transcutaneously placed at a site within a patient'"'"'s body, said implantable housing comprising a biocompatible material and having an inlet port and an outlet port adapted to couple to a patient'"'"'s circulatory system to convey the blood circulated thereby into and out of the housing;
(b) a light source coupled to the housing, said light source emitting light within a waveband substantially equal to the absorption waveband of the photoreactive agent;
(c) a power source for supplying an electrical current to energize said light source; and
(d) a fluid path disposed within the housing adjacent to the light source and in fluid communication with said inlet port and said outlet port, at least a portion of said fluid path being optically transparent, so that blood circulating through the fluid path is irradiated with the light emitted by said light source to effect the light treatment, said blood circulating through the fluid path sufficiently fast to avoid heat build up that might otherwise harm the blood.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for administering intracorporeal photopheresis to blood flowing in a patient'"'"'s body to destroy an undesirable component in the blood, where the undesirable component has absorbed a photoreactive agent having a characteristic light absorption waveband. The apparatus includes an implantable housing that is adapted to be placed transcutaneously within a patient'"'"'s body. An inlet and outlet for a fluid path through the housing are provided and are coupled to a patient'"'"'s circulatory system so that they convey blood into and out of the housing. Light sources disposed within the housing(or externally disposed and coupled to the housing by optical fibers) emit light having a waveband substantially equal to the absorption waveband of the photoreactive agent. A portion of the fluid path within the housing is optically transparent so that blood is irradiated with light from the light source. The fluid path can have one of several different configurations, including serpentine, planar coil, helical coil, and cross tubes coupling inlet and outlet header manifolds. The light source can comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs) or other types of light sources and may be coupled to the reactor through optical fibers. The power supply for the light source can be intracorporeal or extracorporeal.
157 Citations
26 Claims
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1. Apparatus for administering intracorporeal photopheresis to blood flowing in a patient'"'"'s body to destroy or affect an undesirable component in the blood, where the undesirable component has absorbed a photoreactive agent having a characteristic light absorption waveband, said apparatus comprising:
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(a) an implantable housing adapted to be transcutaneously placed at a site within a patient'"'"'s body, said implantable housing comprising a biocompatible material and having an inlet port and an outlet port adapted to couple to a patient'"'"'s circulatory system to convey the blood circulated thereby into and out of the housing; (b) a light source coupled to the housing, said light source emitting light within a waveband substantially equal to the absorption waveband of the photoreactive agent; (c) a power source for supplying an electrical current to energize said light source; and (d) a fluid path disposed within the housing adjacent to the light source and in fluid communication with said inlet port and said outlet port, at least a portion of said fluid path being optically transparent, so that blood circulating through the fluid path is irradiated with the light emitted by said light source to effect the light treatment, said blood circulating through the fluid path sufficiently fast to avoid heat build up that might otherwise harm the blood. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for treating blood flowing in a patient'"'"'s body to destroy an undesirable component in the patient'"'"'s blood, comprising the steps of:
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(a) administering a photoreactive agent to the patient, said photoreactive agent being absorbed by the undesirable component in the blood and having a characteristic light absorption waveband; (b) providing an implantable photoreactor having a light source for use in exposing the blood within the patient'"'"'s body to light having a waveband substantially equal to the characteristic light absorption waveband of the photoreactive agent; (c) creating a surgical incision within the patient'"'"'s body to expose a site for implantation of the photoreactor; (d) coupling the implantable reactor into the patient'"'"'s circulatory system so that the patient'"'"'s blood circulates through the implantable reactor; (e) closing the surgical incision over the implantable reactor, leaving it at the site internally within the patient'"'"'s body; and (f) exposing the blood circulating through the photoreactor to the light from the light source within the photoreactor in order to destroy or adversely affect the undesirable component, said blood circulating through the fluid path sufficiently fast to avoid heat build up that might otherwise harm the blood. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification