Apparatus and method for treating body tissues with electricity or medicaments

• US 7,001,372 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MicroTech Medical Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Zuli Holdings, Ltd.
• Inventors: Richter, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, CATHERINE SERKE
• Application Number:
  US10/782,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 604/890.1, 604/891.1, 604/892.1, 604 20- 22, 604/501, 604/503, 604 65- 67, 604/93.01, 607/62, 607 2- 3, 607115-116, 607120-121, 600 9- 14, 600437-439, 606/32
• US Class Current: 604/891.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 39/002 Using electric currents electrotherapy A61N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02

Abstract

A therapeutic device and therapeutic method for delivering electrical energy or a medicament to a body tissue or organ utilizing ultrasonic vibration to cause a device implanted in the body tissue or organ to be treated to discharge an electrical current or medicament to the target area.

Claims

1. A device for treating body tissue, comprising:

a) a housing provided with a medicament storage compartment;

b) an oscillating member attached to the housing and communicating with the medicament storage compartment, the oscillating member adapted to oscillate in response to ultrasonic stimulation;

c) a medicament port disposed on the housing and in fluid communication with the medicament storage compartment, the medicament port adapted to permit a medicament to be introduced into and contained in the medicament storage compartment and further adapted to selectively release the medicament from the medicament storage compartment in response to oscillations of oscillating member.

2. A device for treating body tissue, comprising:

a) a housing provided with a medicament storage compartment;

b) an oscillating member attached to the housing and communicating with the medicament storage compartment, the oscillating member adapted to oscillate in response to ultrasonic stimulation;

c) a medicament port disposed on the housing and in fluid communication with the medicament storage compartment, the medicament port adapted to permit a medicament to be introduced into and contained in the compartment and further adapted to selectively release the medicament from the medicament storage compartment in response to oscillations of the oscillating member; and

d) a sensor, the sensor adapted to receive preselected stimuli generated by the body tissue, the sensor adapted to communicate with and selectively energize a means for selectively generating and transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to the oscillating member in response to the preselected stimuli generated by the body tissue.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the sensor is disposed on the device.

4. The device of claim 2, further comprising a means for calculating the duration of the ultrasonic frequency as a function of the type and degree of physiological change sensed by the sensor, the means for calculating communicating with the sensor and communicating with the means for selectively generating and transmitting ultrasonic vibrations.

5. A device for treating body tissue, comprising:

a) a housing provided with a medicament storage compartment;

b) an oscillating member attached to the housing and communicating with the medicament storage compartment, the oscillating member adapted to oscillate in response to ultrasonic stimulation;

c) a medicament port disposed on the housing and in fluid communication with the medicament storage compartment, the medicament port adapted to permit a medicament to be introduced into and contained in the compartment and further adapted to selectively release the medicament from the medicament storage compartment in response to oscillations of the oscillating member; and

d) means for selectively generating and transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to the oscillating member, the means for generating and transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations disposed on the housing; and

e) a sensor, the sensor adapted to receive preselected stimuli generated by the body tissue, the sensor adapted to communicate with and selectively energize the means for selectively generating and transmitting ultrasonic vibrations to the oscillating member in response to the preselected stimuli generated by the body tissue.