Ear tubes

• US 8,197,433 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otomedics Advanced Medical Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Otomedics Advanced Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Cohen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): HAND, MELANIE JO
• Application Number:
  US11/917,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8, 604/96.01, 604/509, 604/510, 606/2, 606/162, 128/207.18
• US Class Current: 604/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/202 Surgical middle-ear ventilation or drainage, e.g. permanent; Implants therefor

Abstract

The invention provides a flexible ear tube (10) for draining and ventilating the middle ear, the tube (10) having a flexible substantially tubular stem (12) with a lumen (14), the stem (12) being sized to be inserted through an incision in the eardrum (16) and the tube having at least two separate flexible contact surfaces (18) extending from the stem (12) and adapted to engage different spaced-apart inner surfaces of the eardrum 16, each of the contact surfaces (18) having a first axis XX extending substantially perpendicularly to the central axis of the stem and a second axis YY extending substantially perpendicularly to the first axis wherein one of the axes is between 0.6 and 3 mm and the second of the axes is between 1 and 7 mm in length.

Claims

1. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear, comprising:

a) a flexible substantially tubular stem with a lumen, said stem being sized for insertion through an incision in an eardrum; and

b) at least two anchoring arms extending from the stem, each arm comprising a flexible member and a contact surface;

wherein the contact surface of each arm engages a different area of the inner surface of the eardrum and is spaced apart from the stem by way of the flexible member; and

wherein each contact surface is between 0.6 and 3 mm in width and between 1 and 7 mm in length.

2. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1,

wherein the ratio of the length to the width of each contact surface is between 1:

6 and 1;

1.

3. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1 wherein each of said separate flexible contact surfaces has a substantially flat contact surface area of at least 1 mm².

4. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1 wherein each of said separate flexible contact surfaces has a substantially flat contact surface area of at least 1.5 mm².

5. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1 wherein each of said separate flexible contact surfaces has a substantially flat contact surface area of at least 2 mm².

8. A flexible ear tube according to claim 1 wherein each of said arms ascribes a substantially concave, strait arch or twisted arch.

15. A flexible ear tube according to claim 1, made of translucent material or comprising fiberoptic fibers to illuminate the inner space of the middle ear.

16. A flexible ear tube according to claim 1 that contains fiber optic filaments, through which endoscopic view of the middle ear cavity is enabled.

17. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1, in combination with a manipulation wire extending at least 3 cm is removably attached to said tube.

18. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 17, wherein said wire has a looped form at one extremity.

19. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 17, wherein said wire holds at one extremity a guide tube, said flexible ear tube being disposed inside said guide tube.

20. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 19, wherein said guide tube is open about 100-170 degrees.

21. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1, wherein said tubular stem is provided with a thin tab element attached to the outer portion of said stem for eccentric extraction of said flexible ear tube.

22. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1, wherein one of said arms is of a larger diameter and is stiffer than a second opposite support arm of a second flexible contact face.

23. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1, further provided with a bridge member attached to the two arms and a string firmly attached to said bridge member and extending outwards therefrom.

26. A method for draining and ventilating a middle ear of a subject, the method comprising inserting a flexible ear tube according to claim 1 through an incision in the eardrum such that the contact surface of each arm engages the inner surface of the eardrum.

29. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear according to claim 1, wherein the ear tube is provided with a string configured to collapse a bridge member that bridges between the support arms during extraction of the ear tube from an ear canal.

6. A flexible ear tube for draining and ventilating the middle ear, comprising:

a) a flexible substantially tubular stem with a lumen, said stem being sized for insertion through an incision in an eardrum; and

b) at least two means for anchoring adapted to anchor the tube within the eardrum, each comprising a flexible member and a contact surface;

wherein the anchoring means are attached at or near one of the ends of the stem; and

wherein the contact surface of each anchoring means is adapted to engage a different area of the inner surface of the eardrum and is spaced apart from the stem by way of the flexible member.

7. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 wherein said anchoring means comprise at least two spaced-apart non-linear arms extending from said stem and each provided with a contact surface at the distal end thereof.

9. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 wherein

the angle between the stem and the contact surfaces is less than 90 degrees.

10. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 provided with a pair of opposed arched arms extending from one end of the stem.

11. A flexible ear tube according to claim 10 wherein said arms are symmetrically disposed.

12. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 comprising at least three asymmetric arms extending from said stem.

13. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 comprising four asymmetric arms extending from said stem, said arms including a first longer arm adapted upon insertion to be directed towards the anterior part of the tympanic cavity, a pair of relatively shorter arms adapted upon insertion to be directed superiorly and inferiorly within the tympanic cavity and a fourth relatively medium size arm adapted upon insertion to be directed towards the posterior part of the tympanic cavity.

14. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6 in combination with a flexible sleeve having a lumen sized to receive said tube comprising said stem and said anchoring means, said sleeve being provided with an open end through which said tube is insertable into a perforated eardrum.

24. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6, wherein the flexible member ascribes a substantially concave, straight arch or twisted arch.

25. A flexible ear tube according to claim 6, wherein the flexible member is a folded strip.

27. A method for draining and ventilating a middle ear of a subject, the method comprising inserting a flexible ear tube according to claim 6 through an incision in the eardrum such that the contact surface of each arm engages the inner surface of the eardrum.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the flexible ear tube is inserted through the incision using a bent rod with a flexible sleeve having a lumen sized to receive the flexible ear tube.