Breast implant with regionalized analyte sensors and internal power source

• US 9,333,071 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Boyden, Edward S., Della Rocca, Gregory J., Hawkins, Daniel, Hyde, Roderick A., Langer, Robert, Leuthardt, Eric C., Myckatyn, Terence, Parikh, Parag Jitendra, Rivet, Dennis J., Shimony, Joshua S., Smith, Michael A., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gherbi, Suzette J
• Application Number:
  US14/301,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20140296978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 623 7- 8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/028 Microscale sensors, e.g. electromechanical sensors [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/06 Arrangements of multiple sensors of different types
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/162 Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/168 Fluid filled sensor housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14503 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors A61B5/1459, A61B5/1464, A61B5/1473, A61B5/1482, A61B5/14865 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14735 comprising an immobilised reagent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4312 Breast evaluation or disorder diagnosis A61B5/0091 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6867 specially adapted to be attached or implanted in a specific body part A61B5/6847 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/12 Mammary prostheses and implants
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/528 Atypical element structures, e.g. gloves, rods, tampons, toilet paper
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/57415 of breast

Abstract

Breast implants including sensor modules and related methods are described herein. Breast implants include those with: a shell configured to be substantially filled with a viscous material; a plurality of projections extending from an external surface of the shell, the projections forming a plurality of compartments adjacent to the external surface of the shell; at least one fluid-permeable cover attached to the projections, the cover completely enveloping the shell and the plurality of projections; a plurality of sensor modules attached to the shell, each of the sensor modules oriented to detect one or more analytes in a fluid within one of the plurality of compartments, wherein each of the plurality of sensor modules includes a unique identifier; and at least one power source operably attached to the plurality of sensor modules.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring information from a breast implant, comprising:

sending, from a remote device, a query signal to at least one transmission unit attached to a breast implant in vivo, the at least one transmission unit attached to at least two sensor modules attached to the breast implant with a distance between the at least two sensor modules;

receiving, from a remote device, a response signal from the at least one transmission unit attached to the breast implant, the response signal including positional information from each of the at least two sensor modules;

processing, in a computing device, the response signal to identify information from the at least two sensor modules; and

identifying, for each of the at least two sensor modules, a detection result and a position on the breast implant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection result for each of the one or more sensor modules includes a positive result, a negative result, or a null result.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

initiating a display of the detection result and the position on the breast implant for at least one of the sensor modules.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

initiating a graphic display of the breast implant, the graphic display including a position for each of the sensor modules and the detection result for at least one of the sensor modules.

5. A method of monitoring information from a breast implant, comprising:

sending a signal from at least one transmission unit attached to a breast implant in vivo, the signal including information regarding at least two sensor modules attached to the breast implant with a distance between the at least two sensor modules, the at least one transmission unit attached to the at least two sensor modules;

receiving, at a remote device, the signal from the at least one transmission unit attached to the breast implant;

processing, in a computing device, the signal to identify information from the at least two sensor modules; and

identifying, for each of the at least two sensor modules, a detection result and a position on the breast implant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the detection result for each of the one or more sensor modules includes a positive result, a negative result, or a null result.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising:

initiating a display of the detection result and the position on the breast implant for at least one of the sensor modules.

8. The method of claim 5, comprising:

initiating a graphic display of the breast implant, the graphic display including a position for each of the sensor modules and the detection result for at least one of the sensor modules.