Systems, devices, and methods including catheters having acoustically actuatable waveguide components for delivering a sterilizing stimulus to a region proximate a surface of the catheter

• US 20110160643A1
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Wood, Victoria Y. H., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Smith, Michael A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Rivet, Dennis J., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Leuthardt, Eric C., Dacey, Ralph G. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,753,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/21
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/32 for the hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/48 Operating or control means, e.g. from outside the body, control of sphincters
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/481 Acoustic or audible means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/482 Electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30087 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3067 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30677 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products, e.g. antibiotics, into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/0097 Coating or prosthesis-covering structure made of pharmaceutical products, e.g. antibiotics
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/00 Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor for contact lenses A61L12/00; atomisers for disinfecting agents A61M; sterilisation of packages or package contents in association with packaging B65B55/00; treatment of water, waste water, sewage or sludge C02F; disinfecting paper D21H21/36; disinfecting devices for water closets E03D; articles having provision for disinfection, see the relevant subclasses for these articles, e.g. H04R1/12
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/14 Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2202/24 Medical instruments, e.g. endoscopes, catheters, sharps
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/205 for promoting a biological process
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3785 generated by biological activity or substance, e.g. body movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

Systems, devices, methods, and compositions are described for providing an actively-controllable disinfecting implantable device configured to, for example, treat or prevent an infection in a biological subject.

Claims

1. A catheter device, comprising:

a body structure defining one or more fluid-flow passageways;

one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides configured to direct an emitted energy stimulus to one or more regions proximate at least one of an outer surface or an inner surface of the body structure; and

one or more energy emitters operatively coupled to the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides.

2. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides include an acoustically sensitive cladding material.

3. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides include an acoustically sensitive material coating.

4. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides are configured for selective-actuation via one or more transducers.

5. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides are configured to outwardly transmit a portion of an electromagnetic energy internally reflected within in the presence of an acoustic stimulus.

6. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides are configured to deform in the presence of an acoustic stimulus.

7. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides are configured to exhibit a change to a refractive index in the presence of an acoustic stimulus.

8. The catheter device of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustically actuatable electromagnetic energy waveguides are configured to generate an evanescent electromagnetic field across one or more regions of the body structure in the presence of an acoustic stimulus.

9. A method of inhibiting biofilm formation in catheter device, comprising:

acoustically modulating one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides so as to partially emit an electromagnetic energy propagating within the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides through at least one of an outer surface or an inner surface of the catheter device.

10. The method of inhibiting biofilm formation in the catheter device of claim 9, wherein acoustically modulating the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides includes applying an acoustic energy stimulus to the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides of a character and for a sufficient duration to affect at least one of an index of refraction and a physical dimension of the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides.

11. The method of inhibiting biofilm formation in the catheter device of claim 9, wherein acoustically modulating the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides includes acoustically modifying an index of refraction of at least one of the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides so as to modulate an electromagnetic energy propagating within the one or more total-internal-reflection waveguides.

12. The method of inhibiting biofilm formation in the catheter device of claim 9, wherein acoustically modulating the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides includes deforming at least one of the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides in response to an acoustic stimulus, the acoustic stimulus of a character and for a duration sufficient to cause the at least one of the one or more internally reflecting optical waveguides to emit a portion of the electromagnetic energy internally reflected within.

13. A method of inhibiting biofilm formation in a catheter device, comprising:

selectively actuating one or more optical waveguides so as to partially emit an electromagnetic energy propagating within the one or more optical waveguides through at least one of an outer surface or an inner surface of the catheter device in response to real-time detected information associated with a microbial colonization in one or more regions proximate at least one of an outer surface or an inner surface of the catheter device.

14. A method, comprising:

detecting a measurand associated with a microbial presence proximate at a surface of a catheter device using an interrogation energy having a first peak emission wavelength; and

delivering a sterilizing stimulus having a second peak emission wavelength different from the first peak emission wavelength to one or more regions proximate the surface on the catheter device in response to the detecting a measurand.

15. A method, comprising:

real-time monitoring of a plurality of portions of a catheter device for a microbial colonization by detecting spectral information associated with an interrogating stimulus having a first peak emission wavelength; and

delivering a sterilizing stimulus having a second peak emission wavelength different from the first peak emission wavelength to select ones of the plurality of portions of the catheter device based on a determined microbial colonization score.

16. A method, comprising:

real-time monitoring at least one of an outer surface and an inner surface of an indwelling portion of a catheter device for a microbial colonization by detecting spectral information associated with an interrogating stimulus having a first peak emission wavelength, the interrogating stimulus delivered to one or more region proximate the at least one of the outer surface or the inner surface of an indwelling portion of a catheter device;

determining a microbial colonization score for the one or more region proximate the at least one of the outer surface or the inner surface of an indwelling portion of a catheter device in response to detecting spectral information; and

selective-delivering a sterilizing stimulus having a second peak emission wavelength different from the first peak emission wavelength to at least one of the one or more region proximate the at least one of the outer surface or the inner surface of an indwelling portion of a catheter device based on a determined microbial colonization score.