IONTOPHORESIS METHODS

• US 20170028193A1
• Filed: 06/01/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tusker Medical, Inc. (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Tusker Medical, Inc. (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: MORRISS, John H., LIU, Gregory, HAMES, Kate
• Granted Patent: US 10,576,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/00 Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense implantable prostheses that substitute or replace internal ear parts, e.g. ear-drums, A61F2/18; methods or devices to cause a change in the state of auditory consciousness A61M21/00; electrotherapy applying electrical stimulation of the auditory system, or circuits therefor A61N1/36; radiotherapy using optical stimulation of the auditory system A61N5/06; electro-acoustic hearing aids H04R25/00; Non-electric hearing aids; Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense; Protective devices for the ears, carried on the body or in the hand headwear, e.g. caps or helmets, with means for protecting the ears A42B1/0188, A42B3/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/167 having the nitrogen of a carboxamide group directly attached to the aromatic ring, e.g. lidocaine, paracetamol
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/00 Medicinal preparations containing inorganic active ingredients
• 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: A61M 19/00 Local anaesthesia syringes therefor A61M5/00; Hypothermia A61M5/42 takes precedence; cooling blood in a bypass of the arterial system A61M1/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0662 Ears
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/00 Devices for introducing or retaining media, e.g. remedies, in cavities of the body A61M25/00 takes precedence ; introducing or retaining ophthalmic products into the ocular cavities A61F9/0008
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/30 Apparatus for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body, or cataphoresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/303 Constructional details electrodes for external use A61N1/0428
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/306 Arrangements where at least part of the apparatus is introduced into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/325 for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body electrodes for external use A61N1/0428
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of anesthetizing a tympanic membrane of an ear of a patient using iontophoresis is disclosed. The method involves delivering an anesthetizing drug solution to an ear canal of the patient'"'"'s ear, wherein the drug solution includes an anesthetic and a buffer, and wherein the drug solution has a pH in the range of about 6.5 to about 7.5; and applying an amount of current to the drug solution, wherein the amount of applied current is increased at a rate of less than about 0.5 milliamp per second until a maximum current is achieved.

Claims

1. A method of anesthetizing a tympanic membrane of an ear of a patient using iontophoresis, the method comprising:

delivering an anesthetizing drug solution to an ear canal of the patient'"'"'s ear, wherein the drug solution includes an anesthetic and a buffer, and wherein the drug solution has a pH in the range of about 6.5 to about 7.5; and

applying an amount of current to the drug solution, wherein the amount of applied current is increased at a rate of less than about 0.5 milliamps per second until a maximum current is achieved.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the anesthetic comprises lidocaine and the buffer comprises sodium bicarbonate, and wherein the solution further comprises epinephrine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the drug solution includes approximately 2%-4% lidocaine by weight.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the drug solution includes approximately 0.5%-1.0% sodium bicarbonate by weight.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug solution has a pH range of about 6.8-7.2.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the current comprises increasing the amount of applied current at a rate of about 0.2 milliamps per second.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the current comprises applying a maximum current of approximately 1.0 milliamp or less.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein applying the current comprises applying a maximum current of approximately 0.8 milliamps or less.

9. A method of anesthetizing a tympanic membrane of an ear of a patient using iontophoresis, the method comprising:

adding buffer to an anesthetizing drug solution for iontophoresis, wherein the drug solution with added buffer has a pH in the range of about 6.5 to about 7.5;

delivering the buffered anesthetizing drug solution to an ear canal of the patient'"'"'s ear; and

applying an amount of current to the drug solution, wherein the amount of applied current is increased at a rate of less than about 0.5 milliamps per second until a maximum current of less than about 0.5 milliamps is achieved.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the buffered drug solution has a pH range of about 6.8-7.2.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the current comprises increasing the amount of applied current at a rate of about 0.2 milliamps per second.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein applying the current comprises applying a maximum current of approximately 0.8 milliamps or less.

13. A method of treating a patient, the patient having a first and a second ear canal, the method comprising:

positioning a fluid in the first ear canal, the fluid comprising a therapeutic agent;

positioning a fluid in the second ear canal, the fluid comprising a therapeutic agent;

inserting a first electrode of an iontophoresis device in the first ear canal;

inserting a second electrode of the iontophoresis device in the second ear canal;

attaching one ground electrode of the iontophoresis device to the patient, the first electrode and the one ground electrode forming a first circuit, the second electrode and the same one ground electrode forming a second circuit;

applying the agent from the fluid to a target tissue in the first ear canal by energizing the first circuit to deliver a current to the agent in the first ear canal; and

applying the agent from the fluid to a target tissue in the second ear canal by energizing the second circuit to deliver a current to the agent in the second ear canal, independently of said applying in said first circuit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the agent comprises an anesthetic.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the agent comprises at least one of lidocaine, epinephrine, sodium bicarbonate, other anesthetics, other buffers, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the agent comprises at least one of an antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory, a mucolytic, an anesthetic, a steroid, an anti-viral, a surfactant or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said energizing said first or said second circuit comprises applying a current to the agent over a time period, said current having an initial value, a final value, a ramp-up rate from said initial value to said final value and a ramp-down rate from said final value to said initial value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said ramp-up rate is about 0.2 milliamps per second.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said ramp-up rate comprises a stepped and positive slope.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said final value is less than about 1.0 milliamp.

21-34. -34. (canceled)