Lumenally-active device

• US 9,011,329 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran, Hillis, W. Daniel, Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wilson, Richa, Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kahelin, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOTH, KAREN E
• Application Number:
  US11/403,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20070066929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,296 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/309, 600481-543
• US Class Current: 600/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0045 Devices for taking samples of body liquids devices for taking blood samples A61B5/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/04 Endoscopic instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22 Implements for squeezing-off ulcers or the like on the inside of inner organs of the body; Implements for scraping-out cavities of body organs, e.g. bones; Calculus removers; Calculus smashing apparatus; Apparatus for removing obstructions in blood vessels, not otherwise provided for dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0077 Cerebrospinal fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0225 for taking multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00345 Micromachines, nanomachines, microsystems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/03 Detecting, measuring or recording fluid pressure within the body other than blood pressure, e.g. cerebral pressure; Measuring pressure in body tissues or organs A61B5/205 takes precedence
• 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 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 : Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/406 : using implantable thermoseeds or injected particles for localized hyperthermia preparations of seeds and particles A61K41/0052
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 : Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

Embodiments of a lumenally-active system and method of use and control thereof are disclosed. According to various embodiments, a lumenally-active device is positioned in a body lumen of an organism, where the device may sense a parameter of a fluid in the body lumen and perform an action on the fluid. Control logic and/or circuitry may be located on the device, or the system may include a separate control module. Liquid or gaseous fluids may be treated by embodiments of the device. Actions may include, for example, modification of a body fluid by addition or removal of a material, or by modification of a property of a body fluid or a component thereof.

Claims

1. A lumenally-active device, comprising:

a structural element configured to fit entirely within a body lumen, wherein the body lumen is at least a portion of a nostril, nasal cavity, respiratory tract, or oral cavity of an organism, the structural element including;

a lumen wall engaging portion and a fluid contacting portion configured to contact fluid within the body lumen;

a sensor on the structural element, the sensor configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and capable of detecting a presence of a material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in the fluid;

response initiation circuitry on the structural element, the response initiation circuitry configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and operatively connected to the sensor and configured to generate a response initiation signal upon detection of the presence of a material of interest in the fluid by the sensor; and

an active portion on the structural element, the active portion configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and operatively connected to the response initiation circuitry and capable of producing a response upon receipt of the response initiation signal, the response including releasing energy to modify or destroy the material of interest within the fluid.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid includes a gas or gaseous mixture.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the gas or gaseous mixture is at least one of an inhaled gas or gaseous mixture or an expired gas or gaseous mixture.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the active portion further includes a capture portion operatively coupled to the response initiation circuitry and configured to capture at least a portion of the detected material of interest.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the active portion includes at least one of a heating element operatively coupled to the response initiation circuitry and configured to produce heating in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest, a cooling element operatively coupled to the response initiation circuitry and configured to produce cooling in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest, an electromagnetic radiation source operatively coupled to the response initiation circuitry and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest, an acoustic energy source operatively coupled to the response initiation circuitry and configured to emit acoustic energy in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest, an electric field source operatively connected to the response initiation circuitry and configured to apply an electric field to the fluid in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest, or a magnetic field source operatively connected to the response initiation circuitry and configured to apply a magnetic field to the fluid in response to detection of the presence of the material of interest.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from an optical sensor, an imaging device, an acoustic sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a flow sensor, a viscosity sensor, a shear sensor, a chemical sensor, a biosensor, or an electrical sensor.

7. A method of treating a body fluid, comprising:

detecting a presence of a material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in a fluid within a body lumen with a sensor portion of a lumenally-active device, wherein the body lumen is at least a portion of a nostril, nasal cavity, respiratory tract, or oral cavity of an organism, the lumenally-active device positioned entirely within the body lumen, the lumenally-active device also including a lumen-wall-engaging portion, a fluid containing portion configured to contact fluid within the body lumen, and an active portion capable of performing an action within the body lumen;

generating a response initiation signal with response initiation circuitry on the lumenally-active device responsive to detection of the presence of the material of interest in the fluid within the body lumen, the response initiation circuitry positioned entirely within the body lumen; and

performing an action within the body lumen with the active portion of the lumenally-active device in response to the response initiation signal, including releasing energy to modify or destroy the material of interest.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in the body fluid in the body lumen includes detecting the presence of one or more substance, chemical compound, or chemical species that is at least one of dissolved or suspended the body fluid in the body lumen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more substance, chemical compound or chemical species includes at least one of a biological marker, an antibody, an antigen, a peptide, a polypeptide, a protein, a complex, a nucleic acid, a cell, a cellular component or organelle, a gamete, a pathogen, a lipid, a lipoprotein, an alcohol, an acid, an ion, an immunomodulator, a sterol, a carbohydrate, a polysaccharide, a glycoprotein, a metal, an electrolyte, a metabolite, an organic compound, an organophosphate, a drug, a therapeutic, a gas, a pollutant, or a tag.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in the fluid within the body lumen includes processing a sense signal from the sensor portion of the lumenally-active device by at least one of filtering, signal amplification, windowing, noise reduction, clutter reduction, signal averaging, feature detection, time-domain analysis, frequency-domain analysis, spectral analysis, spectrophotometric analysis, feature extraction, comparison, sorting, reduction, or endpoint determination to determine the presence of the material of interest.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting the presence of the material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in the fluid within the body lumen includes detecting the presence of at least one of an object, an embolus, a plaque, a lipid, a lipoprotein, a dust particle, a pollen particle, an aggregate, a cell, a specific type of cell, a cellular component, a collection of cells, an organelle, a gamete, a pathogen, or a parasite.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein performing an action within the body lumen with the active portion of the lumenally-active device includes at least one of activating a heating element, activating an electromagnetic radiation source, activating an acoustic energy source, activating an electric field source to apply an electric field to at least a portion of the fluid, or activating a magnetic field source to apply a magnetic field to at least a portion of the fluid.

13. A lumenally-active device, comprising:

a structural element configured to fit entirely within a body lumen, wherein the body lumen is at least a portion of a nostril, nasal cavity, respiratory tract, or oral cavity of an organism, the structural element including;

a lumen wall engaging portion and a fluid contacting portion configured to contact fluid within the body lumen;

a sensor on the structural element, the sensor configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and capable of detecting a presence of a material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in the fluid;

response initiation circuitry on the structural element, the response initiation circuitry configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and operatively connected to the sensor and configured to generate a response initiation signal upon detection of the presence of a material of interest in the fluid by the sensor; and

an active portion on the structural element and operatively connected to the response initiation circuitry, the active portion configured to fit entirely within the body lumen and capable of delivering energy sufficient to modify or destroy the material of interest within the fluid upon receipt of the response initiation signal.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the active portion is an electromagnetic radiation source.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the active portion is an acoustic energy source.

16. A method of treating a body fluid, comprising:

detecting a presence of a material of interest that is at least one of dissolved or suspended in a fluid within a body lumen with a sensor portion of a lumenally-active device, wherein the body lumen is at least a portion of a nostril, nasal cavity, respiratory tract, or oral cavity of an organism, the lumenally-active device positioned entirely within the body lumen, the lumenally-active device also including a lumen-wall-engaging portion, a fluid containing portion configured to contact fluid within the body lumen, and an active portion capable of performing an action within the body lumen;

generating a response initiation signal with response initiation circuitry on the lumenally-active device responsive to detection of the presence of the material of interest in the fluid within the body lumen, the response initiation circuitry positioned entirely within the body lumen; and

delivering energy with the active portion of the lumenally-active device in response to the response initiation signal, the energy sufficient to modify or destroy the detected material of interest, the active portion positioned entirely within the body lumen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein delivering energy includes delivering electromagnetic radiation.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein delivering energy includes delivering acoustic energy source.