Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110015686 | SEALING OF AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE - A method of adhering a protective layer applied to a substrate region of an implantable medical device (IMD) to form a covered substrate region. The method includes obtaining the IMD, depositing an intermediate layer on a portion of the substrate region of the IMD such that the intermediate layer binds to the portion of the substrate region to create a modified substrate region, and depositing the protective layer after depositing the intermediate layer onto the intermediate layer and adhering the protective layer to the intermediate layer. In an embodiment of the present invention, this method enhances the sealing characteristics of the protective layer by, for example, reducing the likelihood of delamination of the protective layer from the IMD relative to IMDs prepared by certain other methods. | 01-20-2011 |
20110071596 | ELECTRODE CONTACTS FOR A MEDICAL IMPLANT - A electrode array for a medical and in particular cochlear implant and a method of manufacturing such an array is described in which carbon nanotubes are deposited onto electrode contacts at temperatures below the service temperature of a carrier material supporting the electrode contacts. This allows the carrier material, which may be a polymer like silicone, to be molded about the electrode contacts before they are coated with carbon nanotubes to allow for the provision of smaller and more highly concentrated electrodes. | 03-24-2011 |
20130190839 | DRUG DELIVERY USING A SACRIFICIAL HOST - An implantable drug-doped component, e.g., a cochlear implant, includes host material, a host-embedded drug and a sacrificial material integrated with the host. Upon exposure of the sacrificial material to a solvent, e.g., perilymph fluid, voids in the host are created which facilitate release of the drug. The host can be, e.g., polysiloxane or silicone rubber. The sacrificial material, e.g., can be a glucose monomer, sugar, cyclodextrin, a salt, a bioresorbable material, hyaluronic acid, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, etc. Alternatively, the sacrificial material can be the host, and can facilitate release of the drug through changing a property of the sacrificial material, e.g., by exposing the component to an ethanol wash. For a cochlear implant, e.g., the drug doped material can be applied to a non-stimulating surface of the electrode array. | 07-25-2013 |
20140188033 | DRUG DELIVERY USING A SACRIFICIAL HOST - Implantable drug-doped component, e.g., a cochlear implant, including host material, a host-embedded drug, a sacrificial material integrated with the host. Sacrificial material facilitates release of drug from the component. Sacrificial material facilitates release through creation of voids in the host upon dissolution of sacrificial material upon contact with a solvent, e.g., perilymph fluid upon implant. Host can be polysiloxane, or silicone rubber. Drug can be anti-inflammatory, growth factor, antibody, anti-oxidant, antibiotic, corticosteroid. Sacrificial material can be: glucose monomer, sugar, cyclodextrin, dissolvable or resorbable at implant site, a salt, bioresorbable material, hyaluronic acid, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid. Sacrificial material can be the host, and can facilitate release of drug through changing a property of sacrificial material, e.g., by exposing component to ethanol wash. For a cochlear implant, drug doped material can be applied to a non-stimulating surface of the electrode array, and can be a physical feature of stimulating medical device, e.g., soft tip, ridge, spine. For a cochlear implant the drug-doped material can excluded from the basal side of the most basal electrode contact. | 07-03-2014 |