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SYSTEM WITH A RESERVOIR FOR
PERFUSION MANAGEMENT
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATIONS 5
The present application is related to, claims the earliest available effective filing date(s) from (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications; claims benefits under 35 USC §119(e) for pro- 10 visional patent applications), and incorporates by reference in its entirety all subject matter of the following listed applications; the present application also claims the earliest available effective filing date(s) from, and also incorporates by reference in its entirety all subject matter of any and all parent, 15 grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the following listed applications:
1. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/827,576 entitled A SYSTEM FOR PERFUSION MANAGEMENT, naming Lowell L. Wood Jr. as inventor, filed on Apr. 19, 2004. 20
2. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/827,578 entitled A SYSTEM WITH A SENSOR FOR PERFUSION MANAGEMENT, naming Lowell L. Wood Jr. as inventor, filed on Apr. 19, 2004.
3. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/891,356 entitled A 25 SYSTEM FOR PERFUSION MANAGEMENT, naming Lowell L. Wood Jr. as inventor, filed on Aug. 9, 2007.
4. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/891,334 entitled A SYSTEM WITH A RESERVOIR FOR PERFUSION MANAGEMENT, naming Lowell L. Wood Jr. as inventor, 30 filed on Aug. 9, 2007.
5. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/891,333 entitled A SYSTEM WITH A RESERVOIR FOR PERFUSION MANAGEMENT, naming Lowell L. Wood Jr. as inventor, filed on Aug. 9, 2007. 35
6. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/891,573 entitled A TELESCOPING PERFUSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, naming Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventor, filed on Aug. 9, 2007. 4Q
7. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/891,371 entitled A TELESCOPING PERFUSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, naming Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventor, filed on Aug. 9, 2007.
TECHNICAL FIELD 45
The present application relates, in general, to detection and/or treatment.
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SUMMARY
In one aspect, a system includes but is not limited to: a body portion; at least one extensible finger coupled to said body portion; at least one reservoir in communication with said 55 extensible finger; and a control circuitry coupled to said extensible finger, or said body portion. In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present application.
In one aspect, a method includes but is not limited to: 60 fabricating a device by forming a cavity for storing a receivable; coupling a flexible conduit to said cavity, the conduit being configured to extend from said cavity to a target location in an animal's body; and coupling said flexible conduit and said cavity to a monitoring system, said monitoring sys- 65 tern including logic or software configured for directing said receivable from said cavity to said target location. In addition
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to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present application.
In another aspect, a method includes but is not limited to: storing a receivable in an implanted storage medium; extending a flexible conduit between said storage medium and a target location; and transmitting said receivable from said storage medium to said target location. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present application.
In one or more various aspects, related systems include but are not limited to circuitry and/or programming for effecting the herein-referenced method aspects; the circuitry and/or programming can be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the hereinreferenced method aspects depending upon the design choices of the system designer.
In addition to the foregoing, various other method and or system aspects are set forth and described in the text (e.g., claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawings of the present application.
The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity; simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the devices and/or processes described herein, as defined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a front-plan view of a device for perfusion management 100.
FIG. 2 is a front-plan view of another aspect of the device for perfusion management 100.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show exploded views of various aspects of the device of FIG. 1, including an extensible finger 104.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the control circuit 110 and devices in communication with the control circuit 110.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example wherein the device for perfusion management 100 is placed in a selected location in a human body 501.
The use of the same symbols in different drawings typically indicates similar or identical items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present application uses formal outline headings for clarity of presentation. However, it is to be understood that the outline headings are for presentation purposes, and that different types of subject matter may be discussed throughout the application (e.g., device(s)/structure(s) may be described under the process(es)/operations heading(s) and/or process (es)/operations may be discussed under structure(s)/process (es) headings). Hence, the use of the formal outline headings is not intended to be in any way limiting.
1. Perfusion Management Device(s) and/or Process(es).
With reference now to FIG. 1, shown is a front plan view illustrative of various exemplary perfusion management device(s) and/or process(es). Accordingly, the present application first describes certain specific exemplary structures of FIG. 1; thereafter, the present application illustrates certain specific exemplary processes. Those having skill in the art
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will appreciate that the specific devices and processes described herein are intended as merely illustrative of their more general counterparts.
A. Structure(s) and or Device(s)
With reference to the figures, and with reference now to 5 FIG. 1, shown is a front-plan view of a device for perfusion management 100. The device for perfusion management 100 includes a body portion 102 from which at least one extensible finger 104 projects. At least one reservoir 106 within the body portion 102 contains a fluid, for example, a fluid for 10 treatment. A controllable valve 108 provides a path through which the fluid may travel to the at least one extensible finger 104. A control circuit 110 provides a control signal that may open or close the control valve 108.
Referring now to FIG. 2, depicted is an aspect of the device 15 for perfusion management 100 which includes a body portion 102 from which a set of extensible fingers projects. In one aspect, at least one of the extensible finger 104 of the set of extensible fingers has a sensor 216 at the distal end of the at least one of the extensible finger 104. Additionally, a sense 20 line 214 connects the control circuit 110 to the sensor 216 at the distal end of the extensible finger 104. The control circuit 110 may be connected to a sense line 214 that allows it to monitor the fluid levels within the at least one reservoir 106.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, in one aspect, each of the 25 extensible finger 104 of the set of extensible fingers is in fluid communication with at least one of a respective reservoir 106 filled with a different fluid for delivery. In another approach, the at least one reservoir 106 may be coupled to a mixing chamber where the fluid contents of the at least one reservoir 30 106 are present for mixing and the mixed contents enter the extensible finger 104 for delivery to a selected location. The choice of the fluid in the at least one reservoir 106 may depend, for example, on the purpose of the device, for example, treatment of colon cancer, treatment of breast can- 35 cer, or treatment of an arterial disease. The choice of fluid in the reservoir 106 includes, but is not limited to, for example, a chemical, a chemical compound, a protein, a lipoprotein, a glycoprotein, a sugar, a lipid, an antigen, an antibody, a cytokine, a peptide, a neurotransmitter, a hormone, an ion, a mes- 40 senger a molecule, a nucleic acid, an engineered nucleic acid, a nucleic acid vector, a drug, a cell, a cell fragment, a cell organelle, a liposome, a pharmaceutical agent, a biological material, or a biological fraction. The reservoir 106 may also be utilized for storage and disposal of operational fluids. Also, 45 although the exemplary embodiment described herein focuses primarily on fluid delivery, one skilled in the art will understand that fluid-like substances, such as gels, and fluidizable substances or non-fluid type substances, such as small solid particles, may be delivered in accordance with the 50 invention. It will also be appreciated by those having skill in the art that the nature of the fluid in the reservoir 206 includes, for example, and is not limited to, a liquid, a solution, a mixture, a gel, a colloid, a colloid of a suitable viscosity, a suspension, an emulsion, or any material of low shear- 55 strength for delivery to a site.
In one aspect one or more fluids are delivered to one or more of selected locations by the device for perfusion management 100. The selected location may be, for example, in proximity to or within a tumor, a circulatory system, an aorta, 60 a vena cava, a site of therapy, or a site of investigation in an animal.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, a pump 218 provides fluid at a controlled flow rate for delivery to a site from the reservoir 106. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the 65 type of pump is not critical to the invention and may include, for example, a mechanical pump, a piezoelectric pump, an
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osmotic pump, a source of pressure, or a device for maintaining a positive flow of fluid through the device. Additionally, fluid flow may be further modulated with micro valves and self-pressurizing fluidic reservoirs. Moreover, in some applications, the fluid may be delivered without a pump. For example, fluid delivery may be controlled using a pressurized bladder, controlled dissolution or dilution of a material, a drip or gravity type of approach, or any other suitable approach to deliver the appropriate amount or an appropriate delivery-rate of the fluid.
With reference now to FIG. 3, depicted is an exploded view of the extensible finger 104 showing a plurality of telescoping segments 304 with the sensor 216 at the distal end of each of the telescoping segments 304. In one aspect of the invention, the sensor 216 is an array of sensors, deployed from one or more portholes, at the distal end of each of the telescoping segments 304. In one approach, the portholes are sized and shaped to provide access through which the sensors 216 may be deployed. The portholes may include seals, stress relief or other features appropriate for proper mechanical deployment. In one approach, one or more of the portholes can be controllably opened or closed to provide communication exterior to the extensible finger or main body. The sensor 216 may be retracted within the port hole and deployed through the porthole. Where the porthole can be opened and closed, the porthole can close to limit communication and can be opened for deployment. The array of sensors may include, but is not limited to, for example, sensors for detecting pressure, temperature, chemical, gas, electrolyte, flow, volume, composition, or concentration. In an alternate aspect of the invention, microelectrodes, such as, for example, solid-state microlectrodes are sensitized with an agent for detecting a relevant interactor. Examples of the agent include, but are not limited to, for example, agonists of angiogenesis. The choice of sensor 216 depends on the physiological variable being monitored, treated, or controlled. The term "physiological variable" refers to any and all measurements relating to the functioning of a living organism under normal, sub-normal, or abnormal states.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 3 and referring now to FIG. 4, an operative tool 324 is coupled to the distal most telescoping segment 304, or deployed from the porthole, or carried by the extensible finger 104, further including a carrying line 334 in communication with the control circuit 110. The operative tool 324 includes, but is not limited to, for example, one or more of a combination of, a tool positioner, an ablation device, a laser, a vacuum, a siphon 326, an evacuation device, a fluid dispenser 328, a cauterizer 330, a stent 332, a tissueliquefying device, or a source of an electric or an electromagnetic charge 422. The vacuum or the siphon is employed for removing a cell, a mass of cells, a tissue, a fluid, a gel, a sample, a debris, a contaminant, or other material for which removal is desired or appropriate. The ablation device operates for perturbing or reducing the structural integrity or viability of a cell, a mass of cells, an assembly of biological materials exhibiting shear strength, or a tissue. The assembly of biological materials includes, for example, blood clots, cartilage, or bone. The source of an electric or electromagnetic charge 422 includes, but is not limited to, for example, steady state electric currents, time-varying electric currents, alternating electric currents, radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet rays, infra-red rays, optical rays, terahertz beams, and the like.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, it will be appreciated by those having skill in the art that the operative tool 324 may include a set of devices having general or "multi-purpose" utility. The operative tool 324 may include, but is not limited to, for
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