IP Library › Patent Application 12800774
Patent Application
App. No. 12/800,774

Systems, devices, and methods including infection-fighting and monitoring shunts

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
12/800,774
Abstract

Systems, devices, methods, and compositions are described for providing an actively controllable shunt configured to, for example, monitor, treat, or prevent an infection.

Claims (26)

1 .- 575 . (canceled)

576 . An implantable shunt system, comprising:

a shunt assembly having a body structure including

at least an outer surface and an inner surface defining one or more fluid-flow passageways configured to receive a cerebrospinal fluid of a biological subject; and

one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates configured to deliver a sterilizing energy stimulus to one or more regions proximate at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the body structure, the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates defining at least a portion of at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the body structure.

577 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent.

578 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive coating material.

579 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light energy in the presence of an energy stimulus.

580 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light energy in the presence of an electrical potential.

581 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent having one or more photoabsorption bands in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

582 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a radiation emitting coating.

583 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a ultraviolet energy emitting coating.

584 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include one or more ultraviolet energy emitting phosphors.

585 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include one or more ultraviolet energy nanoparticles.

586 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive coating material.

587 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent.

588 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light energy in the presence of an energy stimulus.

589 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light B energy in the presence of an energy stimulus.

590 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light C energy in the presence of an energy stimulus.

591 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a trivalent phosphate configured to emit ultraviolet light C energy in the presence of an energy stimulus.

592 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit ultraviolet light energy in the presence of an electrical potential.

593 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent having one or more photoabsorption bands in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

594 . The implantable shunt system of claim 576 , wherein the one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates include a photoactive agent configured to emit germicidal light.

595 . A method, comprising:

concurrently or sequentially delivering to one or more regions of at least one fluid-flow passageway of an indwelling implant cerebrospinal fluid management system a temporally patterned sterilizing energy stimulus via one or more selectively activateable ultraviolet energy delivering substrates configured to independently activate in response to a real-time detected measurand associated with a cerebrospinal fluid received within the at least one fluid-flow passageway.

596 .- 754 . (canceled)