Systems, devices, and methods including infection-fighting and monitoring shunts
View Patent ↗Systems, devices, methods, and compositions are described for providing an actively controllable shunt configured to, for example, monitor, treat, or prevent an infection.
1. An implantable fluid management device, comprising:
a body structure defining one or more fluid-flow passageways configured to receive a biological fluid of a biological subject;
one or more sensors configured to detect at least one characteristic associated with the biological fluid;
a first actively controllable excitation component configured to deliver a first sterilizing energy stimulus to a biological fluid received within at least one of the one or more fluid-flow passageways;
a second actively controllable excitation component configured to deliver a second sterilizing energy stimulus to a tissue proximate an outer surface of the implantable fluid management device; and
a control means operable to actuate concurrent-delivery of the first sterilizing energy stimulus to a biological fluid received within at least one of the one or more fluid-flow passageways, and the second sterilizing energy stimulus to a tissue proximate an outer surface of the implantable fluid management device, responsive to a detected change in a parameter associated with a biological fluid received within the one or more fluid-flow passageways.
2. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein the first energy stimulus comprises an electromagnetic energy stimulus, an electrical energy stimulus, an ultrasonic energy stimulus, or a thermal energy stimulus, and the second energy stimulus comprises a different one of an electromagnetic energy stimulus, an electrical energy stimulus, an ultrasonic energy stimulus, or a thermal energy stimulus.
3. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes an inner surface that is internally reflective to electromagnetic radiation.
4. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes a surface that is internally reflective to ultraviolet radiation.
5. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes a surface that is internally reflective to infrared radiation.
6. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes a surface having a reflective coating.
7. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes an ultraviolet energy reflective material.
8. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include one or more optical density sensors.
9. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include one or more refractive index sensors.
10. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include one or more refractive index sensors having one or more fiber optic refractive index sensors.
11. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors include one or more surface plasmon resonance sensors.
12. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are controllably actuatable between at least a first wettability state and a second wettability state.
13. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are energetically actuatable between at least a first wettability state and a second wettability state.
14. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are electro-chemically actuatable between at least a first wettability state and a second wettability state in the presence of an ultraviolent energy.
15. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are photo-chemically actuatable between at least a first wettability state and a second wettability state in the presence of an ultraviolent energy.
16. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are electrically actuatable between at least a first wettability state and a second wettability state in the presence of an ultraviolent energy.
17. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
one or more surface regions that are controllably switchable between a zwitterionic state and a non-zwitterionic state.
18. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
at least one of an antimicrobial coating and a non-fouling coating.
19. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , the body structure further comprising:
a surface region that is energetically actuatable between an antimicrobial state and a non-fouling state.
20. The implantable fluid management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body structure includes at least one of poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (pCBMA), poly(carboxybetaine acrylic amide) (pCBAA), poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (pOEGMA), poly(N,N-dimethyl-N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-N-[2′-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]-ammonium bromide), cationic pC8NMA, switchable pCBMA-1 C2, and pCBMA-2.