Trans middle ear-inner ear fluid flow implementations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11806492-B2
Application number	US-201816649757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A prosthesis including a device configured to deliver a therapeutic substance from outside a cochlea to inside the cochlea and configured to evoke a mechanically based hearing percept. In an exemplary embodiment, the device is configured to drive fluid into and out of the cochlea, thereby evoking a hearing percept.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A prosthesis, comprising:
an apparatus configured to deliver a therapeutic substance from outside a cochlea to inside the cochlea and configured to evoke a mechanically based hearing percept, wherein
at least one of:
the apparatus is configured to be controlled to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept without delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea; or
the apparatus is configured to be controlled to deliver the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea without evoking the mechanically based hearing percept.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus is configured to drive fluid into and out of the cochlea, thereby evoking the mechanically based hearing percept.

3. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus is configured to drive fluid into and out of the cochlea, thereby simultaneously both evoking a hearing percept and delivering the therapeutic substance to inside the cochlea.

4. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus is configured to generate waves of fluid motion in the cochlea to evoke a hearing percept with fluid containing the therapeutic substance.

5. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus includes an electro-mechanical transducer;
the apparatus is configured such that the electro-mechanical transducer can drive the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea; and
the apparatus is configured such that the electro-mechanical transducer can pull perilymph from inside the cochlea to outside the cochlea and then push the perilymph back to inside the cochlea, thereby evoking the hearing percept.

6. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus includes a power consuming component that drives the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea; and
the apparatus is powered only by a non-rechargeable battery.

7. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the prosthesis is a non-bone conduction hearing prosthesis configured to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept with the ossicles intact.

8. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the prosthesis includes an implantable inductance coil, wherein the implantable inductance coil is part of an implantable component of the prosthesis; and
the prosthesis further comprises an external component including an external coil in signal communication with the implantable inductance coil and providing a signal to the implantable inductance coil based on an ambient sound captured by the external component, the external component being configured to be worn on an outside of a head of a recipient of the prosthesis.

9. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus includes a stimulator/receiver unit.

10. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus includes an implantable component configured to deliver the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea; and
the apparatus includes an external component including a transducer, the external component being configured to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept.

11. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus is configured to be controlled to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept without delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea.

12. The prosthesis of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus is configured to be controlled to deliver the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea without evoking the mechanically based hearing percept.

13. A prosthesis, comprising:
means for delivering a therapeutic substance from outside a cochlea to inside the cochlea and evoking a mechanically based hearing percept; and
a power storage device, wherein the power storage device powers the means for delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea and evoking the mechanically based hearing percept, wherein
the prosthesis includes a wireless communication antenna and wherein the prosthesis is a dual use therapeutic substance delivery device and hearing prosthesis.

14. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication antenna is an inductance coil.

15. The prosthesis of claim 14 , wherein:
the inductance coil is an implantable inductance coil; and
the prosthesis further comprises:
an external component including an external coil in signal communication with the implantable inductance coil and providing a signal to the implantable inductance coil based on an ambient sound captured by the external component, the external component being configured to be worn on an outside of a head of a recipient of the prosthesis.

16. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein:
the prosthesis is configured so that the means for delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea and evoking the mechanically based hearing percept is controllable to deliver the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea without evoking the mechanically based hearing percept.

17. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein:
the prosthesis is configured to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept without delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea and to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept while also delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea using the means for delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea and evoking a mechanically based hearing percept.

18. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein:
the prosthesis is configured so that the means for delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea and evoking the mechanically based hearing percept is controllable to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept without delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea.

19. The prosthesis of claim 13 , wherein the means for delivering the therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea includes a stimulator/receiver unit.

20. A prosthesis, comprising:
a fluid pump;
a chamber in fluid communication with the fluid pump; and
a cochlea interface component in fluid communication with the chamber, wherein
the fluid pump, the chamber and the cochlea interface component are configured to deliver a therapeutic substance from outside the cochlea to inside the cochlea of a recipient,
the prosthesis is configured to evoke a mechanically based hearing percept, and
at least one of:
the prosthesis is configured to control the fluid pump to control a movement of fluid into and out of the cochlea, the fluid containing the therapeutic substance, while not evoking the mechanically based hearing percept; or
the prosthesis is configured to control the fluid pump to control the movement of fluid into and out of the cochlea, the fluid containing the therapeutic substance, while evoking a hearing percept different from the mechanical based hearing percept.

21. The prosthesis of claim 20 , wherein:
the prosthesis is configured to evoke the mechanically based hearing percept by controlling the fluid pump to control a movement of fluid into and out of the cochlea, the fluid containing the therapeutic substance.

22. The prosthesis of claim 20 , further comprising:
a vibrating actuator, wherein the prosthesis is co

Assignees

• Cochlear Ltd

Inventors

• Oplinger Kenneth
• Bergs Tommy
• Nilsson Soren

Classifications

• A61M31/00 Primary

  Devices for introducing or retaining media, e.g. remedies, in cavities of the body (A61M25/00 takes precedence {; introducing or retaining ophthalmic products into the ocular cavities A61F9/0008}) · CPC title

• H04R25/558

  Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency · CPC title

• H04R25/606

  acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window · CPC title

• A61M2205/05

  combined with other kinds of therapy · CPC title

• A61M2210/0668

  Middle ear · CPC title