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US 12,741,103 B2Granted
Tympanic membrane therapeutic device
AssigneeKarl Storz GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsJohn Vaughan, Olive O'Driscoll
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A therapeutic device (1) has a stem (3) having a distal end (60) configured for insertion in a patient's ear canal with latching by suction to the tympanic membrane so that there is no relative movement despite patient head movement. A needle (63) punctures the membrane after suction is applied by negative pressure via a lumen (66). The needle tip is located within a suction cup which grips the membrane. A hand-held control device (2) is coupled to the stem and has a user-actuated controller (8) for controlling application of negative pressure (7) to the suction lumen.
Claims16
A therapeutic device comprising:
- an ear canal stem having a distal end for insertion in a patient's ear canal, the stem comprising:
- a lumen for application of suction, the lumen having at its proximal end a suction source or a coupler for connection to a suction source,
- a needle having a tip for piercing a tympanic membrane, and
- a suction cup, positioned at the distal end of the stem, within which the tip of the needle is located, the suction cup being linked with the lumen that is for application of suction and being configured for engaging the tympanic membrane and gripping the membrane by suction,
- wherein the stem further comprises a lumen linked with the needle for delivery of a therapeutic fluid, the lumen that is linked with the needle for delivery of the therapeutic fluid having a proximal end with a coupler for connection to a fluid source, the needle being configured for piercing the tympanic membrane and for delivering the therapeutic fluid.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.