US 2018/0323090 A1 · MEDICAL INSTRUMENT FOR IN VIVO HEAT SOURCE

Abstract

A biocompatible medical device can be at least partially implantable into a living human or animal subject to provide active treatment of biofilm that can occur use within the subject. The medical device can include a catheter, including an interior conduit capable of permitting fluid flow. A heating device can be located on a portion of the catheter to be located within the subject, the heating device including at least a pair of electrodes having a variable spacing therebetween, the variable spacing specified to allow heat to be generated using a time-varying electromagnetic input signal providing a variable frequency to control a variable location along the electrodes at which heat is generated, such as can provide a virtual matrix of local heat sources.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A medical device that is at least partially insertable or implantable into a living human or animal subject to generate heat in vivo within the subject, the medical device comprising:

an elongate body, sized and shaped to include a biocompatible distal portion that is configured to be insertable or implantable into the subject;
and
a matrix of local heat sources, formed on the insertable or implantable biocompatible distal portion of the elongate body, the local heat sources selectively actuatable individually or in groups in response to an electromagnetic input signal communicated toward the local heat sources from a proximal end of the elongate body, without requiring concurrent actuation of all of the local heat sources.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Medical instrument for in vivo heat source

Life of this patent

Medical instrument for in vivo heat source

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22