Surgical tool
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorsRichard Bruce Murphy, Nicholas Charles Kendall Pawsey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Presented herein are dual-function surgical tools for insertion of implantable stimulating assemblies, such as intra-cochlear stimulating assemblies. In addition to facilitating intra-operative positioning of a stimulating assembly within a recipient (e.g., operating to guide the stimulating assembly of an implantable medical device into position), the surgical tool also includes a plurality of electrodes configured to apply an electroporation electrical field to a recipient's nerve cells to enable introduction of treatment substance into the nerve cells.
Claims30
A surgical tool comprising:
- a sheath configured to be inserted into a body chamber within the body of a recipient to guide a stimulating assembly of an implantable medical device into position within the body chamber,
- wherein the sheath comprises a plurality of electrodes.
The surgical tool of claim 41, wherein the plurality of electrodes are formed into two or more functional groups of electrodes.
An insertion tool for a stimulating assembly, comprising:
- an insertion guide member configured to receive the stimulating assembly therein, wherein a distal portion of the insertion guide member is configured to be positioned within a body chamber of a recipient;
- and
- one or more electrodes disposed on the distal portion of the insertion guide member, wherein the one or more electrodes are configured to apply an electrical field to the recipient.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.