Clinical-based automated delivery of treatment substances to the inner ear
AssigneeCochlear Limited
InventorsJohn Michael Heasman, Jan Raymond Janssen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Presented herein are techniques for clinical-based automated control of the delivery of treatment substances to at least one inner ear of a recipient of an implantable medical device. More specifically, in-vivo biomarkers are analyzed to determine a biological state/status of one or more physiological elements of the inner ear. Subsequent delivery of one or more treatment substances to the inner ear of the recipient are controlled based on the determined biological state of the one or more physiological elements of the inner ear.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- delivering a stimulus to an inner ear of a recipient, wherein the stimulus is configured to evoke an electrophysiological response from the recipient;
- measuring the electrophysiological response evoked from the stimulus with an electrode disposed within or adjacent to the inner ear of the recipient;
- and
- delivering a therapeutic substance to the inner ear of the recipient responsive to the electrophysiological response.
A method, comprising:
- delivering an electrical stimulus to an ear of a recipient, wherein the electrical stimulus is configured to evoke an electrically evoked electrophysiological response from the recipient;
- delivering an acoustic stimulus to the ear of the recipient, wherein the acoustic stimulus is configured to evoke an acoustically evoked electrophysiological response from the recipient;
- measuring the electrically evoked electrophysiological response and the acoustically evoked electrophysiological response;
- estimating a composite measure from the electrically evoked electrophysiological response and the acoustically evoked electrophysiological response;
- and
- delivering a therapeutic substance to the recipient responsive to the composite measure.
An implantable medical device, comprising:
- a stimulus output component configured to deliver a stimulus to an inner ear of a recipient;
- a sensor configured to be implanted in the inner ear of the recipient;
- and
- at least one processor configured to:
- instruct the stimulus output component to deliver the stimulus to the inner ear of the recipient;
- instruct the sensor to measure an electrophysiological response evoked from the recipient as a result of the stimulus delivered by the stimulus output component;
- and
- deliver a therapeutic substance to the recipient based on the electrophysiological response.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.