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US 4,509,947 AGranted
Self-cleaning drug delivery catheter and storage bladder
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorGary A. Lattin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drug delivery catheter and storage bladder adapted for use in an implantable drug delivery system. The catheter and bladder are provided with piezoelectric layers adapted to be responsively coupled to a source of ultrasonic electrical signals. When so coupled, vibration of the piezoelectric layer dislodges any accumulation of crystallized drugs within the catheter and bladder.
Claims1
A drug delivery catheter comprising a tubular catheter member having an interior surface;
- and piezoelectric means for cleaning the interior surface of said chamber by applying ultrasonic vibrations to said tubular catheter member;
- wherein said piezoelectric means comprises a layer of piezoelectric material applied to the tubular catheter member, a first metallized layer intermediate to said tubular catheter member and said layer of piezoelectric material and a second metallized layer external to said layer of piezoelectric material, and means whereby said piezoelectric material may be coupled to a source of ultrasonic electrical signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.