Implantable drug infusion reservoir having fluid impelling resilient foam member
AssigneeInfusaid, Inc.
InventorSamir F. Idriss
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable infusion reservoir having a resilient foam member in a rigid housing to urge fluid to an implantation site. The foam member compresses upon charging and then expands to maintain a predetermined pressure characteristic within the fluid. The foam replaces the previously used two-phase propellent and eliminates the need for a hermetic metal bellows. The foam may be either closed celled or open celled, with or without a barrier skin. The device can be conformal to any desired shape and employ various metering techniques to deliver accurate quantities of fluid.
Claims19
An implantable infusion system comprising:
- a housing;
- a reservoir in said housing;
- an inlet in said housing for providing access to said reservoir from an external point for charging said reservoir with a fluid to be dispensed;
- an outlet providing fluid communication between said reservoir and a remote location for dispensing said fluid;
- means interposed between said reservoir and said outlet to meter the flow of said fluid;
- and
- a solid compressible member filling substantially that portion of said reservoir unoccupied by said fluid for providing a force urging said fluid from said reservoir into said outlet by expansion and contracting upon filling said reservoir with fluid.
An implantable infusion system comprising:
- a hollow housing;
- a penetrable septum mounted in said housing for providing access to an interior portion of said housing from an external point for supplying to said housing a fluid to be dispensed;
- an outlet catheter establishing fluid communication between said interior portion of said housing and a location for dispensing said fluid;
- and
- a resilient compressible member positioned in said housing and occupying the volume of said interior portion unoccupied by said fluid for providing a force by expansion pressurizing said fluid to expel said fluid from said interior portion into said outlet catheter, said resilient member contacting upon filling said interior portion with fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.