Medtronic Minimed, Inc.

Pacesetter, Inc.

Pacesetter Infusion, Ltd.

Other

Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research

Minimed, Inc.

Clyde K Nason

William H Stutz, Jr

Sheldon B Moberg

Gordon W Culp

James D Causey, Iii

Buehl E Truex

Jay A Yonemoto

Alfred E Mann

Ronald J Lebel

Cary D Talbot

Peter Carl Lord

Richard E Purvis

Darren Y K Yap

John P Pelmulder

Stephen D Das

John H Livingston

Dion F Davis

Edward G Rourke

Nannette M Schnabel

Hiwa Nezhadian

Vaughn P Cable

Laveille K Voss

Darren Y Yap

Ray Imani

H Lee Renger

Alfred D Acken, Deceased

James D Iii Causey

An external infusion device that infuses a fluid into an individual's body includes a housing, a reservoir, a drive system, a power supply, electrical elements, and a tab. The reservoir contains the fluid, and the drive system forces the fluid from the reservoir. The electrical elements control the power to the drive system to regulate the rate that fluid is forced from the reservoir. The tab mates with the housing, and contains at least one electrical element. The tab is removable, and may be replaced with a different tab. The different tab may change the rate fluid is forced from the reservoir. A tab may be removed from one external infusion device and installed in a different external infusion device. The tab may be limited to use in a predetermined number of external infusion devices and may include a power supply.

Control tabs for infusion devices and methods of using the same

Apparatuses and methods for pumping fluid are disclosed. An exemplary apparatus is a miniature pump that includes a shape memory wire that obtains a plastic condition below a transformation temperature and has a memorized shape such that the shape memory wire produces a work stroke by returning to the memorize shape at least at the transformation temperature. A spring biased against the shape memory wire is deflected by the work stroke to deform the shape memory wire from the memorized shape below the transformation temperature. A fluid pump is coupled to the shape memory wire and driven by the biased spring and shape memory wire to produce a fluid flow. The miniature pump can be incorporated into a self-contained infusion device in the form of a compact self-adhesive patch including a fluid reservoir, control electronics and power supply that is place directly at the infusion site of a user.

Shape memory alloy wire driven positive displacement micropump with pulsatile output

An implantable medication delivery device that is highly space efficient and can reliably and safely deliver controlled medication doses to a target site. The system includes a variable volume medication reservoir that is exposed to an ambient pressure equal to the ambient pressure at a system outlet port. A pump/valve subassembly is provided to draw medication from the reservoir and force a medication dose along a fluid transfer passageway to the outlet port. The pump/valve subassembly incorporates a safety mechanism, e.g., a balanced valve, which normally blocks medication flow to the outlet port and opens only in response to a pump induced unbalancing force. A protective shell is also disclosed for protecting the ambient reservoir.

Implantable medication delivery device

A reusable external infusion device infuses a fluid into an individual's body. The infusion device controls the rate that fluid flows from a reservoir inside a housing, through an external tube, and into the individual's body. Essentially, the infused fluid is insulin. However, many other fluids may be administered through infusion such as, HIV drugs, drugs to treat pulmonary hypertension, iron chelation drugs, pain medications, anti-cancer treatments, vitamins, hormones, and others.

Cost-sensitive application infusion device

A feedthrough connector for an implantable medical device includes a hermetically sealed housing containing an electrical circuit and a tubular barrel with an open end and a closed end defining a tubular channel that protrudes into the sealed housing while maintaining the seal of the housing. The inside of the tubular channel is open to the outside of the sealed housing through the open end and the tubular barrel also has a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings extending between an outer peripheral surface and the tubular channel. An electrical contact assembly electrically in common with the electrical circuit within the housing serves to make electrical contact with an electrical lead axially inserted into the open end of the tubular channel. The electrical contact assembly includes a plurality of contact members received in and projecting radially through a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings and a sleeve member of shape memory alloy freely overlies the contact members when in a first deformed-shape configuration but engage the contact members and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular barrel when in a second memory-shaped configuration, urging the contact members into mechanical, electrical, and hermetically sealed engagement with the electrical lead. The tubular channel may include a plurality of conductive cylindrical portions coaxial with the axis of the tubular barrel, the dimensions of the diameter of the successive cylindrical portions progressively decreasing from the open end to the closed end.

Hermetically sealed feedthrough connector using shape memory alloy for implantable medical device

An external infusion device system for infusing a fluid into a patient, the system including a reusable infusion device housing, a gas power source and disposable reservoir. The disposable reservoir is insertable into the reusable infusion device housing to infuse the fluid into the patient. The gas power source is for generating a gas to expel the fluid from the fluid reservoir. The disposable reservoir includes a reservoir housing, a fluid reservoir, an outlet, a gas power source, an expansion chamber and a regulating valve assembly. The fluid reservoir is within the reservoir housing for containing the fluid to be infused into the patient. The outlet is in the reservoir housing and provides a path through which the fluid is expelled to be infused into the patient. The expansion chamber is disposed between the gas power source and the fluid reservoir to receive the gas from the gas power source. The expansion member expands into the fluid reservoir to expel the fluid from the fluid reservoir. The regulating valve assembly is disposed between the fluid reservoir and the outlet to set a predetermined threshold pressure that must be exceeded to permit fluid to be expelled from the fluid reservoir through the outlet. In preferred embodiments, the fluid to be infused is a medication. Also, the regulating valve assembly sets the predetermined threshold pressure at greater than 1.05 atmospheres.

External gas powered programmable infusion device

A drive mechanism for a medication delivery device includes a force receiving member, a force applying member and a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. The force applying member is operatively coupled to the force receiving member to move the force receiving member to a different position relative to the force applying member. The shape memory alloy actuator is formed from a shape memory alloy material and is operatively coupled to the force applying member. The shape memory alloy actuator is heat activated to distort the shape memory actuator from a first shape to a second shape to activate the force applying member to act upon the force receiving member to move the force receiving member to a different position relative to the force applying member. Also, the shape memory alloy actuator is returned to the first shape from the second shape after the force receiving member is moved to a different position relative to the force applying member. In addition, the shape memory alloy actuator may be activated by applying and removing an electrical current to the shape memory element. For example, the drive mechanism may further include a power source coupled to the shape memory actuator to provide the electric current to the shape memory actuator. In addition, the shape memory actuator may be formed from Nitinol material, such as a wire.

Incremental motion pump mechanisms powered by shape memory alloy wire or the like

A connector assembly mounted on an implantable cardiac stimulation device has an actuator mechanism for fixing and sealing electrical leads inserted into lead receptacles within the connector assembly without the use of setscrews. Fixing and sealing of the leads is accomplished by compressing resilient lead lock seals of O-ring shape, disposed in annular recesses, with lip portions of a plunger drawn toward the molded support by the actuator mechanism. In a first embodiment of the actuator mechanism, rotation of a cam actuator transversely journaled within the support, using a torque wrench or similar tool, moves a cam slide attached to the plunger through a fixed displacement between lock and unlock positions as an offset camming portion of the actuator engages the surfaces of a slot within the cam slide. In a second embodiment, constant-force compression of the lead lock seals by the plunger is provided by using a torque wrench to rotate a screw actuator having one end coupled to the plunger and an opposite threaded end received within a screw block transversely disposed within the support. In a third embodiment, a rotatable toothed pinion engages a toothed slot within a slidable rack to provide incremental advancement of the rack, and thereby stepped displacement and force, with a resulting increased resolution. In a fourth embodiment, compliance provided by either a spring formed within the cam slide, or a spring nut mounted thereon, prevents excessive force from being exerted on leads of larger diameter.

Setscrewless connector assembly for implantable medical devices

An implantable medical device, in the form of a cardiac defibrillator, has a support structure of molded thermoplastic foam surrounding the components of the device within a case to provide the components with shock and vibration resistance. The thermoplastic foam is produced by a process using dry nitrogen blowing, so as to be chemically inert. This prevents harmful outgassing of chemicals from the foam. The thermoplastic foam is a low density, crosslinked foam of polyethylene or polypropylene composition. The support structure includes an opposite pair of supports molded from the thermoplastic foam, so as to have facing portions configured to the irregular shape and size of the components. Each support is made by preheating an opposing pair of dies and a thermoplastic foam element, compressing the preheated foam element between the opposing dies, and heating for a predetermined time at a predetermined temperature, cooling the dies, and then removing the formed support from the dies.

Implantable medical device having compliant support for internal

A cardiac stimulation device having a reduced volumetric configuration contains a pair of high-voltage cylindrical discharge capacitors positioned at rounded edges within a device container. The capacitors have electrical contact tabs at one end which are inserted directly through apertures formed within an associated electronic module. The capacitor tabs are connected directly to the electronic module eliminating the need for secondary connectors or point to point wiring, thus reducing the number of connections. Direct connection of the capacitors to the electronic module allows for optimal positioning of the module within the container. Specifically, the generally planar module is oriented perpendicular to planar cover surfaces of the container. Irregularly shaped components attached to the surface of the module advantageously extend away from the surface into remaining voids within the container. Adhesive compressible foam is placed around and between the internal components of the stimulation device to stabilize the device against shock and vibration.

Implantable medical device with a reduced volumetric configuration and

A medication infusion pump is provided for controlled delivery of medication to a patient, wherein the pump includes a space-efficient flexible drive plunger for advancing a piston within a medication-containing syringe or cartridge for administration of the medication to a patient. The infusion pump comprises a compact housing defining a syringe chamber for receiving and supporting the barrel of a medication-containing syringe or cartridge having a nose end adapted for luer connection to catheter tubing through which the medication is delivered to the patient. An open rear end of the syringe barrel carries a piston which can be advanced in a controlled manner to dispense the medication. In the preferred form, the flexible drive plunger comprises a spring tape with a free end adapted for removable connection to the piston. The spring tape extends within the pump housing through a space-efficient curved path and is associated with a pump drive motor for advancing the piston within the syringe barrel to deliver the medication to the patient.

Medication infusion pump with flexible drive plunger

An improved infusion pump is provided for controlled delivery of medication from a syringe to a patient, wherein a pump housing includes a syringe chamber and associated lock members for receiving and supporting the syringe in one of two different positions. The syringe includes a medication-containing barrel connected to a luer fitting at a nose end thereof by a luer neck of reduced cross sectional size. In one position, the syringe seats into the chamber with the luer neck protruding through an outlet port of mating size and with the luer fitting disposed outside the housing, such that the housing defines a lock member engaged axially between the syringe barrel and luer fitting to secure the barrel against axial displacement. In another position, a retainer key is adapted for installation into the syringe chamber at a position spaced inboard from the outlet port and defines an alternative lock member for axially securing the syringe with the luer fitting disposed inside the housing. In either position, a syringe piston plunger is controllably advanced by the pump into the barrel to deliver medication from the nose end of the syringe for administration to a patient via the luer fitting and infusion tubing or the like connected thereto.

Infusion pump with dual position syringe locator

A mechanical drive system for use in driving a disposable cassette containing a reciprocating fluid pump and active valves from a main pump unit is disclosed which utilizes a single power module cam to drive both the reciprocating pump and the valves. By using a unitary power module cam, the system completely eliminates the possibility of a timing error between the operation of the reciprocating pump and the valves. A one-way clutch is used to prevent the system from slipping into a reverse operation, and the operation of the valve actuators prevents the possibility of free flow through a cassette installed onto the main pump unit.

Growing community of inventors

Wasco, CA, United States of America

Clyde K Nason