Interstitial Light Catheter With Deflected Fibers for Antimicrobial Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical treatments for tissue and bone infections, particularly those caused by bacteria or fungi, are inadequate in effectively eliminating pathogens and often lead to severe health issues.
Innovation Solution
A delivery catheter system with optical fibers configured to deliver blue light energy between 400 nm to 475 nm, providing an antimicrobial effect by dispersing light evenly over the target tissue, using a slidable tube for support and a deflector component to position the fibers accurately, allowing for minimally invasive treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If optical fibers are delivered through a rigid catheter, then structural support is provided, but tissue damage increases and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple segments: a rigid proximal portion for structural support and delivery, and a flexible distal portion for safe tissue interaction. This segmentation allows each part to perform its optimal function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter have different mechanical properties - the proximal end is rigid to provide support during insertion, while the distal end is flexible to minimize tissue damage during treatment. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between needing strength and avoiding harm.
2Productivity
If optical fibers are extended past the catheter tip, then light delivery to target tissue is improved, but fiber positioning precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A deflector component acts as an intermediary mechanism between the fiber delivery system and the target tissue. This deflector allows precise control of fiber extension and positioning, enabling the fibers to reach the treatment site accurately while maintaining control over their placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fibers are designed to be dynamically extendable past the catheter tip through the deflector mechanism, allowing the system to adapt its configuration during treatment. This dynamic extension capability enables both effective light delivery and precise positioning control.
3Reliability
If blue light is delivered to kill bacteria, then antimicrobial effect is achieved, but potential damage to healthy tissue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light delivery is localized precisely to the treatment site through the flexible catheter and deflector system. By concentrating the blue light energy only where needed (in the infected area) and delivering it through a flexible pathway that avoids damaging healthy tissue during insertion, the system achieves reliable antimicrobial effects while minimizing collateral damage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively kills bacteria and fungi, offering a viable alternative to antibiotics, suitable for various medical applications including surgery, orthopedics, and wound care, with precise light delivery ensuring even power distribution for optimal treatment.
Implementation Method 1
one or more optical fibers configured to pass through the inner slidable tube and deliver light energy to provide an antimicrobial effect to the target tissue
Implementation Method 2
The antimicrobial effect of the light energy is configured to kill bacteria to treat infections. The light energy has illumination wavelengths from about 400 nm to about 475 nm
Implementation Method 3
The one or more optical fibers are configured to disperse the light energy evenly over a length of the one or more optical fibers in both longitudinal and circumferential directions
Implementation Method 4
The one or more optical fibers include a cladding covering an outer surface thereof, and wherein at least a portion of the cladding of the one or more optical fibers is removed from an outer surface of the one or more optical fibers to achieve the even dispersion of the light energy
Implementation Method 5
A distal end of the delivery catheter includes a deflector component to divert a distal end at least one of the one or more optical fibers as it is being advanced from a distal end of the inner tube
Data Source
AI summary
System, devices, and methods for providing treatment to tissue are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a device is provided that includes a delivery catheter having an elongated shaft and an inner lumen therethrough, the delivery catheter being configured to pass through tissue such that a distal end of the delivery catheter is positioned at a target tissue, a support in the form of an inner slidable tube that is configured to be positioned inside the inner lumen of the delivery catheter, the support being configured to provide rigid or semi-rigid support for the delivery catheter during insertion of the delivery catheter through tissue, and one or more optical fibers configured to pass through the inner slidable tube and being configured to deliver light energy to provide an antimicrobial effect to the target tissue.