This technology is a sleeve that transmits ultraviolet radiation that can be placed around the components of percutaneous medical devices for continuous disinfection.
Unmet Need: Continuous disinfection of percutaneous medical devices
Many implantable medical devices, such as catheters and lines, require percutaneous components, which necessitate a continuous opening in a patient through which these components can pass. This opening creates a high-risk region for bacterial infections to enter the body, spreading along the medical device first and eventually into other regions deep within a patient’s tissue. Current methods to prevent bacterial infection through this percutaneous pathway include impregnation of percutaneous components with various anti-bacterial chemicals. However, these treatments do not resolve the high rates of infection associated with percutaneous medical devices.
The Technology: Low-cost method for reducing infections from implantable medical devices
This technology is an implantable sleeve that transmits ultraviolet light to sterilize implanted devices. This sleeve encases percutaneous components, thus allowing ultraviolet radiation to non-invasively sterilize both the implanted medical device and the tissue in contact with the sleeve. The employed short-wavelength UV light has been shown to kill harmful bacteria without damaging human cells, allowing for quick, painless, and inexpensive sterilization of implanted devices and grafts throughout the lifespan of the device.
Applications:
- System for ongoing disinfection of percutaneously implanted medical devices
- Continuous disinfection of implanted catheters
- System for delivering ultraviolet light to subcutaneous targets within the body
- Continuous disinfection of a surgical wound
- Disinfection of surgical tools during use
Advantages:
- Cost-effective
- No consumable parts
- Allows for repeated disinfection of the implanted devices over their lifetime
- Efficiency does not degrade over time
- Does not require the use of chemicals
- Uses a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light which inactivates bacteria while leaving human cells unharmed
Lead Inventor:
Henry Spotnitz, M.D.
Patent Information:
Patent Status
Related Publications:
Welch D, Spotnitz HM, Brenner DJ. “measurement of UV emission from a diffusing optical fiber using radiochromic film” Photochem Photobiol. 2017 Nov; 93(6): 1509-1512.
Welch D, Randers-Pehrson G, Spotnitz HM, Brenner DJ. “Unlaminated gafchromic ebt3 film for ultraviolet radiation monitoring” Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2017 Nov 1; 176(4): 341-346.
Buonanno M, Randers-Pehrson G, Bigelow AW, Trivedi S, Lowy FD, Spotnitz HM, Hammer SM, Brenner DJ “207-nm UV light - a promising tool for safe low-cost reduction of surgical site infections. I: in vitro studies” PLoS One. 2013 Oct 16; 8(10): e76968.
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