Implantable infusion pumping catheter

Abstract

In some examples, an implantable infusion device using a piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive mechanical pumping catheter includes a reservoir configured to retain for a fluid to be dispensed within a patient, at least one piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive mechanical pumping catheter for dispensing the fluid contained within the reservoir, a transceiver, and a processor to regulate control the operation of the piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive mechanical pumping catheter.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A pumping catheter comprising:
 a catheter body having a deformable lumen, the catheter body including:   a proximal end;   a distal end; and   one or more pumping segments extending between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein:
 each of the pumping segments are configured to selectively deform the lumen by constricting or expanding the lumen; and 
   at least one pump in communication with the pumping segments, wherein the at least one pump is configured to cooperate with the pumping segments to selectively deform the lumen to control one or more of a rate of fluid flow through the lumen or a volume of fluid through the lumen.   
     
     
         3 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one pump comprises a first pump and a second pump, wherein the first pump is in communication with a first pumping segment and the second pump is in communication with a second pumping segment. 
     
     
         4 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , comprising:
 a check valve positioned proximal to the pump.   
     
     
         5 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , comprising:
 a check valve positioned distal to the pump.   
     
     
         6 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2  in combination with an implantable infusion device. 
     
     
         7 . The pumping catheter of  claim 6 , wherein the implantable infusion device includes a reservoir. 
     
     
         8 . The pumping catheter of  claim 6 , comprising:
 at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of pressure, positional, motion, locational, and biological sensors.   
     
     
         9 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , wherein the tubular member includes an outer member and an inner member, and wherein the inner member includes the plurality of segments and the at least one piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive pump. 
     
     
         10 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one pump includes one or more of a piezoelectric material or an electrostrictive material. 
     
     
         11 . The pumping catheter of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one pump includes a shape-memory alloy. 
     
     
         12 . An implantable infusion device, comprising:
 a reservoir configured to retain a fluid to be dispensed within a patient;   one or more pumping catheter for dispensing the fluid contained within the reservoir, wherein:
 each of the pumping catheters includes one or more pumping segments; 
 each of the pumping segments are configured to selectively deform a lumen of the pumping catheter by constricting or expanding the lumen; and 
 the pumping catheter includes at least one pump in communication with the pumping segments, wherein the pump is configured to cooperate with the pumping segments to selectively deform the lumen to control one or more of a rate of fluid flow through the lumen or a volume of fluid through the lumen; 
 a transceiver: and 
 a controller in communication with the pump and configured to operate the pump to dispense the fluid from the reservoir and through the lumen. 
   
     
     
         13 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 11 , wherein each of the pumping catheters includes at least two pumping segments, wherein each of the pumping segments includes the pumps. 
     
     
         14 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , further comprising a sensor in communication with the pumping catheter, wherein the controller is configured to determine pumping efficacy and to detect occlusions in the pumping catheter using data received from the sensor. 
     
     
         15 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the pumping catheter includes energy harvesting circuitry configured to gather and provide energy to the implantable device and circuitry. 
     
     
         17 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one pump includes a plurality of pumps, and the plurality of pumps are located along a length of the pumping catheter. 
     
     
         19 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate wirelessly with the pumping catheter using the transceiver. 
     
     
         20 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to acquire data corresponding to at least one characteristic of the pumping catheter from at least one sensor; and
 the controller is configured to store at least some of the acquired data in the memory device.   
     
     
         21 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 20 , wherein the controller is configured to analyze at least some of the acquired data and, using the analyzed data, the controller is configured to modify an operating parameter of the implantable infusion device. 
     
     
         22 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 20 , wherein the controller is configured to analyze at least some of the acquired data and, using the analyzed data, the controller is configured to store data in the memory device representing trend information of the device. 
     
     
         23 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 20 , wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit at least some of the stored data to the controller for analysis. 
     
     
         24 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 20 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 analyze at least some of the acquired data to generate trend information of the device;   store data in the memory device representing the trend information; and   using the stored data, modify an operating parameter of the device.   
     
     
         25 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , comprising at least one of a refill port configured to be illuminated and a catheter port configured to be illuminated to provide visibility through a patient's skin when implanted. 
     
     
         26 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to generate an alarm signal to indicate at least one of the following conditions: a low battery, a pumping catheter occlusion, and a low reservoir level utilizing data from one or more sensors. 
     
     
         27 . The implantable infusion device of  claim 12 , wherein the transceiver is configured to wirelessly transmit pumping catheter data selected from the group consisting of the following: at least one programming parameter, a drug volume level, and sensor data.