United States Patent:  6,120,484

Appl. No.:  287344

The present invention is directed to an otological implant for delivery of medicament and a method of using the implant. The implant includes a wick inserted through an aperture in a membrane. One end of the wick is in contact with the treatment site and the other end is readily accessible. The wick is made of a material that will convey medication from one end of the wick to the other end of the wick by capillary action so that the medication is delivered to the treatment site. The implant may also include a tube member for supporting the wick. In use, the tube member is inserted in the membrane aperture and the wick is inserted in the lumen of the tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an otological implant for delivery of medicament from a first side of a membrane to a treatment site located of a second side of the membrane. The implant has a wick with a distal end for contacting the treatment site, a proximal end for contacting a medicament source, and a body therebetween configured and dimensioned to pass through an aperture in the membrane. The wick is made of a material capable of conveying the medicament from the proximal end to the distal end by capillary action. One such material is polyvinyl acetate. Although the size and shape of the wick can be varied for different applications, preferably the wick has a substantially cylindrical shape.

The implant may also include a tube member for supporting the wick. The tube member is configured and dimensioned to fit in the membrane aperture and has a first end for positioning on the first side of the membrane, a second end for positioning on the second side of the membrane, and a body therebetween. The tube member body has a lumen sized to receive the wick. The tube may be made of titanium, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, nylon, or silicone, and is preferably shorter in length than the wick.

The tube member may have a flange on either or both ends for preventing movement of the tube in the aperture. The flanges may be oriented at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the tube member body and the flange on the first end may have a tab to facilitate removal. In order to facilitate proper placement in the aperture, the tube member body may have a concave exterior surface.

The present invention also relates to a method for treatment of inner ear disease. The method includes the steps of creating an aperture in an ear drum; inserting a wick through the aperture with a first end of the wick located lateral to the ear drum and a second end of the wick located medial to the car drum and in contact with a treatment site; and contacting the first end of the wick to a medicament source to allow the medicament to travel to the second end of the wick and thereby deliver medicament to the treatment site.

The method may also include the step of inserting a tube member in the aperture prior to inserting the wick as well as the step of removing obstructions around the treatment site prior to insertion of the wick. Preferably, the aperture in the ear drum is created using a laser or a myringotomy knife and an operating microscope is used to visualize the method.

Claim 1 of 13 Claims

1. An otological implant for delivery of medicament from a first side of a membrane to a treatment site located on a second side of the membrane, the implant comprising a medicament-free wick having a distal end for contacting the treatment site, a proximal end for contacting a medicament source, and a body therebetween configured and dimensioned to pass through an aperture in the membrane and being made of a material capable of conveying the medicament from the proximal end to the distal end by capillary action.

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