Implantable dispensing device for controllably dispensing medicinal fluid

Claim 2

1 . An implantable delivery device for delivering a beneficial agent to selected site comprising an elongated housing having an outlet and an interior wall defining first and second reservoirs, said first reservoir containing the beneficial agent and being in communication with the fluid outlet, said device comprising: (a) a heat expandable mass contained within said second reservoir, said heat expandable mass being expandable by the heat of the patient's body; and (b) means disposed within the housing intermediate the first and second reservoirs for urging the beneficial agent toward the outlet upon expansion of said heat expandable mass.

Claim 3

2 . The device as defined in claim 1 further including flow control means disposed intermediate the first reservoir and the selected site for controlling fluid flow toward the selected site.

Claim 4

3 . The device as defined in claim 1 further including infusion means connected to said housing and communicating with the fluid outlet for infusing said medicinal fluid into the patient.

Claim 5

4 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said heat expandable mass comprises a polymer.

Claim 6

5 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said heat expandable mass comprises a gel.

Claim 7

6 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said heat expandable mass comprises an ionized acrylamide gel composition.

Claim 8

7 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said heat expandable mass comprises an interpenetrating polymer network.

Claim 9

8 . The device as defined in claim 1 further including flow control means for controlling flow of the beneficial agent toward the selected site, said flow control means comprising said expandable mass.

Claim 10

9 . The device as defined in claim 1 further including adding means housed within the housing for adding an additive to the fluid contained within the first reservoir.

Claim 11

10 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said means for urging the beneficial agent toward the selected site comprises a pusher member disposed in sealable engagement with the interior wall of the housing.

Claim 12

11 . The device as defined in claim 1 in which said housing comprises an elongated tubular member having first and second open ends.

Claim 13

12 . The device as defined in claim 11 , further including a closure cap closing said second open end of said elongated tubular member.

Claim 14

13 . The device as defined in claim 11 , further including cover means covering said tubular member, said cover means including a cover having an end wall extending over said first open end of said tubular member.

Claim 15

14 . The device as defined in claim 12 in which said infusion means comprises an elongated delivery line having first and second ends, said first end being connected to said end wall of said cover.

Claim 16

15 . The device as defined in claim 14 further including a porous delivery tip connected to said second end of said delivery line.

Claim 17

16 . An implantable fluid delivery device for delivering medicinal fluids to a patient comprising an elongated housing having first and second ends, a fluid outlet formed in said first end and an interior wall defining first and second reservoirs, said first reservoir containing fluid and being in communication with the fluid outlet, said device comprising: (a) an expandable gel contained within said second reservoir; (b) means disposed within the housing intermediate the first and second reservoirs for urging said medicinal fluid toward the fluid outlet upon expansion of said heat expandable gel; and (c) adding means disposed within said housing between said first reservoir and said fluid outlet for adding an additive to the fluid contained within said first reservoir.

Claim 18

16 . An implantable fluid delivery device for delivering medicinal fluids to a patient comprising an elongated housing having first and second ends, a fluid outlet formed in said first end and an interior wall defining first and second reservoirs, said first reservoir containing fluid and being in communication with the fluid outlet, said device comprising: (a) an expandable gel contained within said second reservoir; (b) means disposed within the housing intermediate the first and second reservoirs for urging said medicinal fluid toward the fluid outlet upon expansion of said heat expandable gel; and (c) adding means disposed within said housing between said first reservoir and said fluid outlet for adding an additive to the fluid contained within said first reservoir.

Claim 19

17 . The device as defined in claim 16 further including flow control means comprising a porous frit disposed intermediate the fluid outlet and the first reservoir for controlling fluid flow through the fluid outlet.

Claim 20

18 . The device as defined in claim 16 , in which said adding means comprises a functional support structure housed within said housing and in which said additive comprises a drug removably affixed to the functional support structure.

Claim 21

19 . The device as defined in claim 16 in which said additive is substantially removable from said support using affinity chromatography techniques.

Claim 22

20 . The device as defined in claim 19 in which a ligand is connected to said support and a target molecule is connected to said ligand.

Claim 23

21 . A device as defined in claim 20 in which a spacer arm is connected to said support and in which a ligand is connected to said spacer arm.

Claim 24

22 . The device as defined in claim 21 in which an enzyme is connected to said target molecule.

Claim 25

23 . The device as defined in claim 22 in which said target molecule is a protein.

Claim 26

24 . The device as defined in claim 23 in which an antibody is bound to said protein.

Claim 27

25 . The device as defined in claim 16 , further including infusion means connected to said housing and communicating with the fluid outlet for infusing said medicinal fluid into the patient.

Claim 28

26 . The device as defined in claim 16 in which said housing further includes an elongated tubular member having first and second open ends.

Claim 29

27 . The device as defined in claim 26 , further including cover means covering said tubular member, said cover means including a cover having an end wall extending over said first open end of said tubular member.

Claim 30

28 . The device as defined in claim 26 in which said infusion means comprises an elongated delivery line having first and second ends, said first end being connected to said end wall of said cover.

Claim 31

29 . The device as defined in claim 23 , further including a porous delivery tip connected to said second end of said delivery line.

Claim 32

30 . An implantable drug delivery device for delivering medicinal fluids to a patient comprising a housing having a fluid outlet and including an interior wall defining first, second and third reservoirs, said first reservoir being in communication with the fluid outlet and containing a fluid, said device comprising: (a) a heat expandable polymer contained within said third reservoir, said heat expandable polymer being expandable by the heat of the patient's body; (b) adding means contained within said second reservoir for adding an additive to the fluid contained within the first reservoir; (c) means disposed within the housing intermediate the first and third reservoirs for urging said medicinal fluid toward the second reservoir upon expansion of said heat expandable member; and (d) infusion means connected to said end wall of said cover and communicating with said fluid outlet for infusing said medicinal fluid into the patient.

Claim 33

30 . An implantable drug delivery device for delivering medicinal fluids to a patient comprising a housing having a fluid outlet and including an interior wall defining first, second and third reservoirs, said first reservoir being in communication with the fluid outlet and containing a fluid, said device comprising: (a) a heat expandable polymer contained within said third reservoir, said heat expandable polymer being expandable by the heat of the patient's body; (b) adding means contained within said second reservoir for adding an additive to the fluid contained within the first reservoir; (c) means disposed within the housing intermediate the first and third reservoirs for urging said medicinal fluid toward the second reservoir upon expansion of said heat expandable member; and (d) infusion means connected to said end wall of said cover and communicating with said fluid outlet for infusing said medicinal fluid into the patient.

Claim 34

31 . The device as defined in claim 30 further including flow control means comprising a porous frit disposed intermediate the fluid outlet and the first reservoir for controlling fluid flow through the fluid outlet.

Claim 35

32 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said heat expandable polymer comprises a gel.

Claim 36

33 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said heat expandable polymer comprises a phase-transition gel.

Claim 37

34 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said heat expandable polymer exhibits swelling kinetics that can be tailored to control the rate of delivery of the medicinal fluids to the patient.

Claim 38

35 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said additive comprises a beneficial agent.

Claim 39

36 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said additive comprises a drug.

Claim 40

37 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said housing further includes a transfer chamber disposed between said first reservoir and said third reservoir.

Claim 41

38 . The device as defined in claim 30 in which said infusion means comprises an elongated delivery line having first and second ends, said first end being connected to said fluid outle of said housing.

Claim 42

39 . The device as defined in claim 38 , further including a porous delivery tip connected to said second end of said delivery line.

Claim 43

40 . The device as defined in claim 38 , further including a closure cap closing said second end of said tubular member.

Claim 44

41 . The device as defined in claim 38 , further including a stopper member disposed intermediate said closure cap and said third reservoir.