Systems and methods for reducing pathogens near an implant are discussed. In some cases, the methods include reducing contaminants in a portion of a patient that has an implant and that is disposed interior to a closed surface of skin of the patient. The method can further include placing a conduit in the closed surface of skin and flowing an antimicrobial fluid into that portion of the patient to contact the antimicrobial fluid with a surface of the implant and tissue adjacent to the implant. In some cases, the antimicrobial fluid is then removed from the portion of the patient having the implant. As part of this method, biofilm near the implant can be mechanically, ultrasonically, electrically, chemically, enzymatically, or otherwise disrupted. Other implementations are described.

The present disclosure provides a handpiece for trans-canal delivery of a therapeutic substance to the inner ear. The handpiece can be inserted into the middle ear via a surgical tympanotomy approach. The handpiece can be integrated with a micropump and a fluid reservoir. The handpiece can enable a controlled injection of a therapeutic substance directly through the round window membrane and into the inner ear. The direct delivery of the therapeutic substance to the inner ear can enable the delivery of a precise amount of therapeutic substance into the inner ear. The micropump can include a self-contained fluid reservoir that can provide predetermined volumes of fluid to precise areas of the patient.

A method of delivering drugs to inner ear facilitated by microbubbles, including mixing a microbubble composition and a drug into a microbubble-drug mixture, applying the microbubble-drug mixture to middle ear cavity, and placing a mechanical oscillation wave source to ear canal or cranium located behind the ear. The mechanical waves generated by the mechanical oscillation wave source penetrate through tympanum or cranium, and induce the cavitation on the microbubbles in the middle ear cavity. Thus, the permeability of the round window membrane is increased, so that the drug penetrates into inner through the round window membrane. Therefore, the mechanical oscillation wave source induces the cavitation on the microbubbles in a non-invasive way.

Systems, apparatus, and methods are described for transporting and delivering a therapeutic substance to an ear of a subject, including a tubular element (216) configured for deployment in a tympanic membrane (TM) and a fluid transport element (230). The fluid transport element can be configured to transport the therapeutic substance from a proximal side to a distal side of the tubular element. Systems, apparatus, and methods further can include a fluid dispenser including a reservoir configured to contain a therapeutic substance, and a tubular element defining a lumen in fluid communication with an outlet in which the lumen and the outlet are configured to deliver the therapeutic substance from the reservoir to a region proximal to the tympanic membrane. Systems, apparatus, and methods further can include an electrode device.

Described here are systems and methods for delivering an active agent to target tissues of the ear, nose, or throat using a drug delivery platform having the therapeutic drug embedded as part of the drug delivery platform. The drug delivery platform is implanted into a target tissue, and the active agent elutes out of the body of the drug delivery platform for a target period of time, delivering a therapeutic dose of the drug for that period of time. The duration of therapy for an implant into a sinus tissue can be from 3 to 12 months, or longer, thereby providing relief for the full duration of an allergy season. Moreover, the duration of therapy can provide relief to individuals with chronic paranasal sinus condition symptoms for a period of time longer than presently available therapies, thus allowing for only semi-annual or annual applications of the therapy.

A setting unit sets a sound stimulation. A sound generation unit generates the sound stimulation thus set. The setting unit sets a sound stimulation having a sound volume level of a value between 70 and 85 decibels and a frequency of a value between 20 and 140 hertz, as a sound stimulation for activating a vestibular function via an ear stone of a subject person. The information acquisition unit acquires status information related to the vestibular function of the subject person, and the setting unit sets at least one of the sound volume level or a frequency of the sound stimulation in accordance with the information related to the vestibular function thus acquired.

[Problem] The present invention provides a preparation jig for a tympanic membrane regenerating agent and a preparation vessel for a tympanic membrane regenerating agent enabling simple preparation of a tympanic membrane regenerating agent. [Solution] A preparation jig for a tympanic membrane regenerating agent (1a) and a preparation vessel for a tympanic membrane regenerating agent (1A) each include: a vessel (3A) including housing walls (6, 7) forming an interior space (S1) housing a medicinal solution support (2), and including an opening (6h) opening in one direction and formed in the housing walls (6, 7); and a holding portion (4A) disposed in the interior space (S1). The deep side of the interior space (S1) is a housing portion (S3) housing the medicinal solution support (2) holding a medicinal solution. The opening (6h) side of the interior space (S1) is an installation space (S2) in which the holding portion (4A) is disposed.

An electrode guide device is described for inserting a cochlear implant electrode array into a scala tympany of a patient cochlea has an electrode guide tube and an end positioner at least partially contained within a cavity of the guide tube at the distal end and slidable within the cavity for adjustable extension beyond the distal end. The end positioner has a natural curvature that is constrained by the cavity of the guide tube for any portion contained within the cavity of the guide tube, and any portion of the end positioner extended beyond the distal end follows the natural curvature. The electrode array can be introduced through the groove of the guide tube along a first directional line towards an electrode opening in the patient cochlea, and then the distal end of electrode array emerging from the guide tube is redirected by the extension of the end positioner along a different second directional line through the electrode opening.

The invention relates to a non-invasive ear catheter (1) for introduction into the eustachian tube, comprising a catheter tube (2), an expandable balloon (3) for the occlusion of the eustachian tube, and an injection channel (5) for introducing medication into the middle ear region.

Systems, apparatus, and methods are described for delivering a therapeutic substance to the tympanic membrane of an ear of a subject, including a reservoir configured to contain the therapeutic substance and a delivery interface by which the therapeutic substance is delivered to the tympanic membrane.