Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transdermal power transfer for recharging implanted drug delivery devices via the refill port

  • Published:
Biomedical Microdevices Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 09 February 2010

Abstract

This paper describes a system for transferring power across a transdermal needle into a smart refill port for recharging implantable drug delivery systems. The device uses a modified 26 gauge (0.46 mm outer diameter) Huber needle with multiple conductive elements designed to couple with mechanical springs in the septum of the refill port of a drug delivery device to form an electrical connection that can sustain the current required to recharge a battery during a reservoir refill session. The needle is fabricated from stainless steel coated with Parylene, and the refill port septum is made from micromachined stainless steel contact springs and polydimethylsiloxane. The device properties were characterized with dry and wet ambient conditions. The needle and port pair had an average contact resistance of less than 2 Ω when mated in either environment. Electrical isolation between the system, the liquid in the needle lumen, and surrounding material has been demonstrated. The device was used to recharge a NiMH battery with currents up to 500 mA with less than 15°C of resistive heating. The system was punctured 100 times to provide preliminary information with regard to device longevity, and exhibited about 1 Ω variation in contact resistance. The results suggest that this needle and refill port system can be used in an implant to enable battery recharging. This allows for smaller batteries to be used and ultimately increases the volume efficiency of an implantable drug delivery device.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Portions of this article appear in conference abstract form in Ref (Evans et al. 2009).

References

  • American Society of Health System Pharmacists, ASHP guidelines on quality assurance for pharmacy-prepared sterile products. Am J Health Syst Pharm 57, 12 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.C. Andrews, S.C. Walker-Andrews, W.D. Ensminger, Long-term central venous access with a peripherally placed subcutaneous infusion port: initial results. Radiology, 176, 45–47 (1990), http://radiology.rsna.org/citmgr?gca=radiology;176/1/45

    Google Scholar 

  • B.R. Boveja, A. Widhany, Method and system for providing pulsed electrical stimulation to provide therapy for erectile/sexual dysfunction, prostatitis, prostatitis pain, and chronic pelvic pain, U. S. Patent 7,330,762, 2008

  • M. Carmichael, The changing science of pain. Newsweek. 4 June 2007, 40–47, http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/ebm/record/17608126/full_citation/The_changing_science_of_pain_

  • T. Deer, I. Chapple, A. Classen, K. Javery, V. Stoker, L. Tonder, K. Burchiel, Intrathecal drug delivery for treatment of chronic low back pain: report from the National Outcomes Registry for Low Back Pain. Pain Med 5, 1 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Erdine, J. De Andres, Drug delivery systems. Pain Pract 6, 1 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A.T. Evans, S. Chiravuri, Y.B. Gianchandani, Transdermal Power Transfer for Implanted Drug Delivery Devices Using a Smart Needle and Refill Port. The 22nd IEEE Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) (2009), pp. 252–256

  • M. Gerard, A. Chaubey, B.D. Malhotra, Application of conducting polymers to biosensors. Biosens Bioelectron 17, 5 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • T.S. Grabow, D. Derdzinski, P.S. Staats, Spinal drug delivery. Curr Pain Headache Rep 5, 6 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joint Committee on Accrediation of Healthcare Organizations, New standards to assess and manage pain. Jt Comm Perspect 19, 5 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Kim, K. Najafi, Characterization of Parylene-assisted Wafer Bonding: Long-term Stability and Influence of Process Chemicals. The 13th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (2005), pp. 2015–2018

  • R. Likar, W. Ilias, H. Kloimstein, A. Kofler, H.G. Kress, J. Neuhold, M.M. Pinter, M.C. Spendel, Stellenwert der intrathekalen Schmerztherapie. Der Schmerz 21(1), 15–27 (2007). doi:10.1007/s00482-006-0515-2

    Google Scholar 

  • Medtronic Authors, Medtronic Sychromed II Pump, www.medtronic.com/your-health/multiple-sclerosis/device/our-baclofen-pump/synchromed-ii-pump/index.htm. Accessed October 08, 2008

  • S.L. Morris, P.F. Jaques, M.A. Mauro, Radiology-assisted placement of implantable subcutaneous infusion ports for long-term venous access. Radiology 184, 1 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  • C.J. Phillips, Pain management: health economics and quality of life considerations. Drugs 63, 2 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N.G. Rainov, V. Heidecke, Management of chronic back and leg pain by intrathecal drug delivery. Acta Neurochir Suppl 97, 1 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Rauck, D. Cherry, M.F. Boyer, P. Kosek, J. Dunn, K. Alo, Long-term intrathecal opioid therapy with a patient-activated, implanted delivery system for the treatment of refractory cancer pain. J Pain 4, 8 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. Reynaerts, J. Peirs, H. Van Brussel, A SMA-Actuated Implantable System for Delivery of Liquid Drugs, Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on New Actuators, 1996

  • M.T. Richardson, Y.B. Gianchandani, Achieving precision in high density batch mode micro-electro-discharge-machining. J Micromechanics Microengineering 18, 1 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S.A. Schug, D. Saunders, I. Kurowski, M.J. Paech, Neuraxial drug administration: a review of treatment options for anaesthesia and analgesia. CNS Drugs 20, 11 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.L. Soria, J. Chacon, J.C. Hernandez, Metal hydride electrodes and Ni/MH batteries for automotive high power applications. J Power Sourc 102, 1–2 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Strum, J. McDermed, A. Korn, C. Joseph, Improved methods for venous access: the Port-A-Cath, a totally implanted catheter system. J Clin Oncol 4, 596–603 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Tajima, K. Satoshi, M. Inaba, H. Inoue, Development of soft and distributed tactile sensors and the application to a humanoid robot. Adv Robot 16, 4 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K. Takahata, Y.B. Gianchandani, Batch mode micro-electro-discharge machining. IEEE ASME J Microelectromech Syst 11, 2 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Vipul, Vipul’s lifetime lifeline permanent pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, U. S. Patent 7,239,917, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • D.P. Wermeling, Ziconotide an intrathecally administered N-type calcium channel antagonist for the treatment of chronic pain. Pharmacotherapy 25, 8 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Winkelmuller, W. Winkelmuller, Long-term effects of continuous intrathecal opioid treatment in chronic pain of nonmalignant etiology. J Neurosurg 85, 3 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, 1301 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Allan T. Evans & Yogesh B. Gianchandani

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5048, USA

    Srinivas Chiravuri

Authors
  1. Allan T. Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Srinivas Chiravuri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yogesh B. Gianchandani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allan T. Evans.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10544-010-9397-2

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Evans, A.T., Chiravuri, S. & Gianchandani, Y.B. Transdermal power transfer for recharging implanted drug delivery devices via the refill port. Biomed Microdevices 12, 179–185 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-009-9371-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-009-9371-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation