KR102572940B1 - Catheter inner tube for transferring light energy - Google Patents

Abstract

It relates to an inner tube of a catheter for transmitting light energy, and more specifically, has a diameter sufficient to be used by being inserted into a catheter insertion part, and is a hollow tube body, at least on the inner surface of which a mirror surface is formed and ion coating is performed. , the condensing lens is coupled only to the end inserted into the catheter insertion part, or the condensing lens is coupled to both ends, one end is connected to the light energy generating device, and the other end is inserted into the catheter insertion part to irradiate light to the desired location. It provides a catheter inner tube for light energy delivery characterized by.

Description

Catheter inner tube for transferring light energy}

The present invention relates to an inner tube of a catheter for transmitting light energy, and more particularly, is a hollow tube body having a diameter sufficient to be used by being inserted into a catheter insertion unit, and has mirror surfaces formed on the inner and outer surfaces of the catheter and ionizing ions at the same time. Coating is performed, a condensing lens is coupled to both ends, or at least a condensing lens is coupled to an end inserted into the catheter insertion, one end is connected to a light energy generating device, and the opposite end is inserted into the catheter insertion part to provide light to a desired location. Provided is a catheter inner tube for light energy transmission, characterized in that energy is transmitted.

In recent years, treatment methods for diseases have been diversified. For example, following traditional methods such as surgery, procedure, and medicine, electrical treatment methods are being derived.

In the case of drugs, they must pass preclinical and clinical trials, and in order to pass these tests, a lot of resources must be invested in research and development for a long time. It requires a lot of capital. Therefore, it is difficult for drugs to respond flexibly to the treatment of various diseases.

In addition, in the case of electrical treatment methods, for example, there is equipment such as Zapper, which is difficult to use for patients equipped with pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, and therefore, a reliable alternative. it's hard to be

Therefore, there is a need to develop a new device that can have general-purpose treatment efficacy different from drugs that require a lot of capital and electrical treatment methods that are not reliable alternatives.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the present invention aims to maximize the therapeutic effect on various diseases by irradiating a necessary area with light generated by converting electrical energy as an energy source. to be

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a hollow tubular body having an aperture that is inserted into and used inside the catheter insertion unit, at least a mirror surface is formed on the inner surface and ion coating is performed, the catheter insertion unit A condensing lens is coupled only to the end inserted into, or a condensing lens is coupled to both ends, one end is connected to the light energy generating device, and the opposite end is inserted into the catheter insertion part to irradiate light to the desired location. A catheter tube is provided for energy delivery.

It is preferable that a mirror surface is formed on the outer surface of the inner tube of the catheter and an ion coating is further formed at the same time.

Preferably, the inner tube of the catheter is made of a flexible material including silicone rubber, nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), latex, and thermoplastic elastomers or polycarbonate. do.

The light energy generating device uses a near infrared (NIR), ultraviolet-A (UV-A), ultraviolet-B (UV-B), ultraviolet-C (UV-C) or blue laser light source. It is preferable to include at least one LED or lamp that generates light.

The light energy generating device may include: a coupling portion for transmitting light to the inner tube of the catheter when the inner tube of the catheter is coupled to the central portion; a circuit board extending around the coupling portion; LED or lamp as at least one light transmitting means coupled to the lower surface of the circuit board; a concave mirror for reflecting the light generated from the LED or lamp to focus the condensing lens located in the coupling part and then passing the focused light to the inner tube of the catheter; It is coupled to the upper surface of the circuit board and a control unit for controlling elements of the circuit board including LEDs or lamps.

It is preferable that an individual lens having one surface concave and the opposite surface convex is coupled to the LED or lamp, and the light is delivered to the catheter inner tube by adjusting the curvature of the individual lens to make the focal point constant.

The light energy generating device may include: a coupling portion for transmitting light to the inner tube of the catheter when the inner tube of the catheter is coupled to the central portion; a circuit board extending around the coupling portion; LED or lamp as at least one light transmitting means coupled to the lower surface of the circuit board; an optical fiber having one end connected to the LED or lamp and the other end connected to the condensing lens of the light energy generating device part among the condensing lenses; It is coupled to the upper surface of the circuit board and a control unit for controlling elements of the circuit board including LEDs or lamps.

The inner surface of the concave mirror is preferably polished to form a homogeneous surface so that the condensing lens coupled to the end of the inner tube of the catheter or positioned at the coupling portion can be accurately focused.

In the case where the condensing lens is coupled only to the end inserted into the catheter insertion part, it is preferable that a flange is provided in the coupling part to which the inner tube of the catheter is coupled, and the condensing lens is fixed by the flange.

Preferably, the condensing lens is made of polycarbonate and ion-coated.

It is preferable that the light generating device includes a resonator with a laser medium and implements a photo-oxidation effect by sending out pulsed laser beams through the inner tube of the catheter.

According to the present invention as described above, the effect of maximizing the treatment effect on various diseases such as cold, flu, pneumonia, lung cancer and coronavirus is expected by irradiating the required area with light generated by converting electrical energy as an energy source. can

In addition, the present invention can expect the effect of maximally matching the focus of the light transmitted to the catheter tube by making the mirror surface of the concave mirror inside the light energy delivery device uniform through a polishing process.

In addition, the present invention can be expected to match the focus of the light delivered to the catheter inner tube as much as possible by mounting individual lenses having one surface concave and one surface convex on the outer surface of the LED or lamp and adjusting the curvature.

In addition, the present invention mounts an individual lens having one concave surface and one convex surface on the outer surface of an LED or lamp, connects an optical fiber thereto, and allows light to reach a condensing lens without being reflected by a concave mirror, thereby efficiently condensing light. effect can be expected.

In addition, the present invention can expect an effect of easy handling by using a catheter.

1 is a perspective view showing an inner tube of a catheter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the insertion of the catheter inner tube according to an embodiment of the present invention into the catheter insertion portion.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which an inner catheter tube according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted into a catheter insertion unit and coupled to a light energy generating device.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a form in which an optical fiber is coupled to an LED or lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary diagram showing intensity cycles of light energy delivered by the catheter inner tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.

The object of the present invention is to treat diseases by irradiating light energy, and the treatment of such diseases is based on two effects of light energy. Photothermal effect and photodynamic effect or therapy are those. In general, the light source 141 that creates the photothermal effect is near infrared (NIR), and the photodynamic effect or therapy The light source 141 that creates therapy is UV-B, UV-C, Blue Laser, or the like. The photothermal effect is a phenomenon in which heat energy is generated when light shines on a material. It appears because an atom or ion absorbs light and changes from a low-energy state to a high-energy state. For example, in the case of selective photothermal treatment, a laser is used, which has been used to remove acne bacteria and sebaceous glands.

Photodynamic effect or therapy is to induce an oxidation reaction by using free radicals such as active oxygen to kill bad cells such as bacteria or cancer cells or to decompose bad chemicals. To this end, as a result of using a laser having a pulse type, for example, a femtosecond (femto second, 1/1,000th of a second) frequency pulse, it was found that there is a sterilization effect. Using this could bring about the effect of killing bacteria and viruses. The light generating device for this includes a resonator with a laser medium, and implements a photo-oxidation effect by sending out pulsed laser beams through the inner tube of the catheter.

Using this light source 141, it is possible to realize a therapeutic effect on various diseases. In the case of the inside of the body, a photothermal effect is applied to the external skin of the body and internal tissues of the body, such as the tonsils, throat, oral cavity, nasal cavity, bronchial tubes, airways, and lungs. It is configured to irradiate UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, and Blue Laser with photothermal effect (NIR: Near Infra Red) and photodynamic effect or therapy.

Near Infrared (NIR) rays with a photothermal effect are irradiated to activate the blood circulation of the body to induce natural healing, and at the same time, UV with a photodynamic effect or therapy and selective sterilization function -By irradiating additional rays of A, UV-B, UV-C, and Blue Laser for treatment, minimizing the destruction of living tissue, and applying NIR rays for a certain period of time even after irradiating UV-B, UV-C, and Blue Laser rays The treatment effect can be enhanced by using a method of restoring damaged tissue by irradiating UV-B, UV-C, and Blue Laser rays that have a sterilizing function.

The photothermal effect is generally applied to metabolic diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint pain, muscle pain, etc.) where blood circulation is not smooth. Nitrogen) is liberated to obtain the expected result through the effect of dilating small capillaries. This will increase the rate of metabolism either globally or locally. However, this effect does not directly kill germs, but instead, it can be expected to indirectly support the immune function by indirectly calling in more immune cells.

Another indirect effect is that when red light including NIR (near infrared) is used as the light source 141, the temperature of the local area can be increased using the photothermal effect, and the virus is Since it has the property of being inactivated, the effect of suppressing viral infection can be expected through this.

The photo-oxidation effect means to burn unnecessary substances. For this photo-oxidation effect, the following three conditions must be met.

First, as the light source 141, light having a short wavelength such as visible light or ultraviolet light of a blue light system is mainly used.

Second, as a light-sensitive material, it must be applied to target cells, substances, or germs so that light discovers them and the molecules absorb light wavelengths. Silver nano-materials with sterilization functions are used.

Third, as oxygen (or nitrogen), when there is oxygen around, oxygen-derived free radicals (hydroxyl radicals, nitrogen peroxide radicals, etc.) are produced by light waves to heal or sterilize target cells or materials coated with photosensitive materials action can be shown.

Details of the catheter inner tube 110 for irradiating the light source 141 having a photothermal effect and a photooxidation effect to internal tissues of the body are as follows.

A separate light source 141 must be generated from the outside and light must be transmitted using a very thin tube, for example, a medically usable catheter. In some cases, it is possible to use existing tubes or optical cables for supplying blood and body fluids, but these tubes or optical cables are not medically verified and may be difficult to use. In addition, some tubes for supplying blood and body fluids can be used in the oral cavity or nasal cavity, but the light source 141 that creates light energy and photooxidation effect of near infrared rays (NIR) with photothermal effect is UV-B, UV-C, Blue Laser When light energy from a lamp is passed through the tube, chemical changes may occur in the tube due to photothermal and photooxidation effects, which may be harmful to the human body.

As a method for solving this problem, mirroring is performed on the inside of the existing catheter to minimize the processing of the light source 141 generated in the light source 141 generator, and the photothermal effect In order to block deformation by near infrared (NIR), UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, and blue laser light sources (141) having photodynamic effect or therapy characteristics, ion coating (Ion coating) is required.

However, actually performing this treatment inside the catheter requires a lot of cost. To solve this problem, additional thin, flexible, and lightweight silicone rubber, nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), latex, and thermoplastic are added inside the catheter. Flexible, thin and thin tubes (catheter inner tube 110, Catheter Inner Tube) made of materials such as elastomers and polycarbonate are manufactured, and the inside and outside of these catheter inner tubes 110 (Catheter Inner Tube) are simultaneously A light energy transmission purpose inner catheter tube (110) for light energy transmission is manufactured by mirroring and additionally performing ion coating.

The catheter inner tube 110 can be inserted into the body through the catheter insertion part, and one side is connected to the light energy generating device 200 and the other side is coupled to the condensing lenses 111 and 146. The condensing lenses 111 and 146 may be installed in the optical energy generating device 200, or the condensing lenses 111 and 146 may be installed on the other side of the catheter inner tube 110 and connected to the optical energy generating device 200. . The optical energy generating device 200 basically has near infrared (NIR), UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, It is composed of a plurality of LEDs or lamps that generate the Blue Laser light source 141.

As shown in FIG. 3, a concave mirror is placed on the opposite side of the light source 141 such as an LED or a lamp, and a plurality of light sources 141 located on the opposite side of the concave mirror are irradiated to the concave mirror to form a focus, concave Condensing lenses 111 and 146 in the form of convex lenses are installed at the focal point of the mirror so that the plurality of light sources 141 are delivered to the catheter inner tube 110 in a focused state. The longer the focal length of the condensing lenses 111 and 146 used at this time, the more advantageous the present invention is. When light generated from various types of light sources 141 is reflected using a general concave mirror as it is, it is not easy to focus the various types of light sources 141 to a single point. This is because the concave mirror has not been processed to match the focus, and there may be minute curves that interfere with focusing.

To address these issues, the following details must be additionally implemented: First, the reflectance of the concave mirror must be maintained at a very stable and high level. In order to solve this problem, it is preferable to polish the surface of the concave mirror. That is, for example, it is preferable to perform polishing regularly with diamond powder having a size of 0.1 to 0.01 μm. That is, in order to uniformly reflect light using a concave mirror so that light converges at a desired focal point, the reflecting surface must be very homogeneous for a constant reflectance.

On the other hand, for each light source 141, the focus of various light sources 141 according to the relative light intensity (Relative Luminous Intensity, [Ir]) characteristics according to the difference in radiation characteristics of the light source 141 is the flange ( 130) converges on the condensing lenses 111 and 146 coupled with the flange.

The flange 130 may be provided to couple the inner tube 110 of the catheter at the coupling part of the light energy generating device 200, and the flange 130 may contain the condensing lenses 111 and 146.

The light source 141 is equipped with individual lenses 142 having one surface concave and the opposite surface convex. The incident direction of each light source 141 is a concave surface, and after the light source 141 exits, a convex surface is formed. It passes through, and the curvature of the concave or convex surface is adjusted so that the light reflected from the concave mirror converges on the condensing lenses 111 and 146 of the flange 130.

If the individual lenses 142 having one side concave and one side convex are mounted to surround the light source 141, it is easy to mount because they can be mounted only with adhesive, and it is economical because no separate structure is required to fix the lens.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light source 141, which is an LED or a lamp, is formed on the bottom of the circuit board (PCB 140) so as to face the concave mirror, and supplies power to the light source 141 at the top of the PCB 140. , the control unit 144 for controlling voltage and current adjustment is preferably located.

This structure enables generation of a lot of energy by integrating a plurality of individual light energies. It is recommended that the condensing lenses 111 and 146 use glass or ion-coated polycarbonate material that is not easily damaged despite the transmission of high light energy and UV-A, UV-B, UV-C and Blue Laser. desirable. Since the area to be irradiated on the body may be narrow or wide, a concave lens may be used at times. That is, the condensing lenses 111 and 146 coupled to both ends of the catheter inner tube 110 or coupled to one end and the flange 130 may be concave lenses that disperse light. Of course, one end may be concave and the other end may be convex. At this time, the amplitude, frequency, and duty cycle of the pulse-type waveform used may vary depending on the disease or bacteria to be treated. For example, light energy may be transmitted in a cycle as shown in FIG. 5 . Here, the vertical axis is the intensity of light, and the horizontal axis is time.

Circuits and control methods for generating light in the form of pulses correspond to known technologies, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted in the present invention. The catheter inner tube 110 can be operated simultaneously with an endoscope for observing video images inside the body, and can sometimes be combined. In this way, video images of body tissue are recorded before and after treatment and for tissue changes that occur during the course of treatment, and a number of these recorded images are stored in a database structure on the server to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, etc. Therefore, it is possible to extract the optimal treatment value (parameter) that can effectively treat a large number of people and various types of respiratory diseases by comparative analysis. In this way, the extraction of video images for the treatment process minimizes the problem of side effects (Side Effects), extracts various parameters necessary for adjusting light energy for treatment, and fine-tunes these parameters according to the patient's condition. make it possible

Several insertion parts may exist in the catheter, and it is possible to simultaneously operate by injecting the catheter inner tube 110 into one insertion part and injecting the endoscope into the other.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when an individual lens 142 having one side concave and the other side convex is coupled to an LED or lamp without using a concave mirror, one end is connected to the individual lens, and the condensing lens 111 , 146), the other end of which is connected to the condensing lenses 111 and 146 of the optical energy generating device 200, the light can be condensed through the optical fiber 143. The optical fiber 143 uses the principle of total internal reflection so that light loss to the outside of the optical fiber 143 does not occur, so that light can be transmitted to the condensing lenses 111 and 146 .

The present invention may be used in combination with a method of treating a patient using a cloud service. For example, if a patient's personal information and a unique number are entered through a terminal, they are stored in a cloud server, data is loaded therefrom, treatment information is matched, and then converted into a database, which can be used for treatment purposes in the future. Within the range where confidentiality of personal information is guaranteed, the practitioner can confirm treatment cases for similar symptoms from this DB and can effectively treat patients with similar symptoms.

It should be noted that the foregoing embodiments are illustrative and not limiting. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

110: catheter inner tube 111, 146: condensing lens
120: catheter tube 121: catheter body
130: flange 140: PCB
141: light source 142: individual lens
143: optical fiber 144: control unit
145: power supply 200: light energy generator

Claims (10)

It has a caliber that is used by inserting it into the catheter insertion part,
As a hollow tubular body, a mirror surface is formed on at least the inner surface and ion coating is performed at the same time,
A condensing lens is coupled only to the end inserted into the catheter insertion part, or a condensing lens is coupled to both ends, one end is connected to a light energy generating device, and the opposite end is inserted into the catheter insertion part to irradiate light to a desired location,
The optical energy generator includes a resonator with a laser medium, and transmits a pulsed laser beam through the catheter inner tube to realize a photo-oxidation effect. According to claim 1,
The inner tube of the catheter is characterized in that it is made of a flexible material including silicone rubber, nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), latex, and thermoplastic elastomers or polycarbonate. catheter intubation for the delivery of light energy. According to claim 1,
The light energy generating device uses a near infrared (NIR), ultraviolet-A (UV-A), ultraviolet-B (UV-B), ultraviolet-C (UV-C) or blue laser light source. Catheter inner tube for light energy delivery, characterized in that it comprises at least one LED or lamp generated. According to claim 3,
The light energy generating device,
a coupling portion for transmitting light to the inner tube of the catheter when the inner tube of the catheter is coupled to the central portion;
a circuit board extending around the coupling portion;
LED or lamp as at least one light transmitting means coupled to the lower surface of the circuit board;
a concave mirror for reflecting the light generated from the LED or lamp to form a focus on the condensing lens located in the coupling part and then passing the focused light to the inner tube of the catheter; and
a controller coupled to an upper surface of the circuit board and controlling elements of the circuit board including LEDs or lamps;
Catheter inner tube for light energy delivery, characterized in that it comprises a. According to claim 4,
The LED or lamp is coupled with an individual lens having one side concave and the other side convex, and adjusting the curvature of the individual lens to control the light irradiation direction. According to claim 4,
The inner surface of the concave mirror is finely polished to form a homogeneous surface so that the focus is accurately set on the condensing lens coupled to the end of the inner tube of the catheter or located in the coupling portion Light energy transmission, characterized in that for catheter intubation. According to claim 3,
The light energy generating device,
a coupling portion for transmitting light to the inner tube of the catheter when the inner tube of the catheter is coupled to the central portion;
a circuit board extending around the coupling portion;
LED or lamp as at least one light transmitting means coupled to the lower surface of the circuit board;
an optical fiber having one end connected to the LED or lamp and the other end connected to the condensing lens of the light energy generating device part of the condensing lens; and
a controller coupled to an upper surface of the circuit board and controlling elements of the circuit board including LEDs or lamps;
Catheter inner tube for light energy delivery, characterized in that it comprises a. According to claim 1,
When the condensing lens is coupled only to the end inserted into the catheter insertion part, a flange is provided at the coupling part to which the inner tube of the catheter is coupled among the light energy generating devices, and the condensing lens is fixed by the flange. catheter intubation. According to claim 1,
The condensing lens is a polycarbonate material, and the catheter inner tube for transmitting light energy, characterized in that ion coating is performed. delete