US 12,226,287 B2
Tympanostomy tube and a placement device
John Vaughan, Cork (IE); Olive O'Driscoll, Kinsale (IE); and Carol Grimes, Skerries (IE)
Filed by AVENTAMED DESIGNATED ACTIVITY COMPANY, Cork (IE)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/071,991.
Application 18/071,991 is a continuation of application No. 16/757,548, granted, now 11,547,610, previously published as PCT/EP2018/080015, filed on Nov. 2, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 17199754 (EP), filed on Nov. 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0123143 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61F 11/20 (2022.01)
CPC A61F 11/202 (2022.01) 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tympanostomy tube placement system comprising:
a tympanostomy tube placement device comprising a stem connected to a deployment mechanism or having a coupler for connection to a deployment mechanism,
a needle having a tip configured to pierce a tympanic membrane, the needle having a longitudinal axis, and
a retainer comprising a plurality of fingers extending axially at a distance from said longitudinal axis; and
a tympanostomy tube comprising a proximal flange, an inter-lumen connector, and a distal flange, and in which the proximal flange comprises passageways;
wherein the retainer is movable from a pre-deployment distal position at which it is adapted to press radially inwardly against the tube distal flange to retain said distal flange in a folded position, to a deployment proximal position at which the tube distal flange is free to spring out radially to a deployed position;
and in which
in the pre-deployment position the retainer fingers extend through the proximal flange passageways and press the tube distal flange inwardly.