Automated Vortexing Sonicator for Dislodging Bacteria from Biofilms

Reference #:

2007-177

Inventors/Contributors

Christopher J. Kimble, Alexander D. Streeter, Randall C. Newman

Description

An interdisiplinary group at Mayo Clinic has demonstrated a procedure for sampling the bacteria resident in biofilms on the surface of prostheses that have been explanted during revision surgery for patients with infected prosthetic joint implants. The extraction method, which entails both vortexing and sonication steps, has been shown to improve diagnostic specificity. To facilitate the diagnostic of periprosthetic infections, a need exists for a simple, fast and automatic way to perform vortexing and sonication in the operating room. We propose incorporating one or more ultrasound transducers into an oscillatory mounting plate. An instrument so designed could automatically perform either simultaneous or sequential vortexing and sonication. Moreover, it would eliminate the seperate ultrasound tank of messy liquid.

Patent Status

None