Patent ID: 8425488

Claim:
A method for treating a patient, the patient having a head with a first ear and a second ear, the method comprising: placing a conformable guide block in an ear canal of the first ear such that the guide block conforms to a shape of the ear canal to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the ear canal; stabilizing the guide block in the ear canal by injecting a material into the ear canal and hardening the material to form a fluid tight seal between the material and the ear canal; passing a fluid including an anesthetic agent through a first lumen through the guide block into a sealed space between the guide block and a tympanic membrane; allowing at least one of extra fluid or air to escape from the sealed space between the guide block and the tympanic membrane through a second lumen through the guide block; applying current to the fluid in the sealed space using an electrode extending through the guide block to cause the anesthetic agent to move at least partially through the tympanic membrane via iontophoresis; and providing negative pressure relief in the ear canal through the second lumen during the removal of the guide block from the ear canal.