Patent ID: 8282593

Claim:
An implantable shunt device, comprising: a body structure having an outer surface and an inner surface defining one or more fluid-flow passageways configured to receive a cerebrospinal fluid of a biological subject; one or more energy emitters configured to direct an energy stimulus to at least one of an interior and an exterior of at least one of the one or more fluid-flow passageways, the energy stimulus of a character and for a duration sufficient to induce programmed cell death without substantially inducing necrosis of at least a portion of cells proximate at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the body structure; and a disinfecting agent assembly including at least one disinfecting agent reservoir, the disinfecting agent assembly configured to deliver one or more disinfecting agents from the at least one disinfecting agent reservoir to an interior of at least one of the one or more fluid-flow passageways.