Patent ID: 7373254

Claim:
A method for selectively destroying microbial infestation in a silicone medical implant, said method comprising irradiating said implant with electromagnetic energy at a wavelength at which said energy is absorbed by both said implant and said microbial infestation but absorption of said energy by said microbial infestation exceeds absorption of said energy by said implant by a sufficient differential to destroy said microbial infestation while the amount of said energy absorbed by said implant does not exceed an amount E a of said electromagnetic energy according to the relation: E a =m H ×C ×( T H,c −T α ) in which: m H is the mass of the implant, C is the heat capacity of the implant, T H,c is the critical temperature of the implant, defined as the maximum temperature that the implant can withstand without degradation, and T α is ambient temperature.