Phase-change materials

• US 10,492,935 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New Phase, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: New Phase, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hof, Refael, Perevalov, Valery
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Kaitlyn E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ekrami, Yasamin
• Application Number:
  US14/579,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20150112423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/02 Prostheses implantable into the body closure means for urethra or rectum or for artificial body openings therefor A61F2/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/04 Hollow or tubular parts of organs, e.g. bladders, tracheae, bronchi or bile ducts A61F2/18, A61F2/20 take precedence; devices, other than stent-grafts, providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body other than stent-grafts, e.g. stents A61F2/82; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/94 Stents retaining their form, i.e. not being deformable, after placement in the predetermined place
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0292 using latent heat produced or absorbed during phase change of materials, e.g. of super-cooled solutions
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0061 swellable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0066 shrinkable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/008 Phase change materials [PCM], e.g. for storing latent heat
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/086 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] compatible leads
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/406 using implantable thermoseeds or injected particles for localized hyperthermia preparations of seeds and particles A61K41/0052
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0039 using microbubbles

Abstract

A method is provided, including, delivering into a heart of a patient an annuloplasty ring structure including a body portion and an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a size of the body portion of the annuloplasty ring structure, the adjusting mechanism including a housing, and following the delivering, moving the housing with respect to the body portion. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

a stent configured to be implanted within a body of a subject, the stent being shaped to define a hollow volume therein; and

a phase-change material;

disposed within the hollow volume, and

configured to absorb heat from the stent by absorbing latent heat of fusion resulting from a phase-change of the phase-change material selected from the group consisting of;

wax to liquid, solid to liquid, solid to gel, and gel to liquid, in response to the stent being heated.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the phase-change material is hermetically sealed within the stent.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an energy transmission unit, configured to heat the stent by transmitting, toward the stent, energy that selectively heats the stent.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stent:

is tubular,

has (i) an inner surface that defines a main longitudinal lumen of the stent, and (ii) an outer surface that faces radially outward, and

is shaped to define the hollow volume between the inner surface and the outer surface, the phase-change material being disposed within the hollow volume that is defined between the inner surface and the outer surface.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the phase-change material is hermetically sealed within the stent.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the phase-change material has a phase-change temperature of 45 C to 60 C.