Controlled food flow in a patient
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
- an implanted adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a restricted stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus, an implanted adjustment device for adjusting said restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening, an implanted sensor for sensing at least one physical parameter associated with the patient, and a control device which controls said adjustment device to adjust said restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening in response to said sensor sensing a change in said physical parameter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In the treatment of morbid obesity or heartburn and reflux disease an elongated restriction member (12) is formed in a substantially closed loop around a human'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus. The size of the stoma opening is adjustable by an implanted adjustment device. A control device (22) is utilized to control the adjustment device, in order to either reduce or enlarge the size of the stoma opening, for example in response to the time of the day. Nausea in a treated obese human can be minimized or substantially eliminated as a result of the control device controlling the adjustment device to keep the stoma opening substantially fully open between meals (such as at night when the human is sleeping).
A sensor (23), such as a pressure or position sensor, is surgically implanted in the human'"'"'s body so that the sensor may either directly or indirectly sense a physical parameter of the human, such as the pressure in the stomach or the human'"'"'s orientation with respect to the horizontal. If in response to sensing by the sensor it is determined by the control device that a significant change in the physical parameter has occurred, then the control device controls the adjustment device to either reduce or enlarge the size of the stoma opening.
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Citations
99 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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an implanted adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a restricted stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus, an implanted adjustment device for adjusting said restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening, an implanted sensor for sensing at least one physical parameter associated with the patient, and a control device which controls said adjustment device to adjust said restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening in response to said sensor sensing a change in said physical parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. An apparatus for controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient, the apparatus comprising:
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an implanted adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a restricted stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus, an implanted adjustment device for adjusting said restriction device to change the size of said stoma opening, and a control device which controls said adjustment device to adjust said restriction device to change the size of said stoma opening in response to the time of the day. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A method of controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient comprising:
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(a) surgically implanting in the patient an adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus;
(b) surgically implanting in the patient an adjustment device which adjusts the restriction device and a sensor for sensing at least one physical parameter associated with the patient; and
(c) controlling the adjustment device to adjust the restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening in response to the sensor sensing a change in the physical parameter. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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91. A method of controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient comprising:
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(a) surgically implanting in the patient an adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus;
(b) surgically implanting in the patient an adjustment device which adjusts the restriction device; and
(c) controlling the adjustment device to adjust the restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening in response to the time of the day. - View Dependent Claims (92)
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93. A method of improving the quality of life of an obese patient having an adjustable restriction device engaging the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus, the method comprising:
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(a) surgically implanting an adjustment device which adjusts the restriction device and a sensor in the patient operatively associated with the stoma opening;
(b) sensing at least one physical parameter of the patient using the sensor; and
(c) controlling the adjustment device to enlarge the stoma opening in response to the sensor sensing a significant change in the physical parameter. - View Dependent Claims (94, 95, 96, 97, 98)
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99. A method of controlling the food flow through the stomach or esophagus of a patient comprising:
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in a laparascopic surgery procedure insufflating the abdomen of the patient to form a pneumoperitoneum;
introducing at least one laparascopic trocar into the abdomen;
introducing an adjustable restriction device, an adjustment device for adjusting the restriction device and a sensor for sensing at least one physical parameter associated with the patient into the abdomen;
placing the adjustment device, sensor and adjustable restriction device in the patient'"'"'s abdomen, so that the restriction device engages the patient'"'"'s stomach or esophagus to form a stoma opening in the stomach or esophagus; and
controlling the adjustment device to adjust the restriction device to change the size of the stoma opening in response to the sensor sensing a change in the physical parameter.
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Specification