Method and apparatus for treating obesity and for delivering time-released medicaments

• US 20030021822A1
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greg Lloyd
• Original Assignee: Greg Lloyd
• Inventors: Lloyd, Greg A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,627,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/423
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00004 (bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive for implantable prostheses A61F2210/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/00 Filters implantable into blood vessels; Prostheses, i.e. artificial substitutes or replacements for parts of the body; Appliances for connecting them with the body; Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents as cosmetic articles, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. wigs, hair pieces, A41G3/00, A41G5/00; artificial nails A45D31/00; dental prostheses A61C13/00; materials for prostheses A61L27/00; artificial hearts A61M60/00; artificial kidneys A61M1/14
• 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 5/003 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/004 remotely adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/5094 Microcapsules containing magnetic carrier material, e.g. ferrite for drug targeting

Abstract

An apparatus and method for treating obesity and for delivering time-released medicaments is described and which includes a plurality of space-filling portions which are sized to be received within a human patient'"'"'s body and which come together in a patient'"'"'s body to form a structure which provides therapeutic benefit to the patient. In the method of the present invention, the method includes providing a plurality of space-filling portions which are sized to be received within the patient'"'"'s body; and inserting the space-filling portions into the body of the patient and wherein the respective space-filling portions come together following insertion into the body to form a structure providing therapeutic benefit to the patient.

Claims

1. A therapeutic structure, comprising:

a plurality of space-filling portions which are sized to be received within a human patient'"'"'s body, and which come together in the patient'"'"'s body to form a structure which provides therapeutic benefit to the patient.

2. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the patient has a stomach and the space-filling portions are sized to be swallowed by the patient, and are received in the stomach of the patient.

3. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the patient'"'"'s stomach has a given maximum volume and the structure which forms in the patient'"'"'s stomach reduces the available volume of the patient'"'"'s stomach to induce weight loss in the patient.

4. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the structure carries a medicament which is released to the patient while the structure is in the stomach of the patient.

5. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising:

a demagnetizing device employed from a position outside the patient'"'"'s body and which causes the structure formed in the patient'"'"'s body to disassociate and be passed from out from the patient'"'"'s body.

6. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the patient'"'"'s body has a passageway, and wherein the space-filling portions come together to form a structure which substantially occludes the passageway of the patient.

7. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the space-filling portions have a volume of about 0.5 to about 2.2 mL.

8. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resulting structure formed from the space-filling portions has a specific gravity of about 1.0.

9. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resulting structure has a shape similar to the stomach lumen of the patient.

10. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resulting structure can be influenced by an exteriorly applied magnetic field, and wherein the application of the exteriorly applied magnetic field in a predetermined pattern causes the structure to move within the patient'"'"'s body.

11. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the space-filling portions have an exterior surface which is formed from a material which is substantially biologically inert.

12. A therapeutic structure, comprising:

a plurality of space-filling portions sized to be swallowed by a patient and received in the patient'"'"'s stomach, and wherein the space-filling portions come together in the patient'"'"'s stomach to form a therapeutic structure which displaces a medically effective volume of a patient'"'"'s stomach lumen to cause weight loss in the patient and which further cannot be passed from the stomach.

13. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the structure displaces a volume of about 80% of the just-satiated stomach lumen.

14. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 13, wherein the individual space-filling portions have respective volumes of about 0.05 to about 2.2 mL.

15. A therapeutic structure as claimed claim 14, wherein the respective space-filling portions have an exterior surface which is substantially biologically inert.

16. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the respective space-filling portions have an exterior or interior surface which carries a medicament which is released to the patient while the structure is in the patient'"'"'s stomach.

17. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the resulting structure has a specific gravity of about 0.1 to about 2.0.

18. A therapeutic structure as claimed in claim 12, and further comprising:

a demagnetizing device employed from a position outside the patient'"'"'s body and which causes the structure formed in the patient'"'"'s body to disassociate and be passed from out from the patient'"'"'s body.

19. A method of providing therapeutic benefit to a patient, comprising:

providing a plurality of space-filling portions which are sized to be received within the patient'"'"'s body; and

inserting the respective space-filling portions into the body of the patient, and wherein the respective space-filling portions come together following insertion into the body to form a structure providing therapeutic benefit to the patient.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the patient has a stomach and the space-filling portions are ingested by swallowing the individual portions, and wherein the structure formed in the stomach displaces a volume which provides medically effective weight loss to the patient.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein after the step of providing the plurality of space-filling portions, and before the step of ingesting the respective space-filling portions, the method further comprises:

determining the volume of the patient'"'"'s stomach;

calculating the volume of the patient'"'"'s stomach, which if displaced, would provide medically effective weight loss; and

determining the number of respective space-filling portions which will form a resulting structure approximating the volume which, if displaced, would provide medically effective weight loss.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the patient has a passageway, and wherein the space-filling portions come together to form a structure which substantially occludes the passageway of the patient.

23. A therapeutic method for providing effective weight loss in a patient, comprising:

determining the volume of a patient'"'"'s stomach;

calculating the volume of the patient'"'"'s stomach, which if displaced, would provide medically effective weight loss;

providing individually ingestible space-filling portions which are swallowed by the patient and which are received in the patient'"'"'s stomach, and wherein the individual space-filling portions come together in the patient'"'"'s stomach to form a resulting structure;

determining the number of respective space-filling portions which will form the resulting structure having a volume which approximates the volume which, if displaced, would provide medically effective weight loss;

ingesting the number of respective space-filling portions to form the resulting structure having the volume which will provide medically effective weight loss; and

after experiencing the medically effective weight loss, and after the step of ingesting the space-filling portions, providing a source of a demagnetizing field from a location outside the patient'"'"'s body and which causes the resulting structure to disassociate from one another into the individual space-filling portions, each of the individual space-filling portions passing out of the patient'"'"'s stomach and body.