Methods and apparatus for implanting devices into non-sterile body lumens or organs

• US 20050197715A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Torax Medical, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Torax Medical, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Kugler, Chad J., Grudem, Jerome K. Jr., Berg, Todd A.
• Application Number:
  US11/059,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20050197715A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/23.65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0469 Suturing instruments for use in minimally invasive surgery, e.g. endoscopic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0644 penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12099 characterised by the location of the occluder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12131 characterised by the type of occluding device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00818 Treatment of the gastro-intestinal system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00827 Treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00893 pharmaceutically effective
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0419 H-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0641 having at least three legs as part of one single body
• 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 2002/044 Oesophagi or esophagi or gullets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/009 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/06 using magnetic fields produced by permanent magnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Implantable devices for use in a non-sterile environment of a patient'"'"'s anatomy are medicated or include medication. For example, the housing of the device and/or members for securing the device to the patient'"'"'s anatomy (e.g., the muscular esophageal wall) may be medicated to, among other things, prevent a rejection mechanism from being triggered, to prevent or reduce bacterial infection, or to promote tissue ingrowth. The medication may be for medicating tissue at the implant site, or for medicating some other portion of the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

Claims

1. An implant structure for disposition inside a patient'"'"'s body comprising:

a first portion adapted to be resident, in use, in a non-sterile region inside the body;

a second portion adapted to pass, in use, from the non-sterile region into a sterile region of the body to secure the implant structure in place; and

medication.

2. The implant structure defined in claim 1 wherein the medication is adapted for release, in use, from the implant structure into the patient.

3. The implant structure defined in claim 2 wherein the medication is at least partly disposed for release, in use, into the non-sterile region.

4. The implant structure defined in claim 2 wherein the medication is at least partly disposed for release, in use, into the sterile region.

5. The implant structure defined in claim 2 wherein the medication comprises:

therapeutically different first and second medications.

6. The implant structure defined in claim 5 wherein the first and second medications are physically separate from one another.

7. The implant structure defined in claim 5 wherein the first medication is adapted for treatment of the non-sterile region, and wherein the second medication is adapted for treatment of the sterile region.

8. The implant structure defined in claim 2 wherein the medication is further adapted to help maintain, in use, sterility of the sterile region.

9. The implant structure defined in claim 2 wherein the medication is further adapted to combat possible infection, in use, along the implant structure from the non-sterile region into the sterile region.

10. The implant structure defined in claim 1 wherein the first portion is adapted to be resident, in use, in the lumen of the patient'"'"'s esophagus, and wherein the second portion is adapted to, in use, secure the implant structure to the patient'"'"'s esophagus.

11. The implant structure defined in claim 1 wherein the medication is at least partly selected from the group consisting of an acid blocker, a steroid, an antibiotic, and combinations thereof.

12. The implant structure defined in claim 1 wherein the medication includes a metal that is ionizable in use.

13. The implant structure defined in claim 12 wherein the metal is at least partly selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, copper, and combinations thereof.

14. A method of treating a patient comprising:

delivering an implant structure into the patient so that a first portion of the implant structure is disposed in a non-sterile region inside the patient;

disposing a second portion of the implant in a sterile region inside the patient to secure the implant structure in place in the patient; and

releasing medication from the implant structure into the patient.

15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the delivering is performed via a non-sterile lumen of the patient.

16. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the disposing comprises:

passing the second portion from the non-sterile region into the sterile region.

17. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the releasing comprises:

releasing at least some of the medication into the non-sterile region.

18. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the releasing comprises:

releasing at least some of the medication into the sterile region.

19. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the medication includes first and second medications that are therapeutically different from one another, and wherein the releasing comprises:

releasing the first and second medications into respective different locations in the patient.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the releasing the first and second medication comprises:

releasing the first medication at least primarily into the non-sterile region; and

releasing the second medication at least primarily into the sterile region.

21. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising:

implanting a bulking structure in the sterile region adjacent the second portion.

22. The method defined in claim 21 wherein the bulking structure includes further medication and wherein the method further comprises:

releasing the further medication from the bulking structure into the sterile region.

23. An implant structure for disposition inside a patient'"'"'s body comprising:

a first portion adapted to be resident, in use, in a non-sterile region inside the body;

a second portion adapted to be resident, in use, in a sterile region inside the body to secure the implant structure in place; and

medication that is adapted for release, in use, from the implant structure into the patient.

24. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein the second portion is adapted to be resident, in use, in soft body tissue of the patient.

25. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least some of the medication is disposed for release, in use, into the sterile region.

26. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least some of the medication is disposed for release, in use, into the non-sterile region.

27. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein the medication includes therapeutically different first and second medications.

28. The implant structure defined in claim 27 wherein the first medication is disposed for release, in use, at least primarily into the sterile region.

29. The implant structure defined in claim 28 wherein the second medication is disposed, for release, at least primarily into the non-sterile region.

30. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least one of the first and second portions is adapted to promote, in use, tissue growth to the implant structure.

31. The implant structure defined in claim 30 wherein the at least one portion includes open cells adapted to promote, in use, tissue growth to the implant structure.

32. The implant structure defined in claim 30 wherein the at least one portion includes at least one thread adapted to promote, in use, tissue growth to the implant structure.

33. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein the first portion includes a collar structure adapted to seal, in use, around any penetration into the sterile region by the second portion.

34. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least one of the first and second portions includes magnetic material.

35. The implant structure defined in claim 34 wherein a surface of the first portion that is remote from the second portion is textured so that, in use, tissue can grow over parts of that surface while leaving other parts of that surface exposed for contact with another implant structure that, in use, faces toward that surface.

36. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least some of the medication is disposed in a reservoir in at least one of the first and second portions.

37. The implant structure defined in claim 23 further comprising a porous structure covering the reservoir.

38. The implant structure defined in claim 37 wherein the porous structure is adapted to, in use, influence a rate of release of medication from the reservoir.

39. The implant structure defined in claim 23 wherein at least some of the medication is disposed in a coating on at least a part of at least one of the first and second portions.