Anti-buckling sleeve

• US 20070032879A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GI Dynamics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GI Dynamics Incorporated
• Inventors: Parker, Ian, Levine, Andy, Melanson, David
• Application Number:
  US11/494,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20070032879A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/23.700
• 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 5/0076 preventing normal digestion, e.g. Bariatric or gastric sleeves

Abstract

The invention relates to improved means for preventing buckling and therefore eversion of thin-walled, flexible, floppy gastrointestinal liners implanted in the digestive tract of an animal. The implantable devices include an anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen and a thin-walled, floppy sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween. A substantial length of the sleeve has material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to buckling and therefore eversion in the presence of retrograde pressures. Exemplary anti-buckling mechanisms provide an increased stiffness and/or an increased friction coefficient between the anchor and the proximal end of the sleeve to resist buckling and therefore eversion. In some embodiments, the anti-buckling mechanism is as a wire coupled along the substantial length of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:

an anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen;

a thin-walled, floppy sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween; and

an anti-buckling mechanism extending from below a distal end of the anchor along a length of the sleeve.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the length of the sleeve extends to the distal end of the sleeve.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the anti-buckling mechanism comprises increased stiffness relative to the sleeve'"'"'s stiffness.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the increased stiffness is provided by a different material than that of the sleeve.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the anti-buckling mechanism is a wire.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the increased stiffness is provided by a reinforcing member.

7. A method for inhibiting buckling of a sleeve device when implanted within a natural body lumen comprising:

providing an anti-buckling mechanism extending from below a distal end of an anchor along a length of a thin walled, floppy sleeve; and

anchoring a proximal end of the sleeve with the anti-buckling mechanism in the lumen.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of increasing the stiffness of the thin-walled, floppy sleeve.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the anti-buckling mechanism is a different material relatively stiffer than the thin-walled, floppy sleeve.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the anti-buckling mechanism is a reinforcing member coupled to the thin-walled, floppy sleeve.

11. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:

means for anchoring a proximal end of the device within a natural body lumen, the device including an elongated, thin-walled, flexible, floppy sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween, a substantial length of the sleeve having material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to buckle; and

means, proximal to the anchoring means, for resisting buckling of the thin-walled sleeve.