Dynamically adjustable gastric implants
First Claim
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1. An adjustable gastric implant for constraining at least a portion of a stomach, comprising:
- an elongate member having first and second ends, the elongate member configured to engage the stomach;
at least one actuator coupled to the first and second ends of the elongate member, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a shape memory material;
wherein activation of at least a portion of the shape memory material results in a conformational change in the at least one actuator; and
wherein the conformational change in the at least one actuator moves the elongate member from a first conformation to a second conformation, such that the first and second ends move with respect to each other, resulting in a change in a lumenal dimension of the stomach.
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Abstract
Gastric restriction device implants and their use in controlling body weight are described. In some embodiments, activation of a shape memory material drives an actuator coupled to an implant, resulting in a conformational change in the implant. In some embodiments latch and ratchet mechanisms operate incrementally to increase or decrease a size of a stomal opening produced by the gastric restriction device. Methods are described by which adjusting the size of the stomal opening is used to restrict the rate at which food passes through the stomach.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An adjustable gastric implant for constraining at least a portion of a stomach, comprising:
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an elongate member having first and second ends, the elongate member configured to engage the stomach;
at least one actuator coupled to the first and second ends of the elongate member, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a shape memory material;
wherein activation of at least a portion of the shape memory material results in a conformational change in the at least one actuator; and
wherein the conformational change in the at least one actuator moves the elongate member from a first conformation to a second conformation, such that the first and second ends move with respect to each other, resulting in a change in a lumenal dimension of the stomach. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of regulating food intake in a patient, comprising the steps of:
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providing an adjustable gastric implant comprising an elongate member coupled to an actuator having a shape memory component;
placing the implant to engage at least a portion of the stomach between an upper region and a lower region connected by a stomal opening;
applying an activation energy to the shape memory component;
wherein application of the activation energy transforms the shape memory component from a first conformation to a second conformation, said transformation effective to drive the actuator; and
wherein driving the actuator results in a conformational change in the implant such that a diameter of the stomal opening is decreased; and
wherein decreasing the diameter of the stomal opening reduces the rate at which food passes through the stomach. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of adjusting a gastric implant in a patient, comprising;
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placing an adjustable gastric implant around at least a portion of the stomach of the patient;
adjusting the implant to produce a constriction of the stomach;
using at least one of a magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound imaging technique to determine a first size of the constriction; and
adjusting the gastric restriction device to vary the constriction to a second size and limit the rate at which food passes through the constriction. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification