ELECTRICALLY ACTIVATED VALVE FOR IMPLANTABLE FLUID HANDLING SYSTEM

• US 20100099945A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apollo Endosurgery US, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allergan Incorporated (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Birk, Janel A., Snow, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0056 using injection ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0059 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0066 Closing devices for gastric bands

Abstract

A system for facilitating obesity control includes an inflatable gastric banding device, a fluid reservoir couplable to the inflatable portion, and an implantable fluid handling device including one or more piezoelectric valves.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating obesity control comprising:

a gastric banding device including an inflatable portion;

a fluid reservoir couplable to the inflatable portion;

an implantable fluid handling device couplable to the fluid reservoir and the inflatable portion, and including

a valve device comprising

a housing having a flow path for passing of a fluid,

a seal element disposed along the flow path and positioned and structured to be moved between a first position with respect to the flow path and a second position different from the first position with respect to the flow path, and

a piezoelectric element sealed apart from fluid passing in the flow path and positioned and structured to cause the seal element to be moved between the first position and the second position upon application of an electrical potential to the piezoelectric element; and

a controller/microprocessor system in communication with the implantable fluid handling device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first position is a closed flow position and the second position is an open flow position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric element is substantially entirely sealed apart from contact with the fluid passed through the flow path.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to bend in response to the application of an electrical potential.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to bend in response to the application of an electrical potential, the bending being sufficient to move the seal element away from the first position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a resilient element structured and positioned to bias the seal element in the first position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to bend in response to the application of an electrical potential thereto.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to bend in response to the application of the electrical potential thereto, the bending being sufficient to overcome said bias of the resilient element.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to bend in response to the application of the electrical potential, the bending being sufficient to move the seal element away from the first position.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the piezoelectric element is structured to cause the seal element to move in both the first direction to thereby open the flow path and alternately to move in a second direction to enhance sealing of the flow path upon application of an electrical potential to the piezoelectric element.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 which is operable using no implanted ferromagnetic materials.

12. An implantable valve device for use in medical applications, the device comprising:

a housing having a flow path for passing of a fluid;

a seal element disposed along the flow path and positioned and structured to be moved between a closed position in which the flow path is closed to fluid flow and a second position in which the flow path is open to fluid flow; and

a piezoelectric element sealed apart from fluid passing in the flow path and positioned and structured to cause the seal element to be moved from the first position to the second position upon application of an electrical potential to the piezoelectric element.

13. The device of claim 12 further comprising a remote actuator capable of applying electrical potential to the piezoelectric element.

14. A valve system for use in medical applications comprising:

an implantable valve device comprising

a housing including a flow path for passing of a fluid through the valve device,

a seal element disposed along the flow path and positioned and structured to be moved between a first position with respect to the flow path and a second position different from the first position with respect to the flow path, and

a piezoelectric element sealed apart from fluid passing in the flow path and positioned and structured to cause the seal element to be moved between the first position and the second position upon application of an electrical potential to the piezoelectric element; and

a remote actuator effective to provide an electrical potential to the piezoelectric element.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the remote actuator is effective to vary a level of the electrical potential provided to the piezoelectric element.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the remote actuator is effective to modulate fluid flow in the flow path by varying a level of voltage applied to the piezoelectric element.

17. A system for facilitating obesity control comprising:

a gastric banding device comprising an inflatable chamber;

an implantable valve device comprising

a flow path in communication with the inflatable chamber;

a seal element disposed along the flow path and positioned and structured to be moved between a first position with respect to the flow path and a second position different from the first position with respect to the flow path, and

a piezoelectric element sealed apart from fluid passing in the flow path and positioned and structured to cause the seal element to be moved between the first position and the second position;

a remote actuator effective to control movement of the seal element between the first position and the second position by controlling an electrical potential applied to the piezoelectric element.