GASTRIC ANCHOR

• US 20110066175A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rainbow Medical Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Rainbow Medical Ltd.
• Inventors: GROSS, Yossi
• Application Number:
  US12/940,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066175A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/191
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0065 Forms with gastric retention, e.g. floating on gastric juice, adhering to gastric mucosa, expanding to prevent passage through the pylorus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/04 in the body, e.g. expansible A61M25/10, A61M16/0488 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/002 Devices for releasing a drug at a continuous and controlled rate for a prolonged period of time artificial gland structures or devices A61F2/022; intra-uterine contraceptive devices A61F6/14; tampons for introducing into the vagina A61F13/20, A61L15/00; suppositories or bougies for intra-vaginal or intra-uterine application A61K9/02; physical forms of medicinal preparations for sustained or differential drug release A61K9/20, A61K9/50
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control

Abstract

A swallowable medical treatment device is configured to initially assume a contracted state having a volume of less than 4 cm3. The device includes a gastric anchor, which initially assumes a contracted size, and which is configured to, upon coming in contact with a liquid, expand sufficiently to prevent passage of the gastric anchor through a round opening having a diameter of between 1 cm and 3 cm. The device also includes a duodenal unit, which is configured to pass through the opening, and which is coupled to the gastric anchor such that the duodenal unit is held between 1 cm and 20 cm from the gastric anchor. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising a swallowable medical treatment device, which is configured to initially assume a contracted state having a volume of less than 4 cm3, and which comprises:

a gastric anchor, which initially assumes a contracted size, and which is configured to, upon coming in contact with a liquid, expand sufficiently to prevent passage of the gastric anchor through a round opening having a diameter of between 1 cm and 3 cm; and

a duodenal unit, which is configured to pass through the opening, and which is coupled to the gastric anchor such that the duodenal unit is held between 1 cm and 20 cm from the gastric anchor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tether, which couples the duodenal unit to the gastric anchor, and has a length of between 1 cm and 20 cm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the duodenal unit comprises one or more elongated members, each of which has a length of between 1 and 20 cm.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the elongated members are configured to expand upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the elongated members comprise sponges.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the elongated members comprise balloons.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gastric anchor comprises a flexible sheet which initially is rolled around at least a portion of the duodenal unit to assume the contracted size, and which is configured to prevent the passage of the anchor through the opening by unrolling upon coming in contact with the liquid.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gastric anchor is configured to serve as a plug, which is configured to at least partially block the opening.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the gastric anchor comprises a duodenal plug component, which is configured to at least partially pass through the opening, and expand upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid, so as to at least partially block the opening.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the duodenal unit is coupled to the gastric anchor via the duodenal plug component.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the duodenal unit comprises one or more elongated members, which are coupled to the duodenal plug component.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the duodenal unit comprises one or more elongated members, each of which has a length of between 1 and 20 cm, and which are configured to expand upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the gastric anchor comprises a flexible sheet.

30. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the device is configured to intermittently at least partially block the opening.

36. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dissolvable enclosure that entirely surrounds the swallowable medical treatment device when the device initially assumes the contracted state.

37. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the opening is a pylorus of a subject,

wherein the liquid is stomach contents of the subject,

wherein the gastric anchor is configured to, upon coming in contact with the stomach contents, expand sufficiently to prevent passage of the anchor through the pylorus, and

wherein the duodenal unit is configured to pass through the pylorus, and is coupled to the gastric anchor such that the duodenal unit is held in a duodenum of the subject.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the gastric anchor is configured to at least partially biodegrade in a stomach of a subject, so as to allow passage of the anchor through the pylorus after a period of time.

2. (canceled)

8-11. -11. (canceled)

13-14. -14. (canceled)

21-29. -29. (canceled)

31-35. -35. (canceled)

39. Apparatus comprising a swallowable medical treatment device, which is configured to initially assume a swallowable contracted state, and which comprises:

a gastric anchor, which initially assumes a contracted size, and which is configured to, upon coming in contact with stomach contents of a subject, expand sufficiently to prevent passage of the anchor through a pylorus of the subject even when the pylorus is in an open, relaxed state; and

a duodenal unit, which is configured to pass through the pylorus into a duodenum of the subject, and which is coupled to the gastric anchor such that the duodenal unit is held in the duodenum.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising a tether, which couples the duodenal unit to the gastric anchor, and has a length of between 1 cm and 20 cm.

41. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the duodenal unit comprises one or more elongated members, each of which has a length of between 1 and 20 cm.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the elongated members are configured to expand upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid.

43. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the gastric anchor is configured to serve as a pyloric plug, which is configured to at least partially block the pylorus.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the gastric anchor comprises a duodenal plug component, which is configured to at least partially pass through the pylorus, and expand upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid, so as to at least partially block the pylorus.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the duodenal unit is coupled to the gastric anchor via the duodenal plug component.

46. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the duodenal unit comprises one or more elongated members, which are coupled to the duodenal plug component.

47. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the gastric anchor comprises a flexible sheet.

55. The apparatus according to claim 39, further comprising a dissolvable enclosure that entirely surrounds the swallowable medical treatment device when the device initially assumes the swallowable contracted state.

48-54. -54. (canceled)

56-65. -65. (canceled)

66. A method comprising:

receiving, by a subject, a swallowable medical treatment device in an initially contracted state, which device includes a gastric anchor having an initially contracted size, and a duodenal unit coupled to the gastric anchor; and

swallowing the treatment device by the subject, so that the anchor, upon coming in contact with stomach contents of the subject, expands sufficiently to prevent passage of the anchor through a pylorus of the subject, and the duodenal unit passes through the pylorus into a duodenum of the subject and is held in the duodenum by the anchor.

67. The method according to claim 66, wherein receiving comprises receiving the swallowable treatment device that further includes a tether, which couples the duodenal unit to the gastric anchor, and has a length of between 1 cm and 20 cm.

71. The method according to claim 66, wherein receiving comprises receiving the swallowable treatment device in which the gastric anchor comprises a flexible sheet which initially is rolled around at least a portion of the duodenal unit to assume the initially contracted size, and which is configured to prevent the passage of the anchor through the pylorus by unrolling upon coming in contact with the stomach contents.

74. The method according to claim 66, wherein the gastric anchor is configured to serve as a pyloric plug, and wherein swallowing comprises swallowing the treatment device such that the pyloric plug at least partially blocks the pylorus.

75. The method according to claim 74, wherein the gastric anchor includes a duodenal plug component, which is configured to at least partially pass through the pylorus, and wherein swallowing comprises swallowing the treatment device such that the duodenal plug component at least partially passes through the pylorus, and expands upon coming in contact with a duodenal liquid, so as to at least partially block the pylorus.

76. The method according to claim 75, wherein the duodenal unit is coupled to the gastric anchor via the duodenal plug component.

77. The method according to claim 76, wherein the duodenal unit includes one or more elongated members, which are coupled to the duodenal plug component.

78. The method according to claim 74, wherein receiving comprises receiving the treatment device in which the plug comprises a flexible sheet.

82. The method according to claim 74, wherein swallowing comprises swallowing the treatment device such that the pyloric plug intermittently at least partially blocks the pylorus.

68-70. -70. (canceled)

72-73. -73. (canceled)

79-81. -81. (canceled)

83-89. -89. (canceled)