REACTIVE INTRAGASTRIC IMPLANT DEVICES

• US 20120095496A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allergan Incorporated (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dominguez, Zachary, Schwab, Justin, Babkes, Mitchell H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,956,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0033 with more than one chamber
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0036 Intragastrical devices

Abstract

Transoral three-dimensionally orthogonal intragastric spring systems, devices, methods of operation and manufacture are provided. A transoral three-dimensionally orthogonal intragastric spring system and/or device (and related methods of manufacture and operation) may reduce obesity or weight by stimulating the stomach walls of the patient. The three-dimensionally orthogonal intragastric spring device may be a purely mechanical device comprising a flexible body which in response to an input force in one direction, may deform and cause a resultant displacement in an orthogonal direction, thereby exerting a pressure on the inner stomach walls of the patient. Alternatively, a three-dimensionally orthogonal intragastric spring device may include a variable size balloon configured to occupy volume in the patient'"'"'s stomach, thereby reducing the amount of space in the patient'"'"'s stomach.

Claims

1. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient'"'"'s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient'"'"'s stomach, comprising:

a three-dimensional spring structure comprising a plurality of legs each having opposite ends extended between top and bottom junctions of the spring structure defining an axis, each leg having a flexible portion and a rigid portion attached to the flexible portion, wherein the flexible portions of each leg has a relaxed shape which causes the leg to bow laterally outward from the other legs thus maintaining the top and bottom junctions at a first distance apart, and wherein the implantable device is configured to react to inward forces from the stomach such that the flexible portions flex to straighten each leg and cause the axial spacing between the top and bottom junctions to increase from the first distance,

wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the implantable device comprises four or more legs.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein rigid portion comprises four or more distinct rigid members per leg.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the top and bottom junctions comprises a quadrilateral-shaped cap, and wherein the opposite ends of each leg are attached to different edges of the respective quadrilateral-shaped caps.

5. The device of claim 1, further including a balloon integrated with the three-dimensional spring structure and filled with fluid.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the balloon is within the legs of the three-dimensional spring structure.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the balloon is outside the legs of the three-dimensional spring structure.

8. The device of claim 7, further including a pump located within the balloon and integrated with the three-dimensional spring structure, the pump configured to inflate and deflate the elastic balloon by transferring stomach liquid into and out of the elastic balloon.

9. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient'"'"'s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient'"'"'s stomach, comprising:

a central elongated body having an adjustable length;

two collapsible atraumatic feet on opposite ends of the elongated body, each foot configured to exert pressure on the patient'"'"'s stomach when in a deployed position; and

a spring within the central elongated body configured to bias the length of the body away from a minimum length,

wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the two collapsible atraumatic feet comprise balloon-like structures.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the two collapsible atraumatic feet comprise an array of living hinges that may be unfolded to an elongated delivery configuration and folded outward to a deployed configuration.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the array of living hinges is in an X-shape.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the central elongated body comprises a series of telescoping tubular members having apertures along their lengths.

14. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient'"'"'s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient'"'"'s stomach, comprising:

an inflatable body having an internal volumetric capacity of between 400-700 ml and being made of a material that permits it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach, the body having a plurality of popout features on its surface that reside generally flush with the inflatable body in relaxed, retracted states, and which respond to an increase in pressure within the inflatable body by projecting outward from the body in a stressed, deployed state.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the inflatable body has a generally barrel shape along an axis.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the popout features are generally cylindrical.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the popout features are rounded bars oriented parallel to the axis.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the popout features convert between their retracted and deployed states by movement of rolling diaphragms formed in the inflatable body.

19. A reactive implantable device configured to be placed in a patient'"'"'s stomach transorally without surgery to treat and prevent obesity by applying a pressure to the patient'"'"'s stomach, comprising:

an inflatable body having an internal volumetric capacity of between 400-700 ml and being made of a material that permits it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach, the body having a central inflatable member and at least two outer wings, the body having a single internal fluid chamber such that fluid may flow between the central inflatable member and the outer wings, the inflatable body being underfilled with fluid such that the outer wings are floppy in the absence of compressive stress on the central inflatable member and stiff when compressive stress from the stomach acts on the central inflatable member.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the central inflatable member has a generally spherical shape along an axis.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein there are two outer wings extending in opposite directions from the generally spherical inflatable member along the axis.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the outer wings each includes a narrow shaft portion connected to the central inflatable member terminating in bulbous heads.

23. A reactive implantable device for transoral placement in a patient'"'"'s stomach for treatment of obesity by applying a pressure to the patient'"'"'s stomach, the implantable device comprising:

a spring having a plurality of legs each leg having opposite ends extended between top and bottom junctions of the spring thereby defining an axis, each leg also having a flexible portion and a rigid portion attached to the flexible portion, wherein the flexible portions of each leg has a relaxed shape which causes the leg to bow laterally outward from the other legs to thereby maintain the top and bottom junctions at a first distance apart, and wherein the implantable device is configured to react to inward forces from the stomach such that the flexible portions flex to straighten each leg and cause the axial spacing between the top and bottom junctions to increase from the first distance,

wherein the device is formed of materials that permit it to be compressed into a substantially linear transoral delivery configuration and that will resist substantially resist degradation over a period of at least six months within the stomach.