Insertion and removal catheters and intestinal tubes for restricting absorption
First Claim
1. A method of inserting an instrument including a thin wall tube which is open on both ends and is implanted while completely empty and collapsed in radial dimension, said tube comprising means for restricting absorption of food chemicals within at least the intestinal portion of the alimentary canal of an animal body while said food chemicals are being squeezed by bodily peristaltic action, said method comprising the steps of (a) inserting a thin wall tube while in a state which is flexible enough to be passed completely through the throat and be implanted entirely within said portion of said alimentary canal which is below the stomach at a position wherein said tube does not extend out of the intestinal portion of the alimentary canal of said body while it is so implanted, said tube lacking substantially all radial rigidity and being completely collapsible at least in parts when empty and at the time of implanting, (b) locating said tube with its open ends positioned to enable digesting food chemicals to enter and expand said tube only to the extent that food is within said tube and to pass under peristaltic action completely through said tube while digestion continues whereby said tube may be used to control absorption of food chemicals in that portion of the alimentary canal which is lined by said tube, said digesting food chemicals which pass through said tube being the normally consumed food which enters the body in whole, non-digested form through the mouth of a patient, said non-digested food solids becoming partially digested in the stomach before coming into contact with and entering said implanted tube, and (c) anchoring said implant tube at a point which is below the intake to the stomach so that said implanted tube and its entire anchoring remain in place entirely within a selected part of the alimentary canal, below said intake point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A first part of the inventive instrument comprises an insertion and removal device in the form of a maneuverable catheter which may be inserted through the mouth or nostril, pharynx, and esophagus into the stomach. In one form, the catheter includes an outer sheath which protects the human body while a tool extending coaxially through an inner sheath is being manipulated. The tool includes a remotely operated pair of tweezers for holding or releasing a loop on insertion or seizing and holding the loop on removal of the second part of the inventive instrument. An alternate device for capturing and holding the second part of the inventive instrument uses an electromagnet. The second part of the inventive instrument comprises a self-compressing, open-ended, balloon-like tube for implantation in and lining of the digestive tract, especially in the intestine, to prevent food from being absorbed into the villi. The balloon-like tube expands outwardly when filled with food chemicals, enabling peristalsis to squeeze the food chyme through the tube. An alternate embodiment intermittently lines only desired areas of the alimentary canal. The tube may also be used to treat obesity or alcoholism, or to cover an ulcer and give it an opportunity to heal with minimum exposure to digesting food and gastric juices.
671 Citations
41 Claims
- 1. A method of inserting an instrument including a thin wall tube which is open on both ends and is implanted while completely empty and collapsed in radial dimension, said tube comprising means for restricting absorption of food chemicals within at least the intestinal portion of the alimentary canal of an animal body while said food chemicals are being squeezed by bodily peristaltic action, said method comprising the steps of (a) inserting a thin wall tube while in a state which is flexible enough to be passed completely through the throat and be implanted entirely within said portion of said alimentary canal which is below the stomach at a position wherein said tube does not extend out of the intestinal portion of the alimentary canal of said body while it is so implanted, said tube lacking substantially all radial rigidity and being completely collapsible at least in parts when empty and at the time of implanting, (b) locating said tube with its open ends positioned to enable digesting food chemicals to enter and expand said tube only to the extent that food is within said tube and to pass under peristaltic action completely through said tube while digestion continues whereby said tube may be used to control absorption of food chemicals in that portion of the alimentary canal which is lined by said tube, said digesting food chemicals which pass through said tube being the normally consumed food which enters the body in whole, non-digested form through the mouth of a patient, said non-digested food solids becoming partially digested in the stomach before coming into contact with and entering said implanted tube, and (c) anchoring said implant tube at a point which is below the intake to the stomach so that said implanted tube and its entire anchoring remain in place entirely within a selected part of the alimentary canal, below said intake point.
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21. A process for controlling the transfer of food chemicals and body fluids with an implanted tube means in a part of a gastrointestinal tract, said implanted tube being contained in its entirety within the gastrointestinal tract while it is implanted, said tube further having physical characteristics by which food chyme within the tube is transported by normal body peristalsis, said process comprising:
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a. implanting a thin-walled, open-ended tube totally within at least a part of a gastrointestinal tract for passing digesting food solids through said tube responsive to normal bodily peristaltic contractions, said food solids being the food normally consumed through the mouth of the person with the tube implant, said food further becoming partially digested before coming into contact with and entering into said implanted tube, said implanted tube lining the adjacent intestinal wall to receive the chyme discharged from the tract and into the tube and to control a transfer of said digesting food chemicals and the walls of said gastrointestinal tract; and b. using the implant over an extended period of time while it is totally contained within said gastrointestinal tract for controlling an amount of such chemical transfer.
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22. The process of reducing the size of the villi in a gastrointestinal tract by reducing the use of said villi for absorption of food chemicals, said process comprising the steps of:
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a. forming a thin-walled, balloon-like tube with a relatively smaller outer diameter when empty of food chemicals b. forming holes in said tube for passing digesting food chemicals to a desired portion of said gastrointestinal villi, whereby said tube reduces the food chemical absorption of said gastrointestinal villi, thereby reducing the size of the villi; and c. implanting said thin-walled, open-ended, balloon-like tube into at least a part of a gastrointestinal tract of a person while said tube is empty and has said small diameter, said balloon-like tube being implanted totally within the gastrointestinal tract with said holes adjacent said desired portion of said villi, whereby no portion of said tube extends away from the body of the person, said balloon-like tube expanding to have a wider effective outer diameter when filled with food chemicals, whereby normal bodily peristaltic motion transports digesting food chemicals through said tube.
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- 23. A method of implanting an instrument for controlling and restricting absorption of food chemicals within a specific intestinal portion of an alimentary canal beginning below the intake to the stomach while enabling other portions of the same intestinal canal to have an unrestricted absorption of food chemicals, said specific portion of said intestine being removed to a point below the exit of the stomach by a predetermined length of said intestine, said method comprising the steps of (a) implanting an open-ended flexible tube which completely collapses at least in part owing to its lack of rigidity, (b) anchoring said tube at a point below the intake to the stomach, said entire instrument including anchoring means completely contained within said stomach and the intestine attached thereto, an end of said tube nearest said stomach being held by said anchor means totally within the intestinal part of the alimentary canal and at a point located said predetermined distance away from the beginning of said intestine, means for joining one end of the tube to said anchor means, said joining means comprising a narrow, elongated device which is impervious to chemicals likely to appear in said intestinal portion of the alimentary canal, whereby said tube restricts absorption in the areas of said alimentary canal which begins at the tube end of said joining means and said tube does not restrict absorption in the area of said alimentary canal between said anchor means and said one end of the tube, said food chemicals being consumed in a solid, non-digested form through the mouth of the person having the implant and becoming partially digested in the stomach before coming into contact with said anchor means and thereafter being squeezed by peristalsis through said tube, and (c) positioning said anchor means to enable said food chemicals to pass from the stomach and into the intestine where they will enter said tube after peristalsis has transported them said predetermined distance beyond said anchor means.
- 36. An implant instrument for controlling and restricting absorption of food chemicals within a specific intestinal portion of an alimentary canal while enabling other portions of the same intestinal canal to have an unrestricted absorption of food chemicals, said specific portion of said intestine beginning at a point which is a predetermined distance below the stomach, said implant instrument comprising an open-ended tube, means for anchoring said tube totally within the intestinal part of the alimentary canal and at a point located said predetermined distance away from the stomach, means for joining one end of the tube to said anchor means, said joining means comprising a narrow, elongated device which is impervious to chemicals likely to appear in said intestinal portion of the alimentary canal, whereby said tube restricts absorption in the areas of said alimentary canal which begins at the tube end of said joining means and said tube does not restrict absorption in the area of said alimentary canal between said anchor means and said one end of the tube, said food chemicals being consumed in a solid, non-digested form through the mouth of the person having the implant and becoming partially digested in the stomach before coming into contact with said anchor means and thereafter being squeezed by peristalsis through said tube, said anchor means having a design which enables said food chemicals to pass from the stomach and into the intestine where they will enter said tube after peristalsis has transported them said predetermined distance, means for inserting and removing said implant instrument in said body, said insert means comprising a catheter having means for capturing and holding an end of said implant instrument while it is being inserted into or removed from said canal and for releasing said implant instrument means after it is implanted, whereby said catheter may be removed while the implant instrument is in place, said catheter having means for curling its end in order to approach the end of said tube, and the ends of said tube and of said catheters having complementary coupling means for seizing the tube and pulling it into the catheter.
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39. An implant instrument for controlling and restricting absorption of food chemicals within a specific intestinal portion of an alimentary canal while enabling other portions of the same intestinal canal to have an unrestricted absorption of food chemicals, said specific portion of said intestine beginning at a point which is a predetermined distance below the stomach, said implant instrument comprising an open-ended tube, semi-flexible ring means attached around its circumference to said one end of said tube for holding open said tube to receive digesting food chemicals which enter said tube through said ring, said ring being mounted in a track for expanding and contracting relative to the expanding and contracting dimensions of the surrounding area, means for anchoring said tube totally within the intestinal part of the alimentary canal and at a point located said predetermined distance away from the beginning of said intestine, means for joining one end of the tube to said anchor means, said joining means comprising a narrow, elongated device which is impervious to chemicals likely to appear in said intestinal portion of the alimentary canal, said tube being a thin, balloon-like tube which begins said predetermined distance from said stomach, which distance is fixed by said joining means, whereby said tube restricts absorption in the areas of said alimentary canal which begins at the tube end of said joining means and said tube does not restrict absorption in the area of said alimentary canal between said anchor means and said one end of the tube, said food chemicals being consumed in a solid, non-digested form through the mouth of the person having the implant and becoming partially digested in the stomach before coming into contact with said anchor means and thereafter being squeezed by peristalsis through said tube, said anchor means having a design which enables said food chemicals to pass from the stomach and into the intestine where they will enter said tube after peristalsis has transported them said predetermined distance beyond said anchor means.
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40. An artificial peristalsis-producing implant instrument for passing digesting food chemicals through the intestine, said digesting food chemicals being consumed in a non-digested form through the mouth of a person having the implanted instrument, the food solids becoming partially digested in the stomach before entering said implant instrument, said implant instrument including an elongated open-ended tube for implantion in the intestine, said tube having passageway for transporting digesting food solids within a smooth and unobstructed surface to enable said digesting food solids to be artificially squeezed through said tube, a plurality of controllable magnetic means integral with and incorporated into a side of the walls of said tube, said opposite wall integrally containing magnetic material which is attracted to said magnetic means when said magnetic means is energized, said plurality of magnetic means being distributed along the entire length of said tube for alternately and periodically attracting the opposite wall of said tube, whereby said walls of the tube are periodically drawn together to reduce the effective cross section of the lumen within said tube, means for selectively energizing said controllable magnetic means for periodically reducing the lumen of said tube, and means for periodically interrupting said energization to eliminate the attraction of said controllable magnetic means to enable the walls of said tube to relax and open the effective cross section of said lumen, and means for causing said attraction and relaxing to occur in a sequence simulating natural peristalsis, whereby said implant instrument artificially squeezes the digesting food solids through said tube in a gradual manner, similar to normal peristalsis, so as not to cause an unnecessary buildup of pressure in the alimentary canal of the person having the implant.
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41. An artificial peristalsis-producing implant instrument for passing digesting food chemicals, said digesting food chemicals being consumed in a non-digested form through the mouth of a person having the implanted instrument, the food solids becoming partially digested before entering said implant instrument, said implant instrument including an elongated open-ended tube, said tube having a passageway for transporting digesting food solids within a smooth and unobstructed surface to enable said digesting food solids to be artificially squeezed through said tube, a plurality of controllable magnetic means integral with and incorporated into a side of the walls of said tube, said opposite wall integrally containing magnetic material which is attracted to said magnetic means when said magnetic means is energized, said plurality of magnetic means being distributed along the entire length of said tube for alternately and periodically attracting the opposite wall of said tube, whereby said walls of the tube are periodically drawn together to reduce the effective cross section of the lumen within said tube, means for selectively energizing said controllable magnetic means for periodically reducing the lumen of said tube, means for periodically interrupting said energization to eliminate the attraction of said controllable magnetic means to enable the walls of said tube to relax and open the effective cross section of said lumen, and means for causing said attraction and relaxing to occur in a sequence simulating natural peristalsis, whereby said implant instrument artificially squeezes the digesting food solids through said tube in a gradual manner, similar to normal peristalsis, so as not to cause an unnecessary buildup of pressure in the alimentary canal of the person having the implant.
Specification