Intra/extra-thoracic collateral ventilation bypass system and method

• US 7,426,929 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Portaero, Inc
• Original Assignee: Portaero, Inc
• Inventors: Tanaka, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Justine R
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIXON, ANNETTE FREDRICKA
• Application Number:
  US10/844,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20040231674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.24, 128/200.26, 128/207.14, 128/207.15, 128/207.16, 623/23.64, 623/23.65, 623/23.7, 606/153, 604/175
• US Class Current: 128/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/04 Hollow or tubular parts of organs, e.g. bladders, tracheae, bronchi or bile ducts A61F2/18, A61F2/20 take precedence; devices, other than stent-grafts, providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body other than stent-grafts, e.g. stents A61F2/82; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/064 with special features to facilitate anastomotic coupling anastomosis of natural blood vessels A61B17/11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/046 Tracheae
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1039 Lungs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/0247 Semi-permanent or permanent transcutaneous or percutaneous access sites to the inside of the body peritoneal dialysis catheters A61M1/285; tracheostomy devices A61M16/0465; measuring pressure within the body A61B5/03; colostomy devices A61F5/445; gastrotomy feeding tubes A61J15/0015; means for fixing a feeding tube outside of the body A61J15/0053

Abstract

A long term oxygen therapy system having an oxygen supply directly linked with a patient'"'"'s lung or lungs may be utilized to more efficiently treat hypoxia caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The system includes an oxygen source, one or more valves and fluid carrying conduits. The fluid carrying conduits link the oxygen source to diseased sites within the patient'"'"'s lungs. A collateral ventilation bypass trap system directly linked with a patient'"'"'s lung or lungs may be utilized to increase the expiratory flow from the diseased lung or lungs, thereby treating another aspect of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The system includes a trap, a filter/one-way valve and an air carrying conduit. In various embodiments, the system may be intrathoracic, extrathoracic or a combination thereof. In order for the system to be effective, an airtight seal between the parietal and visceral pleurae is required. Chemical pleurodesis is utilized for creating the seal.

Claims

1. A method to alleviate a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a lung of a patient utilizing at least one conduit having a first end which includes a first aperture, a second end which includes a second aperture, an access fitting intermediate the first end and the second end, and a lumen which connects, in fluid communication, the first aperture, the second aperture, and the access fitting, wherein the method comprises:

(a) connecting the first end of the conduit to an artificial opening in a wall of a proximal airway such that the first aperture is open to the proximal airway wherein the proximal airway is one of a trachea and a bronchus external to the lung;

(b) connecting the second end of the conduit to an artificial opening in a visceral membrane of the lung such that the second aperture is open to an inner volume of the lung; and

(c) positioning the access fitting at a location outside the proximal airway and the lung so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient;

whereby air can exit the lung via the artificial opening through the visceral membrane, enter the lumen through the second aperture at the second end of the conduit, exit the lumen through the first aperture at the first end of the conduit, and enter the proximal airway through the artificial opening in the wall of the proximal airway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes forming an airtight seal between the first end of the conduit and the wall of the proximal airway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises forming an airtight seal between the second end of the conduit and the visceral membrane of the lung.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises forming a pleurodesis between the visceral membrane and a parietal membrane surrounding the at least one conduit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conduit comprises a first section and a second section and wherein the further method comprises at least one of:

(1) coupling the first section of the conduit to the second section of the conduit with the access fitting; and

(2) maintaining the first section of the conduit in coupled communication via the access fitting with the second section of the conduit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises positioning the access fitting subcutaneously so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises positioning the access fitting percutaneously so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises positioning the access fitting external to the patient so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

9. A method to alleviate a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a lung of a patient utilizing at least one conduit having a first end which includes a first aperture, a second end which includes a second aperture, an access fitting intermediate the first end and the second end, and a lumen which connects, in fluid communication, the first aperture, the second aperture, and the access fitting wherein the method comprises:

(a) forming a pleurodesis between a visceral membrane of the lung and the parietal membrane of the lung;

(b) introducing the second end of the conduit into the lung through the pleurodesis such that the second aperture is in fluid communication with an inner volume of the lung and the lumen passes through the visceral membrane;

(c) connecting the first end of the conduit to an artificial opening in a wall of a proximal airway such that the first aperture is open to the proximal airway wherein the proximal airway is one of a trachea and a bronchus external to the lung; and

(d) positioning the access fitting external to the lung of the patient and external to the proximal airway so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises positioning the access fitting subcutaneously so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises positioning the access fining externally to the patient so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

12. A method to alleviate a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a lung of a patient by creating an airway bypass between a lung of a patient and an airway of the patient wherein the airway is a natural airway of the lower respiratory tract of the patient external to the lung, wherein the method comprises:

(a) inserting a first end of a conduit into an airway of the patient;

(b) sealing the conduit to the airway;

(c) inserting a second end of the conduit through the visceral membrane into an inner volume of the lung of the patient from outside of the lung of the patient;

(d) sealing the conduit to the lung such that the conduit creates a direct fluid communication between the inner volume of the lung of the patient and the airway of the patient along a path outside of the lung and the airway of the patient thereby providing a ventilation bypass for air to exit the lung and enter the airway via the conduit; and

(e) providing an access fitting attached to the conduit between the first end and the second end wherein the access fitting permits access to the conduit from outside the patient.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) comprises forming a pleurodesis between the visceral membrane and a parietal membrane surrounding the conduit.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the conduit comprises a first section and a second section and wherein step (e) comprises at least one of:

(1) coupling the first section of the conduit to the second section of the conduit with the access fitting; and

(2) maintaining the first section of the conduit in coupled communication via the access fitting with the second section of the conduit.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein step (e) comprises positioning the access fitting subcutaneously so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein step (e) comprises positioning the access fitting percutaneously so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein step (e) comprises positioning the access fitting external to the patient so as to allow at least intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) comprises expanding an expandable feature of the second end of the conduit to engage the airway.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein step (d) comprises expanding an expandable feature of the first end of the conduit to engage the lung.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein step (b) comprises expanding an expandable feature of the second end of the conduit to engage the airway.