Ureteral stent for improved patient comfort

• US 7,678,154 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Whitmore, Willet F. III, Rubin, Stephanie, McWeeney, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi; Nicholas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stigell; Theodore J
• Application Number:
  US11/327,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20060122707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8, 604/9, 604/93.01, 604540-544, 604/164.01, 604/264, 604/19, 604/523, 604/534, 604/537, 604/385.18, 604/904, 623/23.7
• US Class Current: 623/23.7
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00148 with metal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0016 Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/94 Stents retaining their form, i.e. not being deformable, after placement in the predetermined place
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/048 Ureters
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1082 Kidney
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 27/008 pre-shaped, for use in the urethral or ureteral tract

Abstract

A ureteral stent for assisting the movement of urine along a patient'"'"'s ureter and into the patient'"'"'s bladder. The stent includes an elongated tubular segment extending toward the bladder from a kidney end region for placement in the renal cavity to a bladder end region. A central lumen connects at least one opening at the first end region to at least one opening in the bladder end region. Thin flexible tail(s) are attached to the bladder end region of the tubular segment at a point outside the bladder so as to receive urine from the opening in the bladder end region of the tubular segment and to transport urine from there across the ureter/bladder junction and into the bladder. The tails include an elongated external urine-transport surface sized and configured to transport urine along the ureter. The urine transporting surface(s) are sized and configured to extend along at least part of the ureter, across the ureter/bladder junction, and from there into the bladder. In some embodiments, the distal region includes a tubular body with a lumen in fluid communication with an interstitial area defined by one or more flexible filaments of the proximal region forming at least one loop.

Claims

1. A ureteral stent, comprising:

a tubular body defining a lumen and an opening on a proximal end, the opening being in communication with the lumen, the tubular body configured to be disposed at least partially within a ureter of a patient; and

a filament member coupled to a proximal end portion of the tubular body and having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion defining a closed loop, the first portion extending from an opening defined in a side wall of the tubular body, the second portion extending through the opening on the proximal end of the tubular body, the filament member configured to be disposed at least partially within a bladder of the patient.

2. The ureteral stent of claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion are monolithically formed.

3. The ureteral stent of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes a loop and the second portion includes a loop, the loop of the first portion and the loop of the second portion each forming at least a portion of the closed loop.

4. The ureteral stent of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the filament member includes a loop having a length and the second portion of the filament member includes a loop having a length, the loop of the first portion and the loop of the second portion each forming at least a portion of the closed loop, the length of the loop of the first portion being greater than the length of the loop of the second portion.

5. The ureteral stent of claim 1, wherein the filament member includes a third portion, the third portion including a loop configured to be disposed within the bladder of the patient.

6. The ureteral stent of claim 1, wherein the first portion includes a first filament and a second filament forming a first loop, the second portion includes a first filament and a second filament forming a second loop, the first loop and the second loop each forming at least a portion of the closed loop.

7. The ureteral stent of claim 1, further comprising:

an extraction thread coupled to the filament member.

8. A ureteral stent, comprising:

a tubular body defining a lumen and an opening at a proximal end, the opening being in communication with the lumen, the tubular body configured to be disposed at least partially within a ureter of a patient; and

a continuous filament member forming a closed loop and including a portion extending through an opening defined in a side wall of a proximal end portion of the tubular body, the filament member having a first loop and a second loop extending substantially parallel to each other for at least a portion of a length of the first loop and at least a portion of a length of the second loop, a portion of the first loop and a portion of the second loop each configured to be disposed within a bladder of the patient.

9. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein the portion of the first loop disposed within the bladder has a length greater than a length of the portion of the second loop disposed within the bladder.

10. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein the first loop and the second loop are monolithically formed.

11. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein the filament member includes a proximal end portion extending from the first loop and the second loop, the proximal end portion including a loop.

12. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein a length of the first loop is greater than a length of the second loop.

13. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein the first loop is coupled to the second loop at a junction at a proximal end portion of the filament member, the junction configured to prevent distal migration of the proximal end portion of the filament member into the ureter.

14. The ureteral stent of claim 8, further comprising:

a third loop extending from a proximal end portion of the filament member.

15. The ureteral stent of claim 8, wherein the proximal end of the tubular body is angled.

16. The ureteral stent of claim 8, further comprising:

an extraction thread coupled to the filament member.

17. A ureteral stent, comprising:

a distal region including a tubular body defining a lumen and an opening on a proximal end of the distal region, the opening being in communication with the lumen, the distal region configured to be disposed at least partially within a ureter of a patient; and

a proximal region including a filament member coupled to a proximal end portion of the tubular body, the filament member having a first portion extending from the tubular body and a second portion extending from the tubular body, the first portion of the filament member and the second portion of the filament member forming a closed loop, the first portion including a loop and the second portion including a loop, the loop of the first portion having a length greater than a length of the loop of the second portion, the first portion and the second portion each configured to be at least partially disposed within the ureter of the patient.

18. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein the first portion and the second portion are monolithically formed.

19. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein the first portion is coupled to the second portion at a junction, the junction configured to be disposed within a bladder of the patient such that the junction intersects a ureteral orifice at an angle.

20. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein the opening in the tubular body is a first opening, the tubular body defines a second opening in a side wall of the tubular body, the first portion and the second portion each extend from the second opening defined by the tubular body.

21. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein a portion of the loop of the first portion is configured to extend into a bladder of the patient, a portion of the loop of the second portion is configured to extend into the bladder of the patient, the portion of the loop of the first portion configured to extend into the bladder having a length greater than a length of the portion of the loop of the second portion configured to extend into the bladder.

22. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the filament member is coupled to the second portion of the filament member at a junction at a proximal end portion of the filament member, the junction configured to prevent distal migration of the proximal end portion of the filament member.

23. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein the filament member includes a proximal end portion configured to be disposed within the bladder of the patient, the proximal end portion including a portion of the loop of the first portion, a portion of the loop of the second portion, and a third portion of the filament member, the third portion of the filament member including a third loop.

24. The ureteral stent of claim 17, wherein when the first portion and the second portion are at least partially disposed within the ureter of the patient, the first loop and the second loop extend substantially parallel to each other for at least a portion of a length of the first loop and at least a portion of a length of the second loop.

25. The ureteral stent of claim 17, further comprising:

an extraction thread coupled to the filament member.