Eversion resistant sleeves
First Claim
1. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:
- a proximal anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen;
a thin-walled sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween, a proximal end of the sleeve being coupled to the anchor, a substantial length of the sleeve being a floppy zone having material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to eversion;
an eversion-resistant feature of the sleeve disposed only at the proximal end of the sleeve that inhibits eversion of the sleeve by collapsing radially in the presence of retrograde pressures, the floppy zone of the sleeve extending the substantial length of the sleeve beyond the eversion resistant feature, the eversion-resistant feature comprising;
a proximal crumple zone of the sleeve that collapses radially in the presence of retrograde pressures; and
a distal reinforced region of the sleeve between the crumple zone and the floppy zone of the sleeve, the reinforced region collapsing radially, but to a lesser extent than the crumple zone, in the presence of retrograde pressures.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to improved means for preventing eversion and subsequent obstruction of thin-walled, floppy gastrointestinal liners implanted in the digestive tract of an animal. The implantable devices include an anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen and a thin-walled, floppy sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween. A substantial length of the sleeve has material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to eversion in the presence of retrograde pressures. Exemplary eversion-resistant features provide an increased stiffness and/or an increased friction coefficient between the anchor and the proximal end of the sleeve to resist eversion. In some embodiments, the eversion-resistant feature includes an anti-buckling element, such as a wire coupled along the substantial length of the sleeve.
317 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:
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a proximal anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen; a thin-walled sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween, a proximal end of the sleeve being coupled to the anchor, a substantial length of the sleeve being a floppy zone having material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to eversion; an eversion-resistant feature of the sleeve disposed only at the proximal end of the sleeve that inhibits eversion of the sleeve by collapsing radially in the presence of retrograde pressures, the floppy zone of the sleeve extending the substantial length of the sleeve beyond the eversion resistant feature, the eversion-resistant feature comprising; a proximal crumple zone of the sleeve that collapses radially in the presence of retrograde pressures; and a distal reinforced region of the sleeve between the crumple zone and the floppy zone of the sleeve, the reinforced region collapsing radially, but to a lesser extent than the crumple zone, in the presence of retrograde pressures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for inhibiting eversion of a sleeve device when implanted within a natural body lumen comprising:
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providing an eversion-resistant feature of a thin-walled sleeve only at a proximal end of the sleeve, the eversion-resistant feature having an eversion-threshold pressure greater than that of the sleeve itself, a floppy zone of the sleeve extending a substantial length of the sleeve beyond the eversion-resistant feature; anchoring, with an anchor, the proximal end of the sleeve with the eversion-resistant feature in the lumen; focusing collapse of the eversion-resistant feature towards the longitudinal axis of the anchor by radially collapsing a proximal crumple zone of the sleeve in the presence of retrograde pressures; and radially collapsing a distal reinforcing region of the sleeve coupled to the proximal crumple zone of the sleeve in the presence of retrograde pressures, the distal reinforcing region collapsing to a lesser extent than the proximal crumple zone. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:
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means for anchoring a proximal end of the device within a natural body lumen, the device including an elongated, thin-walled sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween, a floppy zone of the sleeve having material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to evert proximally to the anchor; eversion resisting means of the sleeve for resisting eversion of any portion of the sleeve proximally to the anchoring means by collapsing radially in the presence of retrograde pressures, the eversion resisting means being disposed only at a proximal end of the sleeve, a floppy zone of the sleeve extending a substantial length of the sleeve beyond the eversion resisting means, the eversion resisting means comprising; a proximal crumple zone of the sleeve that collapses radially in the presence of retrograde pressures; and a distal reinforcing region of the sleeve coupled to the crumple zone, the reinforcing means collapsing radially, but to a lesser extent than the crumple zone, in the presence of retrograde pressures.
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23. A device for implanting within an animal body comprising:
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an anchor adapted for attachment within a natural body lumen; a thin-walled, floppy sleeve open at both ends and defining a lumen therebetween, a substantial length of the sleeve having material characteristics that result in the sleeve being prone to eversion; an eversion-resistant feature disposed between the anchor and the proximal end of the sleeve that inhibits eversion of the sleeve by collapsing radially in the presence of retrograde pressure, the eversion-resistant feature comprising; a proximal crumple zone of the sleeve that collapses in the presence of retrograde pressures; and a distal reinforced region of the sleeve between the crumple zone and the substantial length of the sleeve, the reinforcing means collapsing, but to a lesser extent than the crumple zone, in the presence of retrograde pressures. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification