Methods of transmural attachment in the gastrointestinal system

• US 8,012,140 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ValenTx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ValenTx, Inc.
• Inventors: Dann, Mitchell, Baldwin, Thomas, Guterman, Lee, Swain, Paul, Fallin, T. Wade, Butters, Joshua, Kagan, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stigell; Theodore
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, PHILLIP A
• Application Number:
  US11/431,040
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 604500-532, 604/96.01, 604/164.01, 604 9501- 9505, 604975-278
• US Class Current: 604/513
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0482 Needle or suture guides guides for drills, pins or wire A61B17/17; for puncturing needles A61B17/3403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0487 Suture clamps, clips or locks, e.g. for replacing suture knots; Instruments for applying or removing suture clamps, clips or locks suture anchors A61B17/0401; wound clamps or clips A61B17/08; ligaturing clamps or clips A61B17/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0643 with separate closing member, e.g. for interlocking with staple
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0644 penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1114 of the digestive tract, e.g. bowels or oesophagus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12 for ligaturing or otherwise compressing tubular parts of the body, e.g. blood vessels, umbilical cord specially adapted for vas deferens or fallopian tubes A61F6/20; materials for ligaturing blood vessels A61L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00349 Needle-like instruments having hook or barb-like gripping means, e.g. for grasping suture or tissue A61B17/06066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00827 Treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0404 Buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0406 Pledgets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0419 H-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0454 the anchor being crimped or clamped on the suture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0458 Longitudinal through hole, e.g. suture blocked by a distal suture knot
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0472 Multiple-needled, e.g. double-needled, instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0496 : for tensioning sutures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/06052 : Needle-suture combinations in which a suture is extending inside a hollow tubular needle, e.g. over the entire length of the needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0647 : having one single leg, e.g. tacks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0649 : Coils or spirals
• 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 2002/044 : Oesophagi or esophagi or gullets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0036 : Intragastrical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0076 : preventing normal digestion, e.g. Bariatric or gastric sleeves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0086 : using clamps, folding means or the like

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method of treating a patient, that includes providing a gastrointestinal sleeve device having an elongate tubular body, with a proximal opening and a distal opening; and positioning the gastrointestinal sleeve device in the patient'"'"'s digestive tract such that the proximal opening of the tubular body is positioned at the native gastroesophageal junction to receive ingested food and liquids from the patient'"'"'s esophagus and the distal opening of the tubular body is positioned in the patient'"'"'s jejunum. The tubular body can then be attached near its proximal opening to the patient at the native gastroesophageal junction.

Claims

1. A method of treating a patient, comprising the steps of:

providing a gastrointestinal sleeve device having an elongate tubular body, with a proximal opening and a distal opening; and

positioning the gastrointestinal sleeve device in the patient'"'"'s digestive tract such that the proximal opening of the tubular body is positioned at the native gastroesophageal junction to receive ingested food and liquids from the patient'"'"'s esophagus and the distal opening of the tubular body is positioned in the patient'"'"'s jejunum.

2. A method of treating a patient as in claim 1, further comprising the step of attaching the tubular body near its proximal opening to the patient at the native gastroesophageal junction.

3. A method of treating a patient as in claim 2, wherein the attaching step comprises attaching a cuff to the native gastroesophageal junction, and attaching the tubular body to the cuff.

4. A method of treating a patient as in claim 2, wherein the attaching step comprises using a plurality of tissue anchors.

5. A method of treating a patient as in claim 2, wherein the attaching step comprises using a tissue anchor having a transversely reduced configuration used while passing transmurally through the attachment site to a transversely enlarged configuration used after passing transmurally through the attachment site.

6. A method of treating a patient as in claim 3, wherein the tubular body is releasably attached to the cuff.

7. A method of treating a patient as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a wall of the tubular body is porous.

8. A method of treating a patient as in claim 1, wherein the tubular body is impermeable such that the tubular body acts as a partial internal intestinal bypass.

9. A method of treating a patient as in claim 1, wherein the tubular body comprises a funnel at the proximal opening.

10. A method of treating a patient, comprising the steps of:

providing a gastrointestinal sleeve device having an attachment cuff and an elongate tubular body, with a proximal opening and a distal opening; and

positioning the gastrointestinal sleeve device in the patient'"'"'s digestive tract such that a proximal opening of the cuff is positioned at the native gastroesophageal junction to receive ingested food and liquids from the patient'"'"'s esophagus and the distal opening of the tubular body is positioned in the patient'"'"'s duodenum.

11. A method of treating a patient as in claim 10, comprising the steps of first attaching the cuff at the native gastroesophageal junction, and second attaching the elongate tubular body to the cuff.