Lung volume reduction devices, methods, and systems

• US 8,157,823 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ekos LLC (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PneumRx, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Aronson, Nathan, Mathis, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Erezo, Darwin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US12/209,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 606/151, 606/157, 623/23.64, 623/23.65
• US Class Current: 606/157
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/044 for absorption imaging
• 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 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12031 complete occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12104 in an air passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12131 characterised by the type of occluding device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12145 having a pre-set deployed three-dimensional shape methods of manufacturing A61B2017/00526
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1215 comprising additional materials, e.g. thrombogenic, having filaments, having fibers, being coated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12172 having a pre-set deployed three-dimensional shape methods of manufacturing A61B2017/00526
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00809 Lung operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/12054 Details concerning the detachment of the occluding device from the introduction device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/485 involving fluorescence X-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/00 Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges protective face masks A41D13/11; surgeon's or patient's gowns or dresses A41D13/12; devices for carrying-off, for treatment of, or for carrying-over, body liquids A61M1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/02 Devices for expanding tissue, e.g. skin tissue implements for holding wounds open, surgical tractors A61B17/02; implantable mammary prosthesis A61F2/12; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/043 : Bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/046 : Tracheae
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/04 : Tracheal tubes catheters in general A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0406 : implanted flow modifiers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0833 : T- or Y-type connectors, e.g. Y-piece
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/208 : Non-controlled one-way valves, e.g. exhalation, check, pop-off non-rebreathing valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 : Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/32 : with radio-opaque indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0069 : Devices for implanting pellets, e.g. markers or solid medicaments for introducing of radioactive sources for interstitial radiation therapy, i.e. brachytherapy A61N5/1027

Abstract

The invention provides improved medical devices, therapeutic treatment systems, and treatment methods for treatment of the lung. A lung volume reduction system includes an implantable device having an elongate body that is sized and shaped for delivery via the airway system to a lung airway of a patient. The implant is inserted and positioned while the implant is in a delivery configuration, and is reconfigured to a deployed configuration so as to locally compress adjacent tissue of the lung, with portions of the elongate body generally moving laterally within the airway so as to laterally compress lung tissue. A plurality of such implants will often be used to treat a lung of a patient.

Claims

1. A method for treating a lung of a patient, the lung including an airway system having a first airway elongate axial region with an associated first local airway central axis, and a second airway elongate axial region with an associated second local airway central axis, the method comprising:

introducing an elongate body of an implant system axially into the airway system so that a proximal portion of the elongate body is disposed within the first axial airway region and so that a distal implant portion of the elongate body is disposed within the second axial airway region;

compressing a lung tissue volume disposed at least in part between the airway axial regions by bending the elongate body between the proximal and distal portions so as to urge the first local airway axis of the first airway axial region laterally toward the second airway axial region while the proximal and distal portions of the elongate body extend axially within the first and second airway axial regions, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the distal portion of the elongate body passes through the first airway axial region, the first and second airway axial regions being coupled together axially.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the lung tissue volume is compressed by bending of the elongate body between the proximal portion and the distal portion, the bending of the elongate body within the airway axial regions urging a bearing surface of the elongate body laterally against an airway lumen surface so as to impose a bend in the airway system between the airway axial regions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bearing surface does not penetrate through the airway surface during deployment of the elongate body.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a surface is defined between the first and second axial region axes, and further comprising urging a third airway axial region toward the surface from within the third airway axial region so that the compressed volume of lung tissue is disposed at least in part between the surface and the third airway axial region.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising urging a fourth airway axial region toward the first, second, and third airway axial regions, the compressed lung tissue volume being disposed therebetween.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising urging a third airway axial region laterally toward a fourth airway axial region from within third and forth airway axial regions, respectively.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed volume of lung tissue is sufficiently large and is compressed sufficiently to increase tension in an uncompressed volume of the lung such that lung function of the lung is increased.

9. A method for treating a lung of a patient, the lung including an airway system, the method comprising:

deploying an implant into an axial region of the airway having a first end and a second end so that a proximal end of the implant engages the first end of the axial region, so that a distal end of the implant engages the second end of the axial region, and so that the implant bends an axis of the airway laterally between the first end of the axial region and the second end of the axial region, wherein the proximal end of the implant, the distal end of the implant, and an axially elongate bearing surface of the implant between the proximal and distal ends press laterally against a luminal surface of the airway so as to bend the airway and the bending of the airway tensions lung parenchyma.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the proximal end of the implant, the distal end of the implant, and the implant between the proximal end and the distal end press laterally against the airway so as to compress adjacent lung tissue from within the airway system.