Methods and devices for reducing hollow organ volume

• US 8,257,365 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Demarais, Denise Marie, Gannoe, James, Gerbi, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): LANG, AMY T
• Application Number:
  US11/799,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 606/142, 606/143, 606/139, 606/151, 606205-209, 227/20, 227/24, 227/25, 227/29, 227/175.1, 227/176.1
• US Class Current: 606/139
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0643 with separate closing member, e.g. for interlocking with staple
• 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 17/12099 characterised by the location of the occluder
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12136 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/081 Tissue approximator A61B2017/1103, A61B17/8866 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/0086 using clamps, folding means or the like

Abstract

Methods and devices for providing a minimally-invasive placement of a mechanical structure for reducing the volume of a hollow body organ. Anchors may be secured within the hollow body organ and then cinched together using a tensioning member to form a stricture within the hollow body organ. In another embodiment a tensioning member may be threaded along the hollow body organ and then cinched to reduce the volume. The strictures may be placed anywhere within the hollow body organ, and more than one stricture may be formed within the hollow body organ.

Claims

1. A system for reducing the volume of a stomach cavity, comprising:

a tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end;

a tissue acquisition and fixation device disposed at the distal end of the tubular member, the tissue acquisition and fixation device including first and second members movable from an open configuration to a closed configuration to substantially simultaneously create first and second folds of tissue;

a pledget removably disposed between the first and second members of the tissue acquisition and fixation device, such that the pledget is configured to be positioned between the first and second folds of tissue created by the tissue acquisition and fixation device, the pledget including an elongate, flexible tether having one end attached to the pledget and a free end extending therefrom that is configured to be tensioned to manipulate tissue to which the pledget is attached; and

an anchor housed within the first member of the tissue acquisition and fixation device, and the anchor being adapted to secure the pledget between the first and second folds of tissue when the tissue acquisition and fixation device moves from the open to the closed configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second members of the tissue acquisition and fixation device include vacuum pods for acquiring tissue within the stomach cavity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pledget includes a substrate formed of Dacron, mesh, or fabric.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the pledget includes a wire attached to the substrate for expanding the substrate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor is a staple or rivet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein multiple anchors are housed within the first member of the tissue acquisition and fixation device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tissue acquisition and fixation device is adapted to secures multiple pledgets within multiple folds of tissue and the multiple pledgets are adapted for being cinched together to create a stricture within the stomach cavity.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the multiple pledgets each comprise an elongate, flexible tether such that the tethers are adapted to be tensioned together to create a stricture within the stomach cavity.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the pledget is bioabsorbable.