Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction method

• US 8,667,973 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gyrus ACMI, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Spiration, Inc. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Springmeyer, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): IWAMAYE, ANDREW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/286,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 12820715-20716, 128/898, 604 27- 28, 604/514, 604/93.01, 623 2364- 2365, 623/23.68
• US Class Current: 128/898
• 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 17/12104 in an air passage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12186 liquid materials adapted to be injected
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/043 Bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/00 Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes stimulating the respiratory movement by mechanical, pneumatic or electrical means, iron lungs combined with gas breathing means A61H31/00

Abstract

A method of minimally invasively reducing a volume of a hyper-inflated target section of diseased lung comprising the steps of introducing a bronchoscope into a patient'"'"'s airway to a position adjacent the target section and equilibrating air within the target section with atmospheric air to at least partially deflate the target lung section; injecting an inflammation-causing substance into the target section to precipitate adhesion of the walls within the target lung section, preventing substantial re-inflation of the target section by occluding an airway upstream of the target section for a period of time, and removing the airway occlusion after the target section has substantially permanently been reduced in volume. The injected substance can be autologous blood or a constituent thereof.

Claims

1. A minimally invasive method of reducing the volume of a cavity in a lung of a patient, the method comprising:

inserting a catheter into the lung via the patient'"'"'s trachea;

removing at least some air from the cavity;

injecting an inflammation-causing substance within the cavity so that at least a portion of walls surrounding said cavity become coated with the substance; and

implanting an occlusion device in an airway upstream of said cavity;

wherein the substance comprises autologous whole blood, and wherein said occlusion device is implanted before and after the at least a portion of the walls, coated with the substance, grow together.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein implanting an occlusion device occurs before injecting an inflammation-causing substance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the occlusion device is a one-way valve configured to permit at least some fluid to exhaust from the cavity but at least partially occlude inspiration into said cavity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the catheter while leaving the occlusion device in the airway.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the occlusion device after a desired time has elapsed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein removing at least some of the air comprises applying a net negative pressure to said cavity.

7. A method of reducing a volume of a diseased lung section, comprising:

guiding a distal end of a bronchoscope through a patient'"'"'s airway to the diseased lung section;

employing the bronchoscope to inject an inflammation-causing substance comprising autologous whole blood into the diseased lung section;

implanting an occlusion device in an airway proximal to the diseased lung section; and

wherein the occlusion device is implanted sufficiently long so that a portion of opposing walls of the diseased lung grow together.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the occlusion device comprises a one-way valve.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the entire substance is derived from autologous fluids.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising removing the occlusion device after at least a portion of the diseased lung section grows together.