Medical device for applying force on biological tissue, or the like

Inventors

Eaves, Felmont F. • Knight, Gary W.

Assignees

BRIJ Medical LLC

Abstract

A medical device for at least partially covering and applying force on tissue includes a body having a spanning structure and struts respectively connected to lateral portions of the spanning structure. Inner ends of the struts extend into an area over which the medial portion of the spanning structure extends. The medical device is reconfigurable between extended and retracted configurations. The inner ends of the struts are closer to one another in the retracted configuration than in the extended configuration. The inner ends of the struts are closer to the medial portion of the spanning structure in the retracted configuration than in the extended configuration. Each strut includes an engagement zone configured to engage and apply force on the tissue, at least while the medical device is in the retracted configuration. A web can be connected to the struts and span between the inner ends of the struts.

Core Innovation

A multistable medical device is configured to at least partially cover tissue and apply force on tissue using at least one spanning structure and a plurality of struts connected to the spanning structure. The device has a plurality of configurations comprising at least one unstable equilibrium configuration between concave-up and concave-down stable equilibrium configurations, and is biased toward the concave-up stable equilibrium configuration and toward the concave-down stable equilibrium configuration depending on which side of the unstable equilibrium the device configuration lies.

When the medical device is transitioned from the concave-up stable equilibrium configuration and past the at least one unstable equilibrium configuration toward the concave-down stable equilibrium configuration, inner end portions of first and second struts become closer to one another. The inner end portions comprise zones configured to move respective portions of tissue toward one another in response to the inner end portions becoming closer, and for each strut the zone is on the lower side of the strut.

The zone includes adhesive material carried by the lower side of the strut and configured to be adhered to and move a respective portion of tissue at least in response to the first and second struts becoming closer to one another. In further embodiments, adhesive material is connected to the lower sides of the first and second struts and is cooperatively configured to be adhered to and move respective portions of a workpiece toward one another, with at least one release liner adhered to the adhesive material.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims identify three principal inventive feature groupings: multistable spanning structure plus struts with unstable equilibrium between concave-up and concave-down stable equilibria, strut inner-end movement upon transitioning past the unstable equilibrium, and adhesive material on lower-side zones configured to adhere to and move tissue/workpiece portions, with release liner support.

Across the independent claims, the core coverage is a multistable medical device having a spanning structure and struts with at least one unstable equilibrium between concave-up and concave-down stable equilibria. Biasing determines stable equilibrium selection, and transitioning past the unstable equilibrium toward concave-down drives inner-end strut motion that moves tissue/workpiece portions. Adhesive material carried or connected to lower-side zones adheres and moves tissue/workpiece portions, supported by a release liner and, in related embodiments, a flexible web intermediary.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications