Resistive anti-obesity devices
Inventors
Levine, Andy H. • Lamport, Ronald B. • Melanson, David A. • Randle, Stuart A.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-7771382-B2
Publication Date
2010-08-10
Expiration Date
Abstract
A patient is provided with an increased sense of satiety by increasing resistance to the outflow of food from the stomach and through the intestines. Stomach emptying may be slowed with devices implantable within the gastrointestinal tract below the stomach. Implants are preferably removable and can include artificial strictures that may be adjustable to vary the rate of stomach emptying. Slowing gastric emptying may induce satiety for a longer period and may therefore reduce food consumption. Many of the embodiments include intestinal liners or sleeves, but they need not. The resistor concept may be applied to a simple anchor and resistor without a long liner.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to treating obesity by implanting a device within a gastrointestinal tract of an animal so that an implanted device orifice is retained at less than 10 millimeters in diameter. The implanted device is implanted entirely in the intestine of the animal and is configured to resist the outflow of chyme from the stomach into the intestines while still allowing flow of chyme.
A related aspect provides a diaphragm-based gastrointestinal device in which the diaphragm includes a hole in a membrane. The hole has a diameter of less than 10 millimeters, and open volumes are provided before and after the diaphragm. Each open volume has a cross-sectional area substantially greater than the hole area, so that the diaphragm resists chyme outflow from the stomach into the intestines through the hole.
The disclosed device concepts emphasize retaining the restrictive opening with a small diameter and anchoring the implant within the gastrointestinal tract. The placement includes embodiments that are anchored distal to the pylorus, and structural arrangements can include a diaphragm within a membrane, a liner or sleeve with a lumen for chyme passage, and configurations that form an hourglass or tapered necking down region.
Claims Coverage
The document includes two independent claims directed to obesity treatment using an implanted gastrointestinal device that resists chyme outflow while allowing flow, with the main inventive constraint being an opening retained at less than 10 millimeters in diameter. The independent claims differ in device structure: one uses a retained orifice, and the other uses a diaphragm with a hole in a membrane and open volumes on both sides, each with substantially larger cross-sectional areas than the hole.
Small-diameter orifice implanted entirely in the intestine to resist chyme outflow
Implanting a device within a gastrointestinal tract of an animal, implanting the device entirely in the intestine, retaining an orifice of the implanted device at less than 10 millimeters in diameter, and resisting outflow of chyme from the stomach into the intestines while allowing flow of chyme.
Diaphragm with membrane hole and larger open volumes to resist chyme outflow
Implanting a device within a gastrointestinal tract of an animal having a diaphragm, where the diaphragm has a hole in a membrane with a hole area and a diameter less than 10 millimeters, providing an open volume before and after the diaphragm with each open volume having a cross-sectional area substantially greater than the hole area, and resisting outflow of chyme from the stomach into the intestines through the hole.
Both independent claims provide obesity treatment by implanting an intestinally placed device that resists chyme outflow from the stomach into the intestines while allowing flow, using a restrictive opening retained at a diameter of less than 10 millimeters. The first independent claim focuses on a retained orifice, while the second focuses on a diaphragm having a small hole in a membrane with larger open volumes on both sides.
Stated Advantages
Resists the outflow of chyme from the stomach into the intestines while allowing flow of chyme.
Treats obesity by implanting the restrictive device in the gastrointestinal tract.
Documented Applications
Anti-obesity therapy by slowing gastric emptying and resisting chyme outflow from the stomach into the intestines using an implanted gastrointestinal device.
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