Schneider (usa) Inc.

Intratherapeutics, Inc.

Metamodix, Inc.

Covidien LP

Ev3 Peripheral, Inc.

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Other

Tyco Healthcare Group LP

St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC

Ev3 Inc.

Peytant Solutions, Inc.

Paul J Thompson

Kedar Ravindra Belhe

Nathan Lee

Claude O Clerc

Daniel J Klima

George W Du

Alexander D Grafov

Theodore Paul Dale

Paul Hindrichs

Michael P Brenzel

Todd A Krinke

Thomas M Benson

David M Costello

Werner Schwarz

Steven D Kruse

Joseph E Laptewicz, Jr

Richard J Thompson

Kenton J Zehr

Robert M Vidlund

Leonard Pinchuk

Paul F Chouinard

John Anthony Scholl

Jon St Germain

John Avi Roop

Theodore Arthur Johnson

Scott A Olson

Liann M Johnson

Robert J Thatcher

Amjad Ahmad

Scott T Johnson

Steven W Hachtman

John Schorgl

Steven J Healy

Nathan T Lee

Several gastrointestinal surgery procedures are effective as treatments for metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Minimally invasive procedures including intra-luminal gastrointestinal implants have been proposed to mimic the anatomical, physiological and metabolic changes achieved by these procedures. Many of these designs include long sleeve like elements that prevent contact of food with the walls of the small intestine. It is desirable to have simple delivery systems that can place these implants under endoscopic guidance. However, in order to anchor these sleeve elements safely and reliably, the inventors have previously disclosed anchoring means that anchor the sleeves at the junctions of the stomach and the intestine or the stomach and esophagus.

Delivery devices and methods for gastrointestinal implants

A modular system for therapy within a gastrointestinal system. The system includes anchoring or attachment functionality embodied in a low-profile implant technology and removable therapy components, which can be reversibly attached to these low-profile implants to accomplish various therapies. This modular design allows the physician to tailor the therapy to the patient's needs. The modular system has the potential to create conduits for diversion and/or restriction of food and organ secretions and to facilitate the treatment of metabolic disorders such as obesity and T2DM.

Modular gastrointestinal prostheses

A stent defining a longitudinal axis is disclosed. A plurality of circumferential support structures are spaced-apart along the longitudinal axis. At least some of the circumferential support structures are interconnected by connection members that extend generally in a circumferential direction.

Stent with offset cell geometry

A stent for placement in a body lumen is fabricated by forming a tube having an undeployed diameter sized for the tube to be placed on a deployment balloon and advanced through a body lumen to a deployment site. The tube is expandable upon inflation of the balloon to an enlarged diameter sized for the tube to be retained within the lumen at the site upon deflation and withdrawal of the balloon. The tube has a stent axis extending between first and second axial ends of the tube. The tube has an exterior surface and an interior surface. The tube is polished to polish the exterior surface to a smooth surface finish and with at least a portion of the interior surface having a rough surface finish rougher than the surface finish of the exterior surface.

Stent with enhanced friction

An implant delivery system is disclosed. The delivery system includes an elongated member having an implant mounting location. A self-expandable implant is mounted at the implant mounting location. The implant is held in a compressed orientation by a retractable sheath. An interlock structure prevents the implant from deploying prematurely as the sheath is retracted. The interlock structure includes radio-opaque markers that identify the position of the implant.

Implant delivery system with marker interlock

Soft body tissue structure can be remodeled by shortening the distance between first and second portions of that tissue structure. First and second anchor structures are respectively implanted in the first and second portions of the tissue structure. These anchor structures are linked by a linking structure, the length of which between the anchor structures can be shortened to pull the tissue structure portions toward one another. Each of the anchor structures may include two screw structures that are driven into the associated tissue structure portion transverse to the linking structure and with a spacer between the two screws. The entire prosthesis can be implanted percutaneously if desired. An illustrative use of the prosthesis is to shorten the annulus of a patient's mitral valve, with at least a portion of the prosthesis implanted in the patient's coronary sinus.

Soft body tissue remodeling methods and apparatus

A gastrointestinal device for implanting within a pylorus, a duodenal bulb, and a duodenum of a patient's gastrointestinal tract includes an expandable structure including a proximal portion having a plurality of spring arms and a distal portion having a plurality of spring arms, the proximal and distal portions coupled by a rigid central cylinder having a diameter capable of fitting within the pylorus and having a length greater than a width of the pylorus. An intestinal bypass sleeve is coupled to at least one of the proximal and distal portions of the expandable structure and having a length sufficient to extend at least partially into the duodenum. In the expanded configuration, the proximal portion has a diameter larger than a maximum opening diameter of the pylorus and further wherein, in the expanded configuration, the distal portion has a diameter larger than a maximum opening diameter of the pylorus.

Anchors and methods for intestinal bypass sleeves

A stent scaffold combined with amniotic tissue provides for a biocompatible stent that has improved biocompatibility and hemocompatibility. The amnion tissue can be variously modified or unmodified form of amnion tissue such as non-cryo amnion tissue, solubilized amnion tissue, amnion tissue fabric, chemically modified amnion tissue, amnion tissue treated with radiation, amnion tissue treated with heat, or a combination thereof. Materials such as polymer, placental tissue, pericardium tissue, small intestine submucosa can be used in combination with the amnion tissue. The amnion tissue can be attached to the inside, the outside, both inside and outside, or complete encapsulation of the stent scaffold. In some embodiments, at least part of the covering or lining comprises a plurality of layers of amnion tissue. The method of making the biocompatible stent and its delivery and deployment are also discussed.

Stents modified with material comprising amnion tissue and corresponding processes

An implant structure for use in pulling two soft body tissue areas closer together in a patient (e.g., two points along or adjacent to the patient's mitral valve annulus) includes at least two tissue anchor structures that are respectively implantable into the two tissue areas. A tether structure links the two tissue anchors and can be shortened and held in that condition by a cinch structure. Bracing structures are used between the anchors and the tether to help keep the longitudinal axes of the anchors transverse to the tether axis even when the tether is under tension. The tether may be sheathed in a cushioning sleeve to help protect adjacent tissue from erosion by the tether.

A system for therapy within a gastrointestinal system includes anchoring or attachment functionality embodied in a low-profile implant technology and removable therapy components, which can be reversibly attached to these low-profile implants to accomplish various therapies. This design allows the physician to tailor the therapy to the patient's needs. The system has the potential to create conduits for diversion and/or restriction of food and organ secretions and to facilitate the treatment of metabolic disorders such as obesity and T2DM.

Gastrointestinal prostheses

A stent may include a stent body having a stent axis. The stent body may include structural members defining openings through the stent body. The structural members are provided with regions having different widths. The relative sizes of the widths are selected to control the length of the stent body as the stent body is radially expanded from an undeployed orientation to a deployed orientation. In one embodiment, the regions having different widths are provided by tapering the widths of selected segments of the structural member.

Stents with tapered struts

A stent for placement in a body lumen is fabricated by forming a tube having an un-deployed diameter sized for the tube to be placed on a deployment balloon and advanced through a body lumen to a deployment site. The tube is expandable upon inflation of the balloon to an enlarged diameter sized for the tube to be retained within the lumen at the site upon deflation and withdrawal of the balloon. The tube has a stent axis extending between first and second axial ends of the tube. The tube has an exterior surface and an interior surface. The tube is polished to polish the exterior surface to a smooth surface finish and with at least a portion of the interior surface having a rough surface finish rougher than the surface finish of the exterior surface.

A intraluminal stent comprises a reticulated tube having an un-deployed diameter and expandable to an enlarged diameter. The tube includes a structural beam extending between first and second ends. The structural beam changes from a first geometry to a second geometry when the tube changes from the un-deployed diameter to the enlarged diameter. The structural beam includes first and second longitudinal elements each extending at least partially between the first and second ends and with a spacing between the first and second elements. Each of said first and second elements changes from the first geometry to the second geometry when the tube changes from the un-deployed diameter to the enlarged diameter for the spacing to remain substantially unchanged as the tube changes from the un-deployed diameter to the enlarged diameter.

Stent with dual support structure

Growing community of inventors

Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

Paul J Thompson