EP1078601A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Lung volume reduction apparatus
Assignee: Spiration Inc
•
Filing: 2000-08-23
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2020-08-23
Abstract
Abstract A lung constriction device ( 70, 170 ) and method provide lung air leak suppression or lung volume reduction. The lung constriction device includes a jacket of flexible material. The jacket is configured to cover at least a portion of a lung. The jacket is further configured to receive the lung portion as it is drawn therein. The jacket may be expandable and held in an expanded condition as the lung tissue is drawn into the jacket. Thereafter, the jacket is permitted to collapse about the lung portion to constrict the lung portion. The jacket may alternatively be nonexpandable. As the lung tissue is drawn into the jacket, it will collapse. Once disposed in the jacket, the jacket constricts the lung tissue to provide leakage suppression or lung volume reduction. The jacket may further be severable so that after the lung portion is drawn into the jacket, the jacket may be severed to section the lung portion.
Inventors
- 👤 Clifton A. Alferness
- 👤 Richard Y. Lin
- 👤 Wilfred E. Jaeger
- 👤 Hugo X. Gonzalez
- 👤 Diane M. Muff
- 👤 William A. Sirokman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:05
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/00234; A61B17/12; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/0063
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
31 words
A lung constricting device characterized by a jacket ( 70, 170 ) of flexible
material configured to cover at least a portion of a lung and to constrict the lung
portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the flexible material
being a flexible fabric.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket ( 70, 170 )
including an opening ( 74, 174 ) for applying the jacket to the lung portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 3 further characterized by the jacket ( 70 ) including
a base defining the opening.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 4 further characterized by collapsing means ( 82 )
carried by the jacket to collapse the jacket about the lung portion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 5 further characterized by a guide tube ( 88 ) for
guiding the collapsing means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The device of claim 4 further characterized by the collapsing means
circumscribing the jacket at the base.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the flexible material
being formed of polyester.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket ( 170 ) having a
pair of opened ends ( 172, 174 ) to permit the lung portion to be drawn into the jacket.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket being formed
of elastic material for collapsing about the lung portion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket being formed
of a mesh material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket being formed
of one of silicone rubber, polyester, polyurethane, nylon, polytetraflouroethylene,
expanded polytetraflouroethylene, polyester and polyurethane, and nylon and
polyurethane.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket being formed
of an expandable mesh material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by the jacket being formed
of a severable material to permit the device to be severed intermediate its ends.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
The device of claim 1 further characterized by being formed of
expandable material, configured for receiving a lung portion when forced into an
expanded enlarged condition by an expansion force, and contractible about the lung
portion upon release of the expansion force for constricting the lung portion.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 15 further characterized by being a hollow,
substantially cylindrical configuration when in a nonexpanded condition.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 16 further characterized by a first opened end ( 74,
174 ) for receiving the lung portion.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The device of claim 17 further characterized by a second opened end
( 172 ) for permitting the lung portion to extend through the jacket ( 170 ).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 15 further characterized by being formed of one of
silicone rubber, polyurethane, expanded polytetraflouroethylene, nylon and
polyurethane, and polyester and polyurethane.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 15 further characterized by being formed of an
expandable mesh material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 15 further characterized by being formed of a
severable material.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
32 words
A method of constricting a portion of a lung, the method characterized
by:
providing a jacket ( 70, 170 ) formed of flexible material; and
disposing the jacket about the lung portion.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 22 further characterized by the jacket being
formed of an open mesh material.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 23 further characterized by the open mesh
material being a polyester mesh.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 22 further characterized by the step of providing
the jacket with a closed end and an opening to permit disposing the jacket over the
lung portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 25 further characterized by collapsing the jacket
about the lung portion.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 26 further characterized by the collapsing step
including circumscribing the opening with a cord ( 96 ), the cord having a pair of free
ends ( 98, 100 ) and pulling on the free ends of the cord to collapse the opening of the
jacket about the lung portion.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 27 further characterized by the collapsing step
further including tying the free ends of the cord together.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 22 further characterized by deflating the lung
portion prior to disposing the jacket over the lung portion.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 22 further characterized by the disposing step
including drawing the lung portion into the jacket.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 30 further characterized by the jacket being
dimensioned to constrict the lung portion and wherein the drawing step includes
collapsing the lung portion while drawing the lung portion into the jacket.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 31 further characterized by the drawing step
including physically pulling the lung portion into the jacket.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 30 further characterized by the step of positioning
the jacket ( 170 ) on a mandrel ( 180, 210 ), physically pulling the lung portion pulled
into the mandrel, and removing the mandrel from the jacket and the lung portion to
leave the lung portion constricted in the jacket.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 31 further characterized by the drawing step
including applying a vacuum suction to the lung portion.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 34 further characterized by the step of positioning
the jacket ( 170 ) on a mandrel ( 210 ), the vacuum suction being applied to the lung
portion through the mandrel, and removing the mandrel from the jacket and the lung
portion to leave the lung portion constricted in the jacket.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 34 further characterized by positioning the jacket
( 170 ) within a mandrel ( 210 ), the vacuum suction being applied to the lung portion
through the mandrel and the jacket to pull the lung portion directly into the jacket,
and removing the mandrel from the jacket.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 30 further characterized by the jacket being
formed of expandable material and applying an expansion force to the jacket to
enlarge the jacket dimensions and releasing the expansion force on the jacket after
the drawing step to permit the jacket to collapse the jacket about the lung portion for
constricting the lung portion.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 37 further characterized by the applying step
including positioning the jacket on a mandrel.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 38 further characterized by the applying step
further including expanding the mandrel after positioning the jacket on the mandrel.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 37 further characterized by the drawing step
including physically pulling the lung portion.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 37 further characterized by the drawing step
including applying a vacuum suction to the lung portion.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 38 further characterized by the drawing step
including applying a vacuum suction to the lung portion through the mandrel to draw
the lung portion into the mandrel and the releasing step including removing the
jacket from the mandrel.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 42 further characterized by the releasing step
including terminating the vacuum suction prior to removing the jacket from the
mandrel.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 37 further characterized by positioning the jacket
within a mandrel, and applying a vacuum suction to the lung portion through the
mandrel and the jacket to cause the lung portion to be drawn into the jacket and the
jacket to be expanded by the lung portion drawn by the vacuum suction.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 44 further characterized by the releasing step
including terminating the vacuum suction.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 22 further characterized severing the jacket after
disposing the lung portion into the jacket to section the lung portion.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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