Apparatus and method for radially bunching a bodily lumen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10307165-B2
Application number	US-201514864269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2015
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus includes a locking portion, a flexible pulling portion, a flexible body, and a plurality of barb features extending laterally from the body. The locking portion is configured to receive the pulling portion. The pulling portion is configured to engage and translate relative to the locking portion after the locking portion has received the pulling portion. The flexible body extends from the locking portion to the pulling portion. The flexible body is configured to form a loop when the pulling portion engages the locking portion. The loop is configured to decrease in size in response to pulling of the pulling portion relative to the locking portion. The barb features are configured to engage a tubular region of tissue and thereby form pleats in the tubular region of tissue.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a locking portion;
(b) a flexible pulling portion, wherein the locking portion is configured to receive the pulling portion, wherein the pulling portion is configured to engage and translate relative to the locking portion after the locking portion has received the pulling portion;
(c) a flexible body, wherein the flexible body extends from the locking portion to the pulling portion, wherein the flexible body is configured to form a loop when the pulling portion engages the locking portion, wherein the loop is configured to decrease in size in response to pulling of the pulling portion relative to the locking portion; and
(d) a plurality of barb features extending laterally from the body, wherein the barb features are configured to engage a tubular region of tissue and thereby form pleats in the tubular region of tissue, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features defines a retaining gap, wherein the flexible pulling portion is slidably coupled within the retaining gap of each barb feature of the plurality of barb features such that the flexible pulling portion is slidable relative to the barb features, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features comprises a base, a pair of upper angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a first point, and a pair of lower angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a second point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is configured to restrict translation of the pulling portion to a single direction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first point of each barb feature in the plurality of barb feature comprises a first piercing tip, wherein the first piercing tip is configured to pierce tissue.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features further comprise an inclined face extending from the first piercing tip toward the body.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features further comprises a vertical face connected to the incline face, wherein the vertical face is configured to anchor the barb feature to pierced tissue.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second point of said each barb feature comprises a second piercing tip.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first pair of angled arms is connected to the second pair of angled arms by a pair of connecting arms in said each barb feature.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first pair of angled arms and the second pair of angled arms are parallel to each other in said each barb feature.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a plurality of ridges, wherein the locking portion is configured to progressively engage the ridges in response to pulling of the pulling portion relative to the locking portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the locking portion comprises a pawl feature, wherein the pawl feature is configured to ratchet along the ridges in response to pulling of the pulling portion relative to the locking portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the pawl feature and the ridges are configured to enable the pulling portion to travel through the locking portion in a first direction, wherein the pawl feature and the ridges are configured to prevent the pulling portion from traveling through the locking portion in a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a mandrel, wherein the body is configured to wrap around the mandrel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mandrel is configured to fit within a colon, wherein the flexible body is configured to fit around a colon.

14. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a locking portion;
(b) a flexible pulling portion, wherein the locking portion is configured to receive the pulling portion, wherein the pulling portion is configured to engage and translate relative to the locking portion after the locking portion has received the pulling portion to define a loop; and
(c) a plurality of barb features, wherein the barb features are configured to engage a tubular region of tissue and thereby form pleats in the tubular region of tissue, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features defines a retaining gap, wherein the flexible pulling portion is slidably disposed within the retaining gap of each barb feature such that the flexible pulling portion is slidable in the retaining gap of each barb feature, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features comprises a base, a pair of upper angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a first point, and a pair of lower angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a second point.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a first retainer extending from the pair of upper angled arms in said each barb feature and a second retainer extending from the pair of lower angled arms in said each barb feature, wherein the first retainer and the second retainer partially define the retaining gap of said each barb feature.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a flexible body connecting the plurality of barb features.

17. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a locking portion;
(b) a flexible pulling portion, wherein the locking portion is configured to receive the pulling portion, wherein the pulling portion is configured to engage and translate relative to the locking portion after the locking portion has received the pulling portion;
(c) a flexible body, wherein the flexible body extends from the locking portion to the pulling portion, wherein the flexible body is configured to form a loop when the pulling portion engages the locking portion, wherein the loop is configured to decrease in size in response to pulling of the pulling portion relative to the locking portion; and
(d) a plurality of barb features extending laterally from the body, wherein the barb features are configured to engage a tubular region of tissue and thereby form pleats in the tubular region of tissue, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features defines a gap, wherein the flexible pulling portion is slidably disposed in the gap of each barb feature in the plurality of barb features such that the flexible pulling portion is slidable in the gap of each barb feature, wherein each barb feature in the plurality of barb features comprises a base, a pair of upper angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a first point, and a pair of lower angled arms extending from the base and terminating into a second point.

Assignees

• Ethicon Endo Surgery Llc
• Ethicon Llc

Inventors

• Henderson Cortney E
• Widenhouse Tamara S Vetro
• Scheib Charles J

Classifications

• B24D3/002

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