Intra-bronchial lung volume reduction system

Abstract

The invention provides devices and systems for treating lungs. One aspect of the invention provides a lung device with an expandable member having an open lumen formed therethrough, the expandable (e.g., inflatable and compliant) member having an expanded diameter adapted to contact a circumferential wall portion of a lung air passageway. The device may also include a plug adapted to close the open lumen and a coupler adapted to couple the plug and the expandable member. Another aspect of the invention provides a lung device and delivery system including: an expandable member having an open lumen formed therethrough, the expandable member having an expanded diameter adapted to fit within a lung air passageway; and a delivery catheter adapted to deliver the expandable member to a lung air passageway, the delivery catheter having a coupler adapted to couple the catheter to the expandable member.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 580,565, filed Jun. 16, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The primary role of the lung is to perform the function of breathing which assists in the intake of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide from the body. The oxygen in air is inhaled through the mouth and trachea to the main bronchi. The bronchi divide at the end of the trachea into the left and right main bronchi and these respectively divide into bronchial branches, which “feed” the three lobes of the lung on the right and two on the left. These bronchi continue to subdivide into bronchioles (smaller bronchi), over twenty three times in total. The over 100,000 bronchioles get smaller in diameter and ultimately terminate in over 300 million air sacs, called alveoli. The alveoli, which are clustered like grapes, are approximately 0.3 mm in diameter and provide a huge ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] In some embodiments, the system includes a collateral flow detector adapted to detect collateral flow around the expandable member when the expandable member is expanded within the air passageway. The collateral flow detector may include an expandable seal. The system may also include a collateral flow reduction mechanis...

Problems solved by technology

Likewise, toxic CO2 is diffused into the alveoli from the capillaries and is removed from the body during expiration.

These stretched regions fail to pull on and thus fail to suspend the major airways in a radial fashion to hold them open.

As the disease progresses, the patient will eventually need to force expiration, which causes the major airways to collapse and block air flow.

This effect is exacerbated with additional applied expiration pressure since the airways are ill-supported.

Pain associated with this causes interruption of normal breathing and difficulty to revive the patient from forced ventilation to normal breathing after the procedure.

The procedure presents with high mortality rates and long recovery times.

Another risk with LVRS is associated with cutting too much volume out.

Also, adhesions between the lung and chest wall that occur naturally present stress points upon expansion that can cause ruptures.

The imbalance of force in the chest after expanding highly elastic lung tissue pulls the mediastinal region of the central thorax sufficiently to actually shift large vessels and cause flow restrictions.

This condition can be very serious and warrant further surgeries.

Current less invasive approaches to LVR have met with limited success, however.

However, there are several problems with these earlier devices as they are currently used.

Current blocking devices do not facilitate access to distal regions of the lung after deployment to allow for reoccurring interventions or treatments.

Covered devices that are stretched to this extent are typically not robust air leak seals.

This also requires that the device be scaled down to such a small diameter profile that the self expansion forces are extremely low to anchor the device and the covering materials must be thin and therefore fragile.

Moreover, these devices block air from flowing in the major airways but are not effective if collateral flow paths exist.

Finally, uncontrolled atelectasis beyond a one third volume reduction may cause tension pneumothorax complications and stress ruptures within the lung wall, causing lung collapse.

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