Devices, systems, and methods to fixate tissue within the regions of body, such as the pharyngeal conduit

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods develop pressure forces to fixate or brace tissue in targeted pharyngeal structures and individual anatomic components within the pharyngeal conduit.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a division of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 12 / 148,175 filed 17 Apr. 2008, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 718,254, filed on 20 Nov. 2003, and entitled “Devices, Systems, and Methods to Fixate Tissue within the Regions of the Body, such as the Pharyngeal Conduit (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,542 issued 22 Apr. 2008).”FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention is directed to devices, systems, and methods for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing including obstructive sleep apnea.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONI. The Characteristics of Sleep Apnea[0003]First described in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions (10 seconds or more) of breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea is a common but serious, potentially life-threatening condition, affecting as many as 18 million Americans.[0004]There are two types of sleep apnea: central and obstructive. Central sleep apnea, which is ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Sleep apnea is a common but serious, potentially life-threatening condition, affecting as many as 18 million Americans.

When the muscles of the upper airway relax and sag, the relaxed tissues may vibrate as air flows past the tissues during breathing, resulting in snoring.

In more serious cases, the airway becomes blocked, making breathing labored and noisy, or even stopping it altogether.

Lack of air intake into the lungs results in lower levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.

The frequent interruptions of deep, restorative sleep often lead to early morning headaches, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, irritability, and learning and memory difficulties.

There are potentially damaging effects to the heart and blood vessels due to abrupt compensatory swings in blood pressure.

Upon each event, the sleeping person will be partially aroused from sleep, resulting in a greatly reduced quality of sleep and associated daytime fatigue.

Although some apneic events are normal in all humans, the frequency of blockages will determine the seriousness of the disease and opportunity for health damage.

The upper airway, therefore, has the greatest potential for collapse and closure at end-expiration.

It can be cumbersome to wear and travel with, difficult to accept on a social level, and not tolerated by many (for reasons such as claustrophobia, facial and nasal mask pressure sores, airway irritation).

These factors have lead to a relatively poor long-term compliance rate.

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