129 results about "Palate muscle" patented technology

Methods and devices are disclosed for manipulating the palatal tissue. An implant is positioned within at least a portion of the soft palate and may be secured to other surrounding, less mobile structures such as the hard palate or the mucosa overlying the hard palate. The implant may be manipulated to displace at least a portion of the soft palate in an anterior or lateral direction, or to alter the tissue tension or compliance of the soft palate.

Medializing the middle turbinate in the nose has been realized as a solution to the common complication of adhesions following nasal and sinus surgery. The invention provides a system for medializing the middle turbinate by attaching the middle turbinate temporarily to the nasal septum. The attachment is performed using a wafer with means on both sides for attaching the wafer to a mucosal surface. The attachment may also be performed using a tissue adhesive, pins, or other medical devices described herein. The invention also provides a system for attaching the uvula to the nasopharyngeal side of the soft palate. The invention provides a medical device for use in the inventive procedures as well as methods for the procedures and kits for use by a physician.

A method and apparatus for treating snoring of a patient includes providing an implant for altering a dynamic response of a soft palate of the patient to airflow past the soft palate. The implant is embedded in the soft palate to alter the dynamic response. The implant has multiple fibers braided along a length of the implant. The braid includes unbonded ends and air-textured yarns.

When there is an obstruction to the passage of air through the back of the mouth and nose, the soft palate and the bell collide, producing a vibration called snoring. There are various ways of reducing or eliminating snoring, nasal masks introducing air pressure to the throat (CPAP), surgery of the throat (OPPBA) and devices that are introduced into the mouth to cause a mandibular advancement what increases the oropharyngeal area, improving ventilation, among other solutions. The present invention disclosure an intraocclusal removable device in the form of a “U” that is placed covering all of the upper jaw teeth, wherein two steps, one in each extreme of the lower part of the element, which impede the mandible be closed completely on its normal occlusion, forcing it to produce a forward displacement of the lower jaw.

Embodiments of the invention include methods and devices to prevent or treat upper airway disorders in mammals related to impaired airflow. One aspect of this invention is a tongue retractor (LTR) that indirectly retracts tongue base by its implant site in the frenulum area. This simplifies the insertion, adjustment and maintenance of the device. Another aspect of this invention describes a highly localized and fully implantable LTR that is inserted into the base of tongue to stiffen lax surface mucosa or mechanically couple it to internal tongue structures. Another aspect of this invention is an LTR inserted in or around the pharyngoglossal fold. This site allows retraction and stiffening of tongue base tissue as well as the soft palate and lateral pharyngeal wall.

An implant system places magnetic structures in or on tissue that develop a magnetic repelling force between a soft palate a posterior pharyngeal wall. The magnetic repelling force has a magnitude F-mag, where F-mag=f (F-sep, F-nat), and where F-sep is a force required to separate soft palate tissue from pharyngeal wall tissue during sleep, and F-nat is a force exerted by native muscle on the soft palate during swallowing and/or drinking and/or speech. In another embodiment, a palate implant uses attractive magnetic force to keep the airway open.

A custom, sized and fitted, integrated oral appliance is provided to treat breathing obstruction and restriction in the upper airway during sleep. Several novel features are integrated in a single device, which includes mandible repositioning to open the airway, and tongue restraint to prevent airway blockage. This device is comprised of a built-in air conduit to bypass nasal restriction and airway occlusion. In operation, the appliance is positioned in the oral cavity to firmly grip the upper and lower dentition using customized unshaped trays. Appliance positioning advances the mandible to an adjustable predetermined position and simultaneously restrains the tongue using flexible bristles attached to a spring-loaded, tongue-restraint-ac (TRAC) component. A hollow air conduit, built into the TRAC, spans the area between the users' lips and soft palate. It facilitates the flow of self-heated, moisturized air directly to (and from) the oropharynx to bypass airway obstructions and/or nasal restrictions.

A medical appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in a patient, the appliance comprising: a securing device configured to be removably affixed to the patient's jaw; and a biasing member which is insertable behind the soft palate and/or the base of the patient's tongue, thereby providing for the flow of air in the nasopharyngeal airway; wherein the securing device is connected to the biasing member to allow insertion and/or removal of the biasing member from the nasopharyngeal airway.

An implant for treating obstructive sleep apnea includes a flexible chamber, a fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the flexible chamber, and a fluid transfer assembly in communication with the fluid reservoir and the flexible chamber for transferring fluid therebetween for selectively modifying the rigidity of the flexible chamber. The flexible chamber is implantable within the soft tissue of an oropharyngeal airway of a patient, such as within the tongue, the soft palate, or the pharyngeal wall. The fluid reservoir and the fluid transfer assembly are implantable within the inframandibular region of the patient. The fluid transfer assembly is selectively engageable by the patient for transferring fluid between the two chambers for modifying the rigidity, flexibility, and/or shape of the flexible chamber with minimal or no change to the volume of the implant.

Systems and methods include magnetic structures for placement in or on tissues in an airway. The magnetic structures carry sources of magnetism, which generate magnetic fields having directions. The magnetic fields interact to provide magnetic forces that provide a desired therapeutic effect, e.g., maintaining separation between the soft palate and/or tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall. The systems and methods size and configure the directions of the magnetic fields to provide stability, which makes possible the achievement of the desired therapeutic effect in a straightforward and elegant manner.

Laser for thermal shrinkage of soft tissue of uvula, soft palate, nasal turbinate or tongue base for the treatment of snoring, nasal obstruction or sleep apnea are disclosed. The preferred laser includes infrared laser about 0.7 to 1.85 micron, pulse duration about 100 microsecond to 5 seconds, spot size of about 2 to 5 mm and power of about 2 to 20 W at the treated area. The laser energy is delivered to the treated area by an optical fiber and a hand piece to cause a localized temperature about 65 to 85 degree Celsius for sufficient shrinkage of the treated soft tissues. Optical fiber bundles to produce high-power diode laser output or multi-wavelength are also disclosed.

A method of treating a soft palate in a patient to treat sleep apnea, snoring or both may involve advancing a treatment element of a treatment device through the patient's mouth, contacting a tissue-contact surface of the treatment element with the soft palate, delivering energy to the soft palate via one or more energy delivery members on the tissue-contact surface, and removing the treatment element from the mouth.

An anti-snoring piercing in the form of specially designed thin mesh-like symmetric structure resembling a pair of wings connected symmetrically by means of a middle bar-like bridge. A middle bar-like bridge is mounted under the uvula while the two symmetric wing parts are placed over the soft palate and pierced on the soft palate in the mouth to provide stiffness to uvula-soft palate assembly and thus prevent snoring. A stiffening member is attached to the uvula by means of at least one piercing post with a backing or with an adhesive. Each of these embodiments stiffens the uvula and prevents snoring.

A anti-snoring and anti-obstructive sleep apnea apparatus has a plate or metal frame tongue shelf splint to prevent the flaccid tongue falling back, a palate shelf splint projection to elevate the soft palate and prevents its vibration, incisors teeth receptacles or pockets sockets for jaw displacer to hold the mandible moved forwards, and to prevent it falling back held between the bite block, catheter-tubing to administer oxygen supplementation from the external source which reduces air turbulence and promotes nasal breathing, a submental suprahyoid muscle stimulator placed below the tongue, and above the mucous membrane. An injection port is provided to administer any therapeutic agents and local anesthetics to reduce the sensitivity of the tongue and oral cavity mucus membrane lining to the foreign objects. This device is used to deliver therapeutic agents to prevent and to treat halitosis and various diseases.

Isometric muscle manipulation results in a reduction in breathing airway restriction and the incidence and magnitude of sleep apnea and snoring. The method comprises exercises including, raising the tip of the tongue upward and backward in the mouth to touch the area between the hard palate and the soft palate of the mouth and then pressing the tongue upwardly, raising the flat tongue upward pressing it against the hard palate, placing the jaw in a slightly open attitude and pressing the tongue against the floor of the mouth, expanding the nasal and oral pharynx, and placing the jaw in the closed attitude and then protruding the jaw to a forward position.

A self-retaining suture having particular application for treating obstructive sleep apnea and use thereof. The suture includes rising an elongated suture body having a periphery and first and second tissue-penetrating ends each with a bi-curve needle, and a plurality of first retainers on a first segment and oriented to the first end, and a plurality of second retainers a second segment and oriented to the second end, and a retainer-free transition segment disposed between the pluralities of first and second retainers.