36 results about "Pharyngeal wall" patented technology

Methods and devices are disclosed for manipulating the hyoid bone, such as to treat obstructive sleep apnea. A conformable implant is positioned adjacent a hyoid bone. The spatial orientation of the hyoid bone is manipulated, to affect the configuration of the airway. The implant restrains the hyoid bone in the manipulated configuration. The implant is positioned adjacent to pharyngeal structures to dilate the pharyngeal airway and / or to support the pharyngeal wall against collapse. The implant may be attached to the hyoid bone using a clamp delivery tool that is adapted to releasably engage the implant.

Methods and devices are disclosed for manipulating the hyoid bone, such as to treat obstructive sleep apnea. An implant is positioned adjacent a hyoid bone. The spatial orientation of the hyoid bone is manipulated, to affect the configuration of the airway. The implant restrains the hyoid bone in the manipulated configuration. The implant is positioned adjacent to pharyngeal structures to dilate the pharyngeal airway and / or to support the pharyngeal wall against collapse.

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 patient's obstructive sleep apnea is treated by identifying a patient with sleep apnea attributable at least in part to movement of a base of a tongue of said patient toward a pharyngeal wall of said patient. The method includes identifying a region in the tongue extending from a mandibular-geniohyoid interface to the base of the tongue and stiffening a tissue of the tongue throughout the identified region.

A pharyngeal airway having a pharyngeal wall of a patient at least partially surrounding and defining the airway is treated by selecting an implant dimensioned so as to be implanted at or beneath a mucosal layer of the pharyngeal wall and extending transverse to said wall. The implant has mechanical characteristics for the implant, at least in combination with a fibrotic tissue response induced by the implant, to stiffen said pharyngeal wall to resist radial collapse. The implant is implanted into the pharyngeal wall transverse to a longitudinal axis of the airway.

A patient's obstructive sleep apnea is treated by identifying a patient with sleep apnea attributable at least in part to movement of a base of a tongue of the patient toward a pharyngeal wall of the patient. The tongue is stiffened by an implant sized to be placed within the tongue. A distal portion of the implant is sized to extend within the tongue from a first end near a mandibular-geniohyoid interface to a second end near a base of the tongue. A proximal portion is attached to the first end and adapted to be secured to a jaw bone of the patient following a period of healing after placement of the implant in the tongue.

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.

An auxiliary airway for treating obstructive sleep apnea is formed by implanting an elongated conduit beneath a pharyngeal wall of a pharynx. The elongated conduit has a proximal end in communication with a first region of the pharynx, a distal end in communication with a second region of the pharynx, and a section extending beneath the pharyngeal wall for bypassing an oropharynx region of the pharynx. The system includes a first opening in the pharyngeal wall in communication with a first opening in the elongated conduit, and a second opening in the pharyngeal wall in communication with a second opening in the elongated conduit. The system has a first anastomotic connector for coupling the first opening in the pharyngeal wall with the first opening in the conduit, and a second anastomotic connector for coupling the second opening in the pharyngeal wall with the second opening in the conduit.

A pharyngeal retractor device and implantation methods are provided for use in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The device includes a retracting element and a tissue engaging element that promotes tissue ingrowth around or onto the retracting element. The device is implanted in tissue space beneath the pharyngeal wall to alter the shape of the wall. The device may be implanted through the oral cavity alone or by using a trocar or a hand-held delivery system to deliver the device through the pharyngeal wall. Alternatively, the device may be implanted using an open, direct visualization approach from the side of a patient's neck.

Magnetic structures develop a magnetic force between a tongue and a posterior pharyngeal wall to stabilize an orientation of the tongue. The magnetic structures include magnetic materials that are sized, configured, and arranged on at least one of the first and second magnetic structures, to maintain a substantially mutually repelling orientation between the first and second magnetic structures during a native range of movement of the tongue relative to the pharyngeal wall, i.e., during swallowing and / or drinking / and or speech.

A system for treating obstructive sleep apnea includes a first element implantable in a tongue and a second element implantable between muscle planes of an inframandibular region. The second element has a first end coupled with the first element and a second end coupled with a hyoid bone for preventing the base of the tongue from collapsing against an opposing pharyngeal wall during sleep. The first and second implantable elements have outer surfaces that are substantially impermeable to tissue in-growth to allow for post-surgical adjustment or removal, if necessary. The first implantable element is elongated and includes a first end, a second end, and a center section located between the first and second ends. The center section is implantable in the tongue, and the first and second ends of the first implantable element are advanceable beneath the tongue for being coupled with the anterior end of the second implantable element.

Magnetic devices and implantation methods are provided for use in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The devices include a sheet-like element having ferromagnetic qualities. The device may also include a permanent magnet attached to the sheet-like element by magnetic forces. The devices are implanted in soft tissue surrounding the airway and in tissue space beneath the pharyngeal wall to exert forces on and / or change the shape of the soft tissue. The magnetic devices may also include a bladder containing a magnetorheological fluid that stiffens soft tissue when exposed to a magnetic field.

A pharyngeal airway having a pharyngeal wall of a patient at least partially surrounding and defining the airway is treated by selecting an implant dimensioned so as to be implanted at or beneath a mucosal layer of the pharyngeal wall and extending transverse to said wall. The implant has mechanical characteristics for the implant, at least in combination with a fibrotic tissue response induced by the implant, to stiffen said pharyngeal wall to resist radial collapse. The implant is implanted into the pharyngeal wall transverse to a longitudinal axis of the airway.

An apparatus and method for treating sleep apnea and / or snoring is provided. The apparatus includes an appliance sized and structured to be placed in the pharyngeal region of a human or animal and being effective in treating sleep apnea and / or snoring, for example in maintaining openness of an oropharyngeal region of a human or animal during natural sleep, advantageously while not interfering with normal functioning of the epiglottis. The appliance may be made of a super elastic material, for example, Nitinol, and may be submucossally implanted in the pharyngeal walls.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) may be caused by a collapse of the pharyngeal wall as a result of increasing negative airway pressure. This invention is directed to systems and methods to resist collapse of the pharyngeal wall by minimally invasive upper pharyngeal airway surgery.

The invention relates to a device (1) for treating snoring sounds, interruptions in breathing and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and for diagnosing and treating obstructions and vibrations in the pharyngeal region, with the device (1) being used intra-orally. The device (1) is comprised of at least one oral transverse (2a, 2b) and of means (3) which are placed at the rear end of the oral transverse (2a, 2b) for stabilizing the velum; the means (3) can be individually adapted to the patient's anatomy; during intra-oral use of the device (1), the velum is held at a distance from the pharyngeal wall and the connective tissue in the upper pharynx behind the velum is stabilized in order to prevent obstructions. Different means can advantageously complement the device and serve as holding device for sensors for examining and treatment purposes. The invention also relates to a method for adapting a device (1) according to one of the cited claims to the velum of a patient and to a method for recording measured values.

Magnetic structures develop a magnetic force between a tongue and a posterior pharyngeal wall to stabilize an orientation of the tongue. The magnetic structures include magnetic materials that are sized, configured, and arranged on at least one of the first and second magnetic structures, to maintain a substantially mutually repelling orientation between the first and second magnetic structures during a native range of movement of the tongue relative to the pharyngeal wall, i.e., during swallowing and / or drinking / and or speech.

Methods and devices are disclosed for manipulating the hyoid bone, such as to treat obstructive sleep apnea. An implant is positioned adjacent a hyoid bone. The spatial orientation of the hyoid bone is manipulated, to affect the configuration of the airway. The implant restrains the hyoid bone in the manipulated configuration. The implant is positioned adjacent to pharyngeal structures to dilate the pharyngeal airway and / or to support the pharyngeal wall against collapse.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods, systems and probe devices for detecting EMG activity. In some embodiments, such methods, systems and devices are used in aiding the diagnosis of Obstruction Sleep Apnea (OSA). In some embodiments, a probe is provided and comprises an elongated member configured with a size and shape for placement adjacent at least one of the soft palate and pharyngeal wall of the patient after insertion of the probe into the patient. The probe may also include at least one sensor configured to sense at least EMG activity of muscle layers of at least one of the soft palate and pharyngeal wall and output sensor signals corresponding thereto. The signals may be monitored for EMG activity, and based on such activity, in some embodiments, a determination of whether the sensor signals of the detected EMG activity correspond to spontaneous EMG activity and / or abnormal motor unit potentials (MUPs).

An implant for treating medical disorders includes a first chamber having a flexible outer layer that surrounds a flexible inner layer, a second chamber in communication with the first chamber, and a fluid transfer assembly adapted for transferring fluid between the second chamber and the first chamber for selectively modifying the rigidity of the first chamber. The implant includes at least one restraining element in contact with the flexible outer and inner layers for at least partially restricting volume expansion of the first chamber as the fluid is transferred into the first chamber. The first chamber is adapted to become more rigid as the fluid is transferred into the first chamber and more flexible as the fluid is removed from the first chamber. The first chamber is implantable within the soft tissue of a patient such as a tongue, soft palate, pharyngeal wall, urinary tract, rectum, trachea, or stomach.

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.

The invention discloses a tracheal intubation method for a mouse, and belongs to the field of tracheal intubation. The method comprises the steps: the neck of the mouse leans backwards for 45 degreeswith the head end located on an operation table; two sides of the operation table are each provided with a groove wound with a rubber band; the rubber bands are used for pulling upper incisors of themouse; the operation table is connected with a middle vertical plate; supporting frames are installed at two ends of the upper portion of the middle vertical plate; rubber ropes are wound around two sides of each supporting frame; the rubber ropes pull lower incisors of the mouse to open upper and lower jaw joints of the mouse; and cold light source is used for irradiating a position 0.5-1cm awayfrom the neck of the mouse; the tongue of the mouse is pulled out towards the left side; and bent tweezers a and bent tweezers b prop up the pharyngeal wall of the mouse to complete exposure of the glottis of the mouse. The invention provides the trachea intubation method that a special laryngoscope for rodents including mice and the like is not needed, the glottis is exposed more sufficiently, the intubation operation space is larger, and the success rate is higher.

The invention relates to an oropharynx swab and nasopharynx swab nucleic acid sampling training model. The bottom of a shoulder die body in the training model is a plane, the lower end of a head and neck die body is hinged to the upper end of the shoulder die body through a head leaning-back rotating mechanism, and the head leaning-back rotating mechanism is electrically connected with a power source through a remote control switch; a first sensor is arranged on the rear pharyngeal wall in the simulated oral cavity of the head and neck die body; a second sensor is arranged on each of tonsils on two sides of the oropharynx part, and the first sensor and the second sensors are electrically connected with the indicating unit respectively; a third sensor is arranged at the nasal palate position in the simulated nasal meatus of the head and neck die body, and the third sensor is electrically connected with the indicating unit; and a mounting cavity is formed in the head and neck die body, and the indicating units and the power source are both arranged in the mounting cavity. The invention also relates to an oropharynx swab and nasopharynx swab nucleic acid sampling training method. The sampling ability and quality of operators can be trained and improved, nucleic acid collection examination is carried out on the operators, and the operation specifications of the operators are ensured.