Artificial Stomach Reservoir for Controlled Food Intake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients who have undergone total gastrectomy due to stomach cancer face significant challenges in maintaining a natural eating process, leading to reduced quality of life, weight management issues, and increased risk of suicide, as existing solutions like xenotransplantation and nutrition drips are impractical or ineffective.
Innovation Solution
An artificial stomach implant comprising a food reservoir, inlet, and outlet connected to the gastrointestinal tract, with regulatory mechanisms such as servo and hydraulic systems to manage food intake and digestion, mimicking natural stomach functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the whole stomach is surgically removed to treat stomach cancer, then the patient's life is saved, but the patient's quality of life is dramatically reduced and weight management becomes extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the stomach's essential functions using an artificial reservoir that mimics the stomach's food storage and gradual emptying capabilities. The reservoir is connected to the esophagus and intestine, reproducing the natural digestive pathway without requiring the actual stomach organ.
Solution Approach 2:
The artificial stomach system segments the digestive function into distinct components: an esophageal connection, a reservoir for food storage, a pyloric sphincter mechanism for controlled emptying, and an intestinal connection. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together to restore natural digestion.
2Ease of manufacture
If the esophagus is connected directly to the intestine without a reservoir, then the surgical procedure is simpler, but the patient cannot maintain weight and experiences severe digestive problems
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is pre-filled with food before intestinal emptying occurs. This preliminary storage action allows the patient to eat normally and have food stored in the reservoir, which then gradually empties into the intestine over time, preventing the rapid passage that causes weight loss in direct connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The pyloric sphincter mechanism dynamically controls the emptying rate of the reservoir into the intestine, adjusting the flow of food to match physiological requirements. This dynamic regulation ensures proper digestion and nutrient absorption while maintaining natural digestive rhythms.
3Ease of manufacture
If the cardia muscle is removed during Roux-en-Y operation, then the surgical connection is achieved, but reflux problems occur and the eating process becomes unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the valve function from the removed cardia muscle and implements it as a separate pyloric sphincter mechanism at the outlet of the reservoir. This extracted valve component provides reflux prevention without requiring the original cardia structure, allowing the surgical connection to be achieved while maintaining protective functions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If xenotransplantation is used to replace the stomach, then a functional stomach may be provided, but immune rejection effects are serious and the method is not usable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a non-biological reservoir as an intermediary structure that performs stomach functions without being subject to immune rejection. This intermediary device bridges the esophagus and intestine while avoiding the immunological compatibility issues that plague xenotransplantation approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial stomach for replacing the normal stomach of a patient comprises a food reservoir adapted to collect food, an inlet connected to a first opening of the food reservoir and further being adapted to upstream connect to the patient's gastrointestinal tract, and an outlet connected to a second opening of the food reservoir and further being adapted to downstream connect to the patient's gastrointestinal tract.