Bariatric Device with Dynamic Sphincter for Satiety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current obesity treatment methods, such as gastric bypass surgery, are invasive and often lead to gradual weight gain due to enlarged openings and require dietary restrictions, while alternative devices may be difficult to place and have questionable efficacy with undesirable side effects.
Innovation Solution
A bariatric device with a self-extendable or expandable wall that conforms to the stomach's shape, exerting pressure to simulate fullness through neurohormonal feedback mechanisms, allowing for non-invasive or minimally invasive placement and removable or absorbable design, avoiding restrictive or malabsorptive techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gastric bypass surgery is performed to reduce stomach volume, then satiety is improved, but the opening from the pouch becomes enlarged over time causing weight gain
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a dynamic sphincter mechanism that automatically adjusts the opening size at the pouch outlet. The sphincter contracts in response to neural signals during meals to allow food passage, then maintains a restricted state between meals to preserve satiety, preventing the progressive enlargement that occurs with static surgical pouches
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates neural feedback mechanisms where stretch receptors in the pouch wall detect distension and send signals to the sphincter to coordinate opening and closing. This feedback loop ensures the pouch opening remains controlled and responsive to actual gastric fullness, preventing the opening from becoming permanently enlarged
2Reliability
If gastric bypass surgery creates a restrictive pouch, then satiety is improved, but dietary restrictions are required to avoid washing food from the pouch
Solution Approach 1:
The sphincter mechanism dynamically opens during meals to allow normal food and liquid passage, then closes between meals. This dynamic control eliminates the need for patients to restrict liquids or chew food extensively, as the sphincter naturally regulates passage based on meal timing and gastric fullness
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs the regulatory function automatically through neural-reflex mechanisms without requiring patient intervention or behavioral modification. The stretch receptors and sphincter work together to self-regulate food passage, eliminating the need for dietary restrictions while maintaining satiety
3Reliability
If a bariatric device is placed to induce satiety, then weight loss is achieved, but the device may be difficult to place and cause side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components including the pouch, sphincter mechanism, and fixation elements. This segmentation allows for modular implantation where components can be placed separately through minimally invasive approaches, reducing surgical complexity and side effects compared to monolithic devices
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes the body's existing neural and muscular structures as intermediaries to achieve satiety induction. By interfacing with the vagus nerve and local stretch receptors rather than requiring complex electronic sensors or actuators, the device simplifies implantation and reduces the risk of device-related complications
Data Source
AI summary
A bariatric device and method of causing at least partial satiety in a recipient includes positioning a body in a recipient, the body having a wall defining a lumen, the wall configured to generally conform to the shape and size of the proximal cardiac portion of the stomach. Force is exerted with the wall on the proximal cardiac portion of the stomach in the absence of food thereby activating receptors located in the proximal cardiac portion of the stomach, thereby influencing a neurohormonal feedback mechanism of the recipient to cause at least partial satiety by augmenting fullness caused by food and simulating fullness in the absence of food.