Intragastrointestinal Prosthesis for Weight Loss

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current surgical interventions for morbid obesity, such as gastric bypass, come with significant complications and risks, including metabolic/nutritional deficiencies and adhesion formation, highlighting the need for minimally invasive weight loss solutions that effectively reduce food intake and malabsorption.

Innovation Solution

Intragastrointestinal devices or prostheses with flanged, adjustable, and expandable components are placed within the gastrointestinal tract to restrict food intake and limit absorption by partitioning the stomach or intestinal lumen, utilizing restrictive and malabsorptive elements to regulate food flow and absorption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional gastric bypass surgery is performed, then weight loss effectiveness is improved, but complication risk and morbidity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweight loss effectivenessVSAvoidcomplication risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The gastrointestinal tract is segmented into distinct functional zones using the prosthesis, which divides the stomach or intestinal lumen into separate compartments. This segmentation allows for restrictive and malabsorptive functions to be achieved through structural division rather than extensive surgical resection, reducing surgical trauma and complications while maintaining weight loss effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The intragastrointestinal prosthesis serves as an intermediary device that achieves the weight loss effects of gastric bypass without requiring the creation of a permanent anatomical bypass. The removable and adjustable nature of the prosthesis provides a middle ground between conservative dietary management and aggressive surgical intervention, reducing long-term morbidity while achieving comparable weight loss outcomes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If gastric bypass surgery is performed, then food intake restriction is improved, but nutritional deficiency risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood intake restrictionVSAvoidnutritional deficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The prosthesis incorporates adjustable components that allow dynamic modification of the restrictive aperture size and positioning. This adjustability enables optimization of food intake restriction while maintaining adequate passage for nutrient absorption, unlike the fixed anatomical changes of gastric bypass that permanently increase nutritional deficiency risk

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The prosthesis allows for parameter changes in terms of aperture size, position, and restriction level, enabling customization to balance food intake control with nutrient absorption requirements. This flexibility prevents the fixed parameter constraints of surgical bypass that lead to inevitable nutritional deficiencies

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If minimally invasive approach is used, then complication risk is reduced, but weight loss effectiveness may decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplication riskVSAvoidweight loss effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The prosthesis replaces the mechanical surgical creation of gastric pouches and anastomoses with a deployable intraluminal device that achieves similar restrictive and malabsorptive effects. This substitution of surgical mechanics with intraluminal device mechanics reduces surgical trauma and complications while maintaining weight loss effectiveness through comparable physiological mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS8038720B2Methods and devices for intragastrointestinal prostheses

Publication Date: 2011.10.18 WALLACE JEFFREY M

AI summary

An intragastric and/or intragastrointestinal device may include a prosthesis, which may reside within the gastrointestinal tract lumen. The device may include a restrictive element that constricts or restricts the gastrointestinal tract lumen, limiting the amount of food and/or fluid an individual consumes.