Magnetic Stomach Tissue Manipulation for GERD Flap Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are invasive and fail to fully restore the normal anatomical anatomy of the gastroesophageal junction, often involving esophageal tissue and posing risks of complications such as fistulas, and existing transoral endoscopic procedures lack precision in gripping and shaping stomach tissue to create a functional flap valve.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for restoring the gastroesophageal flap valve by inflating the stomach, gripping tissue displaced from the esophageal opening, pulling it into a mold, and deploying fasteners through the molded tissue to create a functional flap valve, while avoiding esophageal tissue involvement and ensuring precise anatomical restoration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current surgical procedures are used to treat GERD, then the treatment can be performed, but the procedures are invasive and fail to fully restore normal anatomical anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical surgical instruments with a magnetic field-based system. Magnets are implanted in the stomach wall and controlled externally using a magnetic field generator, eliminating the need for invasive surgical manipulation and allowing precise tissue manipulation through non-contact magnetic forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces magnets as intermediary elements between the external controller and the stomach tissue. These magnets serve as mediators that transmit control signals from the external magnetic field generator to the stomach wall, enabling precise manipulation of tissue without direct mechanical contact or invasive instrumentation.
2Measurement precision
If existing transoral endoscopic procedures are used, then the procedure is less invasive, but there is a lack of precision in gripping and shaping stomach tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical gripping and shaping instruments with a magnetic field-based control system. The external magnetic field generator can precisely manipulate implanted magnets to grip, fold, and shape stomach tissue with high precision, eliminating the limitations of mechanical endoscopic instruments while maintaining procedural simplicity through remote control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from mechanical force to magnetic field strength and orientation. By varying the magnetic field parameters externally, the system can precisely control the position, orientation, and shape of implanted magnets, thereby achieving precise tissue manipulation without complex mechanical operations.
3Reliability
If traditional surgical methods are used, then tissue can be manipulated, but there is a risk of involving esophageal tissue and causing complications such as fistulas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnets implanted in the stomach wall as intermediaries that allow external control of tissue manipulation. This eliminates the need for direct surgical contact with potentially vulnerable esophageal tissue, reducing the risk of complications such as fistulas while maintaining the ability to effectively manipulate stomach tissue for GERD treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical surgical manipulation with remote magnetic field control. This substitution allows tissue to be manipulated from outside the body, eliminating the risk of accidental injury to esophageal tissue that can occur with direct surgical instrumentation, thereby improving procedure safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Stomach tissue is manipulated to form, for example, a restored flap of a gastroesophageal flap valve. The manipulation includes gripping stomach tissue from within the stomach while the stomach is inflated to promote visualization and stabilization of the gripped stomach tissue. Once the stomach tissue is gripped, the stomach is deflated and pulled into a mold. The molded tissue is then fastened with at least one fastener. The stomach is inflated to a first pressure during visualization and then to a second higher pressure during the stomach tissue gripping.