Pyloric Valve Obstructing Device for Gastric Emptying Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for obesity, such as surgical procedures and medical devices, are often invasive, ineffective, or associated with high risks and side effects, failing to provide a safe and reversible solution for weight loss.
Innovation Solution
A device that expands in the stomach to partially or intermittently obstruct the pyloric valve, slowing gastric emptying and reducing food intake, is delivered through the esophagus or swallowed, and can be self-expanding, biodegradable, or removable, to provide weight loss without severe complications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If gastric bypass surgery is performed to treat obesity, then weight loss effectiveness is improved, but surgical risk and mortality rate increase to 1-2%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pyloric valve obstructing device as an intermediary mechanism between the stomach and small intestine. This device partially blocks the pyloric valve to slow gastric emptying, achieving weight loss through controlled food passage rather than complete bypass surgery, thereby reducing surgical risk while maintaining effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of complete gastric bypass, the patent applies partial obstruction at the pyloric valve. The device is designed to partially block the valve opening, allowing controlled passage of gastric contents. This partial action achieves sufficient weight loss effect while avoiding the extreme risks of complete bypass surgery
2Productivity
If constrictive bands are placed around the stomach to reduce gastric volume, then weight loss is achieved, but the procedure becomes highly invasive with significant recovery time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the obstruction function from complex surgical procedures and concentrates it in a single deployable device. The pyloric valve obstructing device can be delivered endoscopically and deployed in one location, eliminating the need for extensive surgical manipulation and reducing procedural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs a flexible, balloon-like structure that can be delivered through the esophagus in a compressed state and then expanded at the target site. This flexible design allows minimally invasive delivery while maintaining the ability to effectively obstruct the pyloric valve when deployed
3Productivity
If space-occupying balloons are placed in the stomach to induce fullness, then food intake is reduced, but the devices risk collapsing, passing through the stomach, and causing intestinal blockage
Solution Approach 1:
The device serves as an intermediary structure anchored at the pyloric valve rather than freely floating in the stomach. The positioning member extends through the pyloric valve to anchor the device, preventing it from passing into the intestine while maintaining its space-occupying function to induce fullness
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed with preliminary anchoring features including a positioning member that extends through the pyloric valve. This preliminary action of anchoring prevents the device from migrating or collapsing, ensuring it remains in place to effectively reduce food intake without causing intestinal blockage
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, devices and systems facilitate intermittent and/or partial obstruction of a pyloric valve. Devices generally include a support portion for preventing the device from passing through the pyloric valve and a tissue engagement portion for contacting tissue adjacent the pyloric valve to obstruct the valve. Some embodiments also include a positioning member extending from the tissue engagement portion for helping position the device for obstructing the valve. A retaining member may optionally be included on the distal end of the positioning member for further maintaining a position of the device in the stomach. Some embodiments are deliverable into the stomach through the esophagus, either by swallowing or through a delivery tube or catheter. Some embodiments are fully reversible. Some embodiments self-expand within the stomach, while others are inflated or otherwise expanded.