Implantable weight control device

A weight control device that is implantable with an endoscope and that is configured to form a gastric outlet obstruction in a patient's digestive tract, the weight control device consisting essentially of:

• an inflatable body having a first inflatable bulb configured to engage the inner surface of the patient's pyloric antrum, a second inflatable bulb with a circumference less than a circumference of the first bulb, and an intermediate portion that is between the first and second bulbs and is adapted to reside within and seal the patient's pyloric valve between the stomach and duodenum when the device is implanted, wherein each of the first bulb and second bulb are integral with the intermediate portion to provide the inflatable body with a seamless, uninterrupted configuration, wherein all of the first bulb, the second bulb and the intermediate portion are formed from one material, and wherein the entire intermediate portion has a rigidity that is greater than a rigidity of both the first and second bulbs;
• an internal valve assembly extending inward from an opening formed in the outermost surface of the inflatable body, wherein the internal valve assembly consists of an internal stem that extends inward from the opening in the outermost body surface to an internal valve body that delivers an inflation fluid to the first bulb, wherein the valve assembly and the inflatable body lack an external component that obstructs the internal stem of the internal valve assembly;
• the inflatable body further having at least one internal passageway extending through the first and second bulbs without extending beyond an end wall of the first and second bulbs;
• and,
• wherein the at least one internal passageway is configured to pass chyme from the patient's stomach to the patient's duodenum.

An endoscopically implantable weight control device configured to form a gastric outlet obstruction in a patient's digestive tract, the weight control device consisting essentially of:

• an inflatable body having a first inflatable bulb configured to engage the inner surface of the patient's pyloric antrum, a second inflatable bulb, and an intermediate portion that is between the first and second bulbs and is adapted to reside within and seal the patient's pyloric valve between the stomach and duodenum, wherein all of the first and second bulbs and the intermediate portion are integral and formed from one material;
• the inflatable body further having at least one internal central passageway extending between an end wall of the first bulb through the intermediate portion and to an end wall of the second bulb, wherein the at least one internal central passageway does not extend beyond either said end wall, and wherein the at least one internal central passageway receives and allows for the passage of chyme from the stomach to the duodenum;
• and,
• an internal valve assembly consisting of a stem and an internal valve, the stem extending inward from an off-center opening formed in an outermost surface of the inflatable body, wherein the valve assembly lacks an external component, and wherein the arrangement of the valve assembly provides a smooth interface between the valve assembly and the outermost surface of the body.