Apparatus and method for expanding the thorax
AssigneeSpiration, Inc.
InventorHugo X. Gonzalez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device and method treats pulmonary disease of a patient by expanding the thorax of the patient. Following surgical sternotomy, a separator is implanted in the thorax between the facing sternum surfaces resulting from the surgical sternotomy. The separator has a longitudinal dimension with opposing sidewalls extending along the longitudinal dimension and a width dimension. The facing surfaces of the sternum are engaged with the opposing sidewalls of the separator. Thereafter, the sternum is fixed to the separator for maintaining the sternum in engagement with the opposing sidewalls of the separator and thus maintaining the expanding condition of the thorax.
Claims23
A device for treating pulmonary disease comprising:
- means for expanding the thorax of a patient to an expanded condition;
- and
- means for maintaining the thorax in the expanded condition.
A device for treating pulmonary disease comprising:
- a separator implantable within a thorax that expands the thorax to an expanded condition;
- and
- at least one fastener that maintains the separator within the thorax and thereby maintains the expanded condition of the thorax.
An implantable assembly for maintaining a thorax in an expanded condition following surgical sternotomy, the assembly including a separator having opposed sidewalls for engaging facing exposed surfaces of a sternum resulting from the surgical sternotomy, the separator having a longitudinal dimension with the opposed sidewalls extending along the longitudinal dimension, and a width dimension, transverse to the longitudinal dimension, separating the opposed sidewalls of the separator and the facing surfaces of the sternum for increasing the volume of and maintaining the thorax in an expanded condition.
A method of treating a patient having pulmonary disease, the method including the steps of:
- expanding the thorax of the patient to an expanded condition;
- and
- maintaining the thorax in the expanded condition.
A method of treating a patient having pulmonary disease, the method including the steps of:
- implanting a separator within the thorax of the patient to expand the thorax to an expanded condition;
- and
- fastening the separator within the thorax to maintain the expanded condition of the thorax.
A method of expanding a thorax and maintaining the thorax in an expanded condition, the method including the steps of:
- performing a surgical sternotomy on the sternum of the thorax to form exposed facing sternum surfaces along the midline of the sternum;
- separating the sternum sidewalls;
- providing a separator having a longitudinal dimension, opposing sidewalls extending along the longitudinal dimension, and a width dimension transverse to the longitudinal dimension;
- positioning the separator between the exposed sternum surfaces;
- engaging the exposed surfaces of the sternum with the opposing sidewalls of the separator;
- and
- fixing the sternum to the separator for maintaining the facing surfaces of the sternum in engagement with the opposing sidewalls of the separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.