Immobilizing objects in the body
AssigneeSciMed Life Systems, Inc.
InventorsRonald Sahatjian, Sheng Ping Zhong, James Wagner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Stabilizing an object in the body of a patient involves the injection of a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) material in a flowable form into the body of the patient so that the material contacts the object. The LCST material then forms a gel in the body due to a temperature inside the body such that the object is contained at least partially within the gel and thereby stabilized by the gel such that the object can then be easily fragmented within the body and/or retrieved from the body.
Claims34
A method of stabilizing an object in the body of a patient, comprising:
- injecting a lower critical solution temperature material in a flowable form into the body of the patient to contact the object;
- and
- allowing the lower critical solution temperature material to form a gel in the body due to a temperature inside the body such that the object is contained at least partially within the gel and thereby stabilized by the gel.
A system for stabilizing an object in the body of a patient, comprising:
- a lower critical solution temperature material which remains in a flowable form below about a temperature inside the body of the patient and which forms a gel about at and above the temperature inside the body of the patient;
- a catheter for transferring the lower critical solution temperature material into the body in the flowable form;
- a guide wire for introducing the catheter into the body and guiding it to about the location of the object;
- and
- a mechanism to force the lower critical solution temperature material in the flowable form through the catheter and into the body to contact the object such that the lower critical solution temperature material gels in the body due to the temperature inside the body and contains at least a portion of the object within the gel to stabilize the object with the gel.
A system for stabilizing an object in the body of a patient, comprising:
- a lower critical solution temperature material which remains in a flowable form below about a temperature inside the body of the patient and which forms a gel about at and above the temperature inside the body of the patient;
- a percutaneous access device for transferring the lower critical solution temperature material into the body in the flowable form;
- and
- a mechanism to force the lower critical solution temperature material in the flowable form through the percutaneous access device and into the body to contact the object such that the lower critical solution temperature material gels in the body due to the temperature inside the body and contains at least a portion of the object within the gel to stabilize the object with the gel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.