Braided implant for snoring treatment
AssigneeRestore Medical, Inc.
InventorsTimothy R. Conrad, Mark B. Knudson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for treating snoring of a patient includes providing an implant for altering a dynamic response of a soft palate of the patient to airflow past the soft palate. The implant is embedded in the soft palate to alter the dynamic response. The implant has multiple fibers braided along a length of the implant.
Claims10
A method for treating snoring of a patient, said method comprising:
- providing an implant for altering a dynamic response of a soft palate of the patient to air flow past said soft palate;
- implanting said implant into said soft palate to alter said dynamic response;
- said providing including selecting an implant formed of a braid of multiple fibers that provide stiffening to said palate resulting at least in part from a fibrotic response of a tissue of the soft palate to the material.
An apparatus for treating snoring of a patient suffering from snoring attributable, at in least in part, to a snoring sound generated by oscillation of a soft palate of said patient in response to airflow past said soft palate and where said soft palate has a characteristic dynamic response to said airflow prior to treatment, said apparatus comprising:
- an implant of bio-compatible material sized to be embedded within said soft palate;
- and
- said implant formed as a braid of multiple fibers that provide stiffening to said palate resulting at least in part from a fibrotic response of a tissue of the soft palate to the material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.