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US 2016/0100970 A1Published application
Ultrasonic systems and methods for locating and/or characterizing intragastric devices
AssigneeObalon Therapeutics, Inc.
InventorsMark C. Brister, Neil R. Drake, Sheldon Nelson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Devices and methods for treating obesity are provided. More particularly, intragastric devices and methods of fabricating, deploying, inflating, locating, tracking, monitoring, deflating, and retrieving the same are provided.
Claims13
An intragastric balloon configured to have a useful life in an in vivo gastric environment of at least 30 days, comprising:
- a component configured for detection by an ultrasonic detector;
- a polymeric wall configured to have, under conditions of an in vivo gastric environment, a permeability to CO2 of more than 10 cc/m2/day, such that a rate and an amount of diffusion of CO2 from the in vivo gastric environment into a lumen of the intragastric balloon through the polymeric wall is controlled, at least in part, by a concentration of CO2 and a concentration of a gas selected from the group consisting of N2, SF6, C2F6, C3F8, C4F10, C4F8, C3F6, CF4, CClF2—CF3, and mixtures thereof in an initial fill gas, wherein the concentration of CO2 in the initial fill gas is characteristic of gastric pCO2;
- and
- a valve system configured for introducing the initial fill gas into the lumen of the intragastric balloon in the in vivo gastric environment.
1 more element
A method for positioning an intragastric balloon, comprising:
- introducing into a patient, via swallowing, an intragastric balloon comprising a component configured for detection by an ultrasonic detector, wherein the intragastric balloon is in a compacted, solid form;
- confirming, by sensing resonant frequencies associated with the intragastric balloon in a compacted, solid form, a location of the intragastric balloon, wherein the location is the patient's stomach;
- thereafter
- introducing an initial fill gas into a lumen of the intragastric balloon, wherein the initial fill gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of N2, SF6, C2F6, C3F8, C4F10, C4F8, C3F6, CF4, CClF2—CF3, and mixtures thereof;
- and
- exposing the intragastric balloon to the in vivo intragastric environment for a useful life of at least 30 days, wherein the intragastric balloon maintains a volume of 75% to 125% of its original nominal volume over the useful life.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.