Lung reduction apparatus and method
AssigneeSpiration, Inc.
InventorsClifton A. Alferness, Richard Y. Lin, Wilfred E. Jaeger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method reduces the size of a lung. The apparatus includes a jacket of flexible fabric configured to cover at least a portion of the lung. A lace, carried by the jacket, collapses the jacket about the lung portion. The jacket may further include a drawstring circumscribing the jacket at the base for closing the open base of the jacket about the lung portion. The collapsing of the jacket may be employed for both reducing the size of the lung and maintaining the lung in a reduced size condition or the lung portion may be deflated prior to the placement of the jacket over the lung portion, in which case, the jacket serves to prevent re-expansion of the lung portion.
Claims18
An implantable apparatus for reducing the size of a lung comprising:
- a jacket of flexible fabric configured to be implanted and to cover only a portion of a lung;
- and
- collapsing means for collapsing the jacket about the lung portion to collapse the lung portion.
An implantable apparatus for reducing the size of a lung comprising:
- a jacket of flexible fabric configured to be implanted and to cover at least a portion of a lung;
- and
- collapsing means for collapsing the jacket about the lung portion, the jacket including an opening for applying the jacket to the lung portion, and a base defining the opening and being dimensioned to be applied over and to cover the lung portion to be reduced in size.
A method of reducing the size of a lung, the method including the steps of:
- disposing a jacket of flexible fabric over only a portion of a lung;
- and
- collapsing the jacket about the lung portion to collapse the lung portion.
A method of reducing the size of a lung, the method including the steps of:
- disposing a jacket of flexible fabric over at least a portion of a lung;
- providing the jacket with a closed end and an opening to permit disposing the jacket over the lung portion;
- and
- collapsing the jacket about the lung portion to collapse the lung portion, wherein the collapsing step includes lacing a cord on the jacket from the closed end towards the opening, the cord when laced having a pair of free ends, and pulling on the free ends of the cord to cause the jacket to collapse about the lung portion.
A method of reducing the size of a lung, the method including the steps of:
- disposing a jacket of flexible fabric over at least a portion of a lung;
- providing the jacket with a closed end and an opening to permit disposing the jacket over the lung portion;
- and
- collapsing the jacket about the lung portion to collapse the lung portion, wherein the collapsing step includes circumscribing the opening with a cord, the cord having a pair of free ends, and pulling on the free ends of the cord to collapse the opening of the jacket about the lung portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.