Immobilizing objects in the body
AssigneeSciMed Life Systems, Inc.
InventorsRonald Sahatjian, Arthur Madenjian, Bill Little
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 or other flowable material into the body of the patient so that the material contacts the object. The LCST material or other flowable material then forms a gel in 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.
Claims24
A method for stabilizing an object in a patient's body comprising:
- contacting a first material comprising a crosslinking polymer in a flowable form with a second material comprising a crosslinking agent to form a mixture;
- injecting the mixture into the body to contact the object before transformation of the mixture into gel form;
- and
- stabilizing the object by forming a gel that contacts the object in the patient's body.
A method of fragmenting an object in a patient's body comprising:
- contacting a first material in flowable form with a second material to form a mixture;
- injecting the mixture into the body before transformation of the mixture into gel form;
- stabilizing the object by forming a gel that contacts the object in the patient's body;
- and
- directing energy towards the object, the energy breaking the object into at least two fragments.
A method for stabilizing an object in a patient's body comprising:
- contacting a first material comprising a crosslinkable polymer in a flowable form with a second material comprising a crosslinking agent to form a mixture;
- injecting the mixture into the body to contact the object before transformation of the mixture into gel form;
- stabilizing the object by forming a gel that contacts the object in the patient's body;
- and
- administering a third material comprising a de-crosslinking agent into the patient's body to dissolve and facilitate removal of the gel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.