Systems, devices, and methods for minimally invasive pelvic surgery
View Patent ↗The invention, in various embodiments, provides systems, devices, and methods for treating urinary incontinence.
1. A sling assembly for treating urinary incontinence comprising
a pouch having proximal and distal ends;
a supportive sling at least partially enclosed by the pouch; and
a catheter having a lumen, the catheter being associated with the distal end of the pouch and projecting distally therefrom.
2. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch is flexible.
3. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch is clear or translucent.
4. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch has a flat, conical, or rolled conical shape.
5. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), vinyl, polyester, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), or a combination thereof.
6. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch includes a porous material.
7. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch includes through apertures exposing the sling.
8. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pouch is configured to slide off the sling.
9. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the pouch is tapered.
10. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling is only partially enclosed by the pouch.
11. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling is completely enclosed by the pouch.
12. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling is releasably engaged with the pouch and/or the catheter.
13. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling is not directly associated with the catheter.
14. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling includes one or more sutures extending bilaterally therefrom.
15. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sling is shorter in length than the pouch.
16. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the catheter includes a tapered distal end.
17. The sling assembly of claim 16 , wherein the distal end of the catheter is sized and shaped for dilating, tearing, or creating an opening in the tissues of a patient.
18. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the catheter is cylindrical in shape.
19. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the catheter is curved.
20. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lumen of the catheter extends the length of the catheter.
21. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the catheter is partially open.
22. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lumen of the catheter is sized and shaped for receiving a guide wire, suture, or needle therein.
23. A method for treating urinary incontinence in a patient comprising
providing a sling assembly having
a supportive sling;
a pouch having proximal and distal ends; and
a catheter having a lumen, and
inserting the catheter into the patient by dilating the tissues of the patient with a distal end of the catheter to deliver the sling to an anatomical location in the patient.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the pouch at least partially encloses the sling.
25. The method of claim 23 , wherein the anatomical location is adjacent a urethra.
26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the catheter is fixedly associated with the distal end of the pouch.
27. The sling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the catheter is fixedly associated with the distal end of the pouch.