Medical or veterinary digestive tract utilization systems and methods
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are described for implementing or deploying medical or veterinary utility modules (a) operable for mooring at least partly within a digestive tract, (b) small enough to pass through the tract per vias naturales and including a wireless-control component, (c) having one or more attachment protrusions positionable adjacent to a mucous membrane, (d) configured to facilitate redundant modes of attachment, (e) facilitating a “primary” material supply deployable within a stomach for an extended and/or controllable period, (f) moored by one or more adaptable extender modules supported by a subject's head or neck, and/or (g) configured to facilitate supporting at least a sensor within a subject's body lumen for up to a day or more.
1. A medical or veterinary system comprising:
a module body small enough for a subject to swallow;
an earlier-acting attachment feature operable for coupling the module body to a first portion of a mucous membrane, the earlier-acting attachment feature including at least:
one or more attachment elements including at least one of a piercing element, a gripping element, a magnetic-flux-guiding element, or an adhesive material;
a first delay-inducing element responsive to an apparent ingestion of the module body;
a first actuator operable for coupling the module body to the first portion of the mucous membrane at least partially using the one or more attachment elements; and
a later-acting attachment feature operable for coupling the module body to a second portion of the mucous membrane at least one minute after the earlier-acting attachment feature couples the module body to the first portion of the mucous membrane, the later-acting attachment feature including at least:
a second delay-inducing element that is slower than the first delay-inducing element by at least an hour; and
the later-acting attachment feature including at least a second actuator operable for injecting a polymer-containing binding agent into a binding location suitable for coupling the module body to the second portion of the mucous membrane responsive to the second delay-inducing element.
2. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the module body further comprises:
one or more sensors.
3. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the module body further comprises:
one or more anti-hyperglycemic-medication-containing reservoirs.
4. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the module body further comprises:
one or more appetite-suppressant-containing reservoirs.
5. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the module body further comprises:
at least some of the earlier-acting attachment feature.
6. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the earlier-acting attachment feature further comprises:
circuitry for invoking at least the first actuator operable for coupling the module body to the first portion of the mucous membrane responsive to an apparent ingestion of the module body.
7. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the later-acting attachment feature comprises:
circuitry for invoking at least the second actuator operable for coupling the module body to the second portion of the mucous membrane.
8. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the later-acting attachment feature comprises:
one or more binding agent secretion ports.
9. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a carrier at least partly supporting the module body and one or more other bodies.
10. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tether.
11. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 , further comprising:
another attachment feature operable for engaging the mucous membrane.
12. The medical or veterinary system of claim 1 in which the earlier-acting attachment feature further comprises:
circuitry for invoking at least the first actuator responsive to the first delay-inducing element.
13. The medical or veterinary system of claim 12 in which the module body further comprises:
a sensor-containing module that includes at least one or more of a carbohydrate sensor or a pH sensor; and
a reservoir containing a therapeutic material that includes at least one or more of an appetite suppressant or an anti-hyperglycemic-medication.
14. A medical or veterinary system comprising:
a sensor-containing module that includes at least one or more of a carbohydrate sensor or a pH sensor;
a reservoir containing a therapeutic material that includes at least one or more of an appetite suppressant or an anti-hyperglycemic-medication;
an earlier-acting attachment feature that includes one or more attachment elements operable for coupling the sensor-containing module to a first portion of a mucous membrane;
a first delay-inducing element responsive to apparent ingestion of the sensor-containing module;
a second delay-inducing element being slower than the first delay-inducing element by at least an hour; and
a later-acting attachment feature including at least an actuator operable for injecting a polymer-containing binding agent into a binding location suitable for coupling the sensor-containing module to a portion of the mucous membrane responsive to the second delay-inducing element.
15. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 in which the earlier-acting attachment feature comprises:
one or more attachment elements including at least one of a piercing element, a gripping element, a magnetic-flux-guiding element, or an adhesive material.
16. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 in which the sensor-containing module further comprises:
at least some of the earlier-acting attachment feature.
17. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 in which the later-acting attachment feature comprises:
one or more binding agent secretion ports.
18. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a carrier at least partly supporting the sensor-containing module and one or more other bodies.
19. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a tether.
20. The medical or veterinary system of claim 14 , further comprising:
another attachment feature operable for engaging the mucous membrane.