BALLOON SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR TREATING OBESITY
A medical system ( 100 ) for the treatment of morbid obesity comprising an inflatable balloon ( 110 ) implanted in a gastric cavity, a percutaneous fillant delivery tube ( 120 ) and a control module ( 130 ) connected to the tube for regulating the inflation and deflation of the balloon. The balloon may be individually contoured and inflated to occupy a large volume of the gastric cavity to provide a feeling of satiety. The balloon may also be deflated to give the gastric cavity lining a rest during less critical time.
1 . A device comprising:
an inflatable elastomeric balloon having distal and proximal regions and adapted for implantation in a gastric space;
a fillant delivery tube extending through the balloon and affixed to the distal and proximal regions of the balloon, the tube terminating at the distal region of the balloon;
wherein the tube imparts a reference shape to the deflated balloon; and
wherein the balloon is configured to expand to a shape that is axially constrained by the fillant delivery tube.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is filled with at least one of gas, liquid, or gel.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is implanted into the gastric space via percutaneous endogastric gastrostomy.
4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon can be inflated to at least one and a half times the uninflated diameter.
5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon can be inflated to at least three times the uninflated volume.
6 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a device for controlling the inflation of the balloon.
7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein the device for controlling the inflation of the balloon variably inflates and deflate the balloon over a predetermined period of time.
8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is configured to expand to a specific shape that is axially constrained by the delivery tube.
9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon and the tube are integral.
10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the reference shape positions the distal region and the proximal region of the deflated balloon at predetermined positions relative to each other.
11 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined positions lie along a common axis.
12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the common axis is a linear axis.
13 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined positions are apart.
14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the fillant delivery tube is adapted to prevent migration from the gastric space.
15 . A method comprising:
providing a device comprising an inflatable elastomeric balloon having distal and proximal regions and adapted for implantation in a gastric space and a fillant delivery tube extending through the balloon and affixed to the distal and proximal regions of the balloon, the tube terminating at the distal region of the balloon;
wherein the tube imparts a reference shape to the deflated balloon; and
wherein the balloon is configured to expand to a shape that is axially constrained by the fillant delivery tube.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the device is implanted into the gastric space via percutaneous endogastric gastrostomy.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the balloon is configured to expand to a specific shape that is axially constrained by the delivery tube.
18 . A method comprising:
performing a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to implant a balloon through the abdominal wall and into the gastric cavity;
affixing a percutaneous fillant delivery tube to the abdominal wall and the gastric cavity, the tube having a proximal end and a distal end connected to the balloon;
connecting the proximal end of the tube to an external control module; and
regulating the inflation and deflation of the balloon with a fillant using the control module.
19 . The medical system of claim 18 , further comprising the step of programming the control module to inflate and deflate the balloon over a predetermined period of time.
20 . The medical system of claim 18 , further comprising the step of inflating the balloon to occupy a large portion of the gastric cavity to provide a feeling of satiety and deflating the balloon to give the gastric cavity lining a rest during less critical time.