Breast implant system
View Patent ↗A breast implant system comprises at least one casing with a flexible outer shape for implantation in a patient's body so as to form part of a breast implant and further comprises at least one first element contained in the casing and optionally at least one second element also contained in the casing. The first and second elements are either displaceable within the casing and/or their volume can be changed in order to change the shape and/or size of the breast implant. A reservoir comprising a lubricating fluid is connected to the casing so as to allow lubricating fluid to be supplied to and removed from the casing in order to reduce surface friction between adjacent elements and/or between the casing and the elements before the shape of the breast implant is changed.
1. A method of surgically implanting a breast implant system in a patient's body, said breast implant system comprising,
at least one casing with a flexible outer shape for implantation in a patient's body so as to form part of a breast implant,
at least one first element contained in the casing, and
a lubricating fluid reservoir connected to the casing, the lubricating fluid reservoir being filled or fillable with a lubricating fluid,
wherein the method comprises the steps of:
implanting the casing and the lubricating fluid reservoir in the patient's body so as to allow lubricating fluid to be supplied from the lubricating fluid reservoir to the casing between an outer surface of said at least one first element contained in the casing and surfaces contacting said outer surface in order to reduce surface friction between the outer surface of said at least one first element and the surfaces contacting said outer surface, and so as to allow the lubricating fluid to be at least partly removed from the casing back into the lubricating fluid reservoir.
2. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting at least a part of the lubricating fluid reservoir outside the patient's thorax.
3. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting the lubricating fluid reservoir outside the patient's thorax below the patient's minor pectoralis muscle or between the patient's major and minor pectoralis muscles.
4. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting the lubricating fluid reservoir within the patient's body remote from the breast implant and providing at least one conduit between the remotely implantable lubricating fluid reservoir and the casing in order to allow for exchange of lubricating fluid between them.
5. The method of claim 4 , comprising the step of implanting the lubricating fluid reservoir within the patient's armpit or underneath the patient's arm.
6. The method of claim 4 , comprising the step of implanting the lubricating fluid reservoir within the patient's abdominal cavity.
7. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting only a part of the lubricating fluid reservoir remote from the breast implant and implanting another part thereof as part of the breast implant or next to the breast implant.
8. The method of claim 7 , comprising the steps of implanting a first part of the lubricating fluid reservoir in the armpit or underneath the patient's arm or in the patient's abdominal cavity, in a way to be easily accessible by the patient, and implanting a more voluminous part of the lubricating fluid reservoir next to the breast implant.
9. The method of claim 7 , comprising the step of implanting a first part of the lubricating fluid reservoir subcutaneously such that manually compressing the subcutaneously implanted part causes lubricating fluid to flow from the lubricating fluid reservoir into the casing.
10. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting at least one additional reservoir different from the lubricating fluid reservoir such that said additional reservoir is in fluid connection with at least one element contained in the casing and such that fluid is exchangeable between said additional reservoir and said connected element contained in the casing.
11. The method of claim 10 , comprising the step of implanting said additional reservoir remote from the breast implant below the patient's minor pectoralis muscle or between the patient's major and minor pectoralis muscles, or implanting said additional reservoir even further remote from the breast implant within the patient's body in which case the method further comprises the step of implanting at least one conduit for the exchange of fluid between said additional reservoir and said connected element contained in the casing.
12. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting at least one pump as part of the breast implant system for at least one of: exchanging lubricating fluid between the lubricating fluid reservoir and the casing, pumping fluid between fluid-filled elements contained in the casing, and exchanging fluid between fluid-filled elements contained in the casing by pumping fluid with said pump from at least a first one of said fluid-filled elements into an additional reservoir different from the lubricating fluid reservoir and implanted within the patient's body remote from the casing and from said additional reservoir into at least a second one of said fluid-filled elements, and vice versa.
13. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting at least one pump under the patient's skin so as to be manually operable through the skin.
14. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting at least one pump and at least one motor for automatically driving the pump.
15. The method of claim 14 , comprising the step of implanting subcutaneously a manually operable switch for manually activating the motor from outside the patient's body.
16. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting an energy storage means for supplying energy directly or indirectly to at least one energy consuming part of the breast implant system.
17. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting an energy transforming device for transforming wirelessly transmitted energy into electric energy.
18. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of implanting a part of a control unit to directly or indirectly control one or more elements of the breast implant system by wireless remote control from outside the patient's body.