Granted Patent B2

US 12,605,494 · App. 18/117,570 · Granted Apr 21, 2026

Inventors: Yaacov Nitzan (Hertzelia, IL); Menashe Yacoby (Ramat Gan, IL); Tanhum Feld (Merhavya, IL)

Assignee: White Swell Medical Ltd

A61M1/34A61M1/3639A61M1/3653A61M1/3655A61M1/3659A61M25/0026A61M25/1011A61M27/002A61M2025/0002A61M2025/1015A61M2025/1052A61M2202/0405A61M2205/10A61M2205/3331A61M2205/3334

Abstract

Claims (23)

1 . A method for treating edema, the method comprising:

positioning a device within a lymphatic system of a patient, the device comprising:

an elongate portion;

an expandable portion at the distal end of the elongate portion, the expandable portion comprising an implantable restrictor, wherein, when in an activated configuration, the restrictor is configured to create a narrowed region at the location of the implantable restrictor to restrict fluid flow; and

a motor coupled to the restrictor and configured to activate the restrictor;

implanting a pressure sensor in a location within the body of the patient to enable measuring pressure in a desired region of the body of the patient;

expanding the expandable portion to restrict flow upstream of the restrictor to create a low pressure zone at the narrowed region in response to a measured pressure exceeding a predefined threshold; and

draining fluid from the lymphatic system.

2 . The method claim 1 , wherein the device is operable to convey fluid from the lymphatic system to the a vein and by creating the low pressure zone adjacent to a lymphatic duct.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein draining fluid from the lymphatic system comprises draining excessive interstitial fluid from one of the thoracic duct and the lymphatic duct.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein draining comprises allowing fluid to pass through the expandable portion.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the restrictor comprises a balloon.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the balloon is configured to move between an activated configuration in which the balloon is inflated, and a relaxed configuration in which the balloon is deflated.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the balloon comprises any number of partially inflated or deflated configurations between a fully inflated configuration and a fully relaxed configuration.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the restrictor restricts fluid flow above the balloon to increase fluid flow through the lymphatic system.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the restrictor comprises anchors on either side of the balloon.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the restrictor comprises a pair of external clips configured to clip to an exterior of the subclavian or the jugular vein adjacent the lymphatic duct or thoracic duct.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the restrictor restricts fluid flow through a fluid pathway defined by the clips as one or more terminal ends of the restrictor.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising radially expanding the expandable portion of the lymphatic device within a lymphatic duct of the patient.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the lymphatic duct is the thoracic duct.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the expandable portion has a cross-sectional area less than that of a lymphatic duct.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the device further comprises a controller operably coupled to the pressure sensor and the motor.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the controller the controller comprises programming configured to operate the system to regulate pressure in a vicinity of a lymphatic duct outlet to a level within a range of about 2 to 6 mm Hg.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (306)