Anti-reflux stent

Abstract

An anti-reflux stent includes an extended inner sleeve, a stent surrounding at least a portion of the inner sleeve and a coating that bonds the stent to the inner sleeve whereby the extended inner sleeve can have a cross-sectional thickness that varies along the length of the inner sleeve. The inner sleeve is made of a material having a thickness and/or flexibility such that the distal end not surrounded by the stent collapses under gastric pressure to prevent the contents of the stomach from flowing into an esophagus. Food and liquid can pass through an inner lumen of the inner sleeve to enter a stomach when desired.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:  
     
         1 . An anti-reflux stent, comprising: 
 an inner sleeve;    a stent covering at least a portion of the inner sleeve;    a coating on the stent to bond the stent to an exterior of the inner sleeve;    wherein said inner sleeve includes a lumen through which food and liquid may pass and wherein at least a portion of the inner sleeve has a flexibility such that it collapses where the inner sleeve is not covered by the stent.    
     
     
         2 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 1 , wherein all the stent is coated.  
     
     
         3 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the stent is not coated.  
     
     
         4 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal end of the stent is flared radially outwards.  
     
     
         5 . An anti-reflux stent for deployment in an opening of a patient's stomach, comprising: 
 an inner sleeve having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therethrough;    a stent covering at least a portion of the proximal end of the inner sleeve and not covering the distal end of the inner sleeve;    a coating that bonds the stent to the inner sleeve;    wherein the anti-reflux stent is adapted to be deployed in an entrance to the stomach such that the stent maintains the lumen of the inner sleeve open so food and liquid can pass into the stomach and the distal end of the sleeve collapses due to pressure in the stomach to prevent reflux into the esophagus.    
     
     
         6 . An anti-reflux stent, comprising: 
 an inner sleeve having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therethrough;    a stent that covers a proximal portion of the inner sleeve and does not cover a distal portion of the inner sleeve; and    a coating that bonds the stent to the inner sleeve, wherein the portion of the inner sleeve that is not covered collapses to form a one-way valve.    
     
     
         7 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 6 , wherein the inner sleeve includes one or more valve flaps formed in a lumen of the inner sleeve.  
     
     
         8 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 6 , wherein the inner sleeve has different flexibility characteristics along its length.  
     
     
         9 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 6 , wherein the inner sleeve has a varying thickness along its length.  
     
     
         10 . The anti-reflux system of  claim 6  wherein the inner sleeve is made of different materials along its length.  
     
     
         11 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 6 , wherein the anti-reflux stent is removable.  
     
     
         12 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 6 , wherein the proximal end of the stent has a mechanism for allowing the stent to be grasped and removed from a patient.  
     
     
         13 . The anti-reflux of  claim 12 , wherein the mechanism for allowing a stent to be grasped includes a number of exposed loops at the proximal end of the stent.  
     
     
         14 . The anti-reflux stent of  claim 11 , wherein the coating that covers the stent is lubricous.  
     
     
         15 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type having: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, and further having an application device for introducing the stent into a body cavity, said application device including a capture and a displacement device, an application bushing, and a conical plug, the improvement comprising: a one-way valve formed by the tube having a length that extends beyond the tubular weave such that a portion of the tube that extends beyond the tubular weave collapses on itself due to pressure in the body cavity.    
     
     
         16 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type having: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, wherein said filament has a fixed end, and wherein said filament comprises a plurality of threads having neighboring ends pair-wises connected to each other and further comprising a covering element for pair-wise connecting said neighboring ends, the improvement comprising: a valve formed by the tube extending beyond the tubular weave such that the tube is collapsible in the body cavity.    
     
     
         17 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type including: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, and further comprising raised portions protruding beyond said structured outer surface, the improvement comprising: a valve formed by the tube having a length extending beyond the tubular weave and a flexibility such that the tube is compressible in the body cavity.    
     
     
         18 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type including: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, wherein said weave has shapes differing in at least one of an axial and a radial direction, the improvement comprising: an anti-reflux valve formed by the tube having a length that is longer than the tube and a flexibility that allows the tube to collapse in the body cavity.    
     
     
         19 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type including: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, wherein said tube has fold-over covering an end of said filament, the improvement comprising: an anti-reflux valve formed by the tube having a length that is longer than the tubular weave and a flexibility that allows a portion of the tube not covered by the tubular weave to collapse in the body cavity.    
     
     
         20 . In a stent system for splitting and holding open a body cavity of the type including: 
 a tube made from an elastic material;    a tubular weave seating firmly on an outer surface of said tube, said weave having a filament with a diameter and;    a coating covering said tube and said weave to hold said weave on said tube, said coating having a thickness less than said filament diameter, said coating consisting essentially of a self-solidifying fluid into which said tube and said weave are dipped, whereby the stent has a structured outer surface defined by said weave, wherein said filament comprises a plurality of threads having at least one of differing separations with respect to each other and differing diameters, the improvement comprising: an anti-reflux valve formed by the tube having a length that is longer than the tubular weave and a flexibility that allows a portion of the tube not covered by the tubular weave to collapse in the body cavity.