Claims
- 1. A method of placing a conduit within lung tissue comprising:
feeding a guide-wire to a site within the lung; advancing a conduit to the site using the guide-wire; and placing the conduit within lung tissue at the site.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting an access device within the lung, the access device adapted to locate the site prior to the feeding step, wherein the access device includes at least one lumen.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the access device comprises a bronchoscope.
- 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
feeding a blood-vessel detection device through the lumen of the access device; and selecting the site within the lungs using the blood-vessel detection device to avoid blood vessels within the lung.
- 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
feeding a guide-wire through the lumen of the access device; and creating a collateral channel with the guide-wire at the site prior to placing the conduit.
- 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
leaving the guide-wire extending through the collateral channel and withdrawing the access device from the lung
- 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
returning the access device to a point near the collateral channel to allow visualization of the collateral channel
- 8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
feeding a hole-making device through the lumen of the access device; and creating a collateral channel with the hole-making device at the site prior to placing the conduit.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein feeding the guide-wire to the site comprises feeding the guide-wire through the collateral channel.
- 10. The method of claim 2, wherein advancing the conduit comprises feeding a catheter having a conduit attached thereto over the guide-wire to the collateral channel.
- 11. The method of 10, wherein placing the conduit within lung tissue further includes expanding the conduit within the collateral channel.
- 12. A conduit for maintaining the patency of an opening in tissue comprising:
a center section having a first end and a second end and a central axis extending between said ends, a passageway within said center section extending between said ends, said center section having a wall; at least one end section having a first end which abuts an end of the center section and a second end, a central axis extending between said ends, a passageway within said center section extending between said ends, said end section having a wall wherein at least a portion of each of said end sections being connected to said center section have a weakened section such that each of said free ends of said end section may bend at said respective weakened section when an outward radial force is applied to said extension member.
- 13. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said weakened section comprises a reduced wall thickness being less than a thickness of said wall of said center section.
- 14. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said conduit comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, and a combination thereof.
- 15. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said center section is radially expandable away from said central axis to allow said center section to assume an expanded profile from a reduced profile.
- 16. The conduit of claim 15, wherein a length of said center section is less than twice the square root of a cross sectional area of said center section when said center section is in said expanded profile.
- 17. The conduit of claim 15, wherein a length of said center section measured along said central axis decreases as said center section expands from said reduced profile to said expanded profile.
- 18. The conduit of claim 15, wherein said center section is spring biased to assume said expanded profile.
- 19. The conduit of claim 12, where said end section extending from said first end of said conduit are longer than said end section extending from a second end of said conduit.
- 20. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said passageway has a cross sectional area between 0.196 mm2 to 254 mm2.
- 21. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said passageway has a cross sectional area between 3 mm2 to 20 mm2.
- 22. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said conduit has an asymmetrical profile.
- 23. The conduit of claim 12, wherein said conduit has a ratio of a length to a diameter of approximately 1:1.
- 24. The conduit of claim 12, further comprising a self-cleaning mechanism within said passageway.
- 25. The conduit of claim 24, wherein said self-cleaning mechanism is a ball bearing shaker valve.
- 26. The conduit of claim 12, further comprising a one-way valve located within said passageway.
- 27. The conduit of claim 12, further comprising a gas-permeable bacterial-resistant barrier located within said passageway.
- 28. A medical kit for improving gaseous flow within a diseased lung comprising:
a conduit; and a set of instructions teaching any of claims 1-11.
- 29. The medical kit of claim 28, further comprising a bronchoscope.
- 30. The medical kit of claim 28, further comprising a guide-wire.
- 31. The medical kit of claim 28, further comprising a blood-vessel detection device.
- 32. The medical kit of claim 28, further comprising a hole-making device.
- 33. A medical kit for improving gaseous flow within a diseased lung comprising:
a conduit; and an instruction teaching:
selecting at least one site for collateral ventilation of the lung; creating a collateral channel at each of the sites for collateral ventilation; inserting the conduit in the collateral channel.
- 34. The medical kit of claim 33, further comprising a bronchoscope.
- 35. The medical kit of claim 33, further comprising a guide-wire.
- 36. The medical kit of claim 33, wherein the conduit comprises a tubular center section having a first end and a second end and a central axis extending between said ends, a plurality of extension members having a free end extending from each end of said center section, said extension members arranged around a circumference of said center section, each of said free ends of said extension members being independently moveable in a direction orthogonal to said central axis to form an angle with said central axis.
- 37. The medical kit of claim 33, wherein the conduit comprises a tubular center section having a first end and a second end and a central axis extending between said ends, wherein said ends of said conduit are configured to expand radially outward from said tubular center section.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/269,130, filed on Feb. 14, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60269130 |
Feb 2001 |
US |