Flexible interface external micro vacuum chamber tissue expander

摘要

The present invention is a vacuum chamber tissue expander with a flexible sliding interface, which is applied externally over a specific region of tissue to apply a vacuum thereto so that the skin or other organ tissue can be expanded for treatments such as the subcutaneous grafting of fat cells. The flexible sliding interface accommodates and seals against flat or irregular tissue and slides along a mating groove in the vacuum chamber to provide an adjustable seal.

主权项

1. A flexible interface vacuum chamber tissue expander comprising:
a one-piece vacuum chamber having a top wall, a plurality of side walls continuous with each other, each side wall having a lower edge and extending downwardly from the top wall so as to form with said top wall a first box structure having an open bottom defining with said top wall a downwardly facing open cavity internally within said one-piece vacuum chamber; a plurality of receptor groove segments defined within each one of said side walls of said one-piece vacuum chamber and forming a continuous downwardly open receptor groove extending along the lower edges of the plurality of side walls, around said downwardly open box structure, and having top portions for respectively closing off said receptor groove segments; a one-piece open top and open bottom flexible sliding interface having wall portions, defining a second box structure, respectively engaged within the receptor groove segments defining said continuous downwardly open receptor groove of the one-piece vacuum chamber and delineating an interface cavity in communication with the downwardly facing open cavity defined internally within the vacuum chamber for movement upwardly within said continuous downwardly open receptor groove of the one-piece vacuum chamber when bottom edge portions of said wall portions of said sliding interface are disposed in contact with tissue to be expanded; and a vacuum passage fitting communicating with the downwardly facing open cavity defined internally within the vacuum chamber so as to impart vacuum conditions to said downwardly facing open cavity defined within said vacuum chamber and to said interface cavity defined within said sliding interface when said wall portions of said sliding interface are disposed within said continuous receptor groove of said vacuum chamber.