Single circuit elastofluidic sphincter.

摘要

A gastrointestinal sphincter to be surgically implanted around a lumen (e.g. bowel) of a patient to apply variable occlusive pressures for articulating the lumen. The sphincter includes a continence producing occlusion cuff (1) having a hollow, expansible chamber (2) formed therein to embrace the lumen. Communicating in a single, continuous fluid circuit with the expansible chamber are first (6) and second (32) fluid circuits having respective first and second reservoir supplies of fluid (30 and 46) located therein. Each of the reservoir supplies may be selectively actuated in order that fluid will be delivered to the expansible chamber to controllably expand the chamber and thereby produce variable occlusive pressure levels for achieving continence. A fluid filled physician control port (24) is interconnected with one of the fluid circuits (6) and surgically implanted so as to be accessible to a fluid filled syringe. A carefully controlled volume of fluid from the port can be delivered to the expansible chamber via the associated fluid path to generate the minimum increased occlusive pressure necessary to achieve coaptive continence according to the tissue requirements of the patient.

The occlusion cuff also has a relatively extensible membrane (56) that is subject to variable elongation in response to at least a predetermined minimum tensile stretching force. The membrane is interconnected with the occlusion cuff to increase the circumference of the cuff around the patient's lumen to thereby accommodate possible distention of the lumen.