Tuned Strength Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatment

Abstract

The present invention generally provides improved medical devices, systems, and methods, particularly for treating one or both lungs of a patient with an implant, such as a coil, having a strength tuned to a patient's tissue treatment region. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention include implant assemblies and systems for treating a lung of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The implant assemblies may comprise an elongate body comprising an alloy that may be characterized by its austenite final tuning. The implant may include multiple portions that may be of different austenite final tunings.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An implant assembly for treating a lung of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the implant assembly comprising:
 an elongate body having a constrained delivery configuration and a deployed bent configuration adapted to compress a lung tissue volume, at least a portion of the elongate body comprising at least one alloy having a high austenite final tuning, wherein the high austenite final tuning is characterized by an austenite final temperature that is greater than or equal to about 30 degrees Celsius.   
     
     
         2 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body having high austenite final tuning is characterized by a lower strength than an implant having a lower austenite final tuning when the elongate body is delivered to or deployed in lung tissue. 
     
     
         3 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body having high austenite final tuning is characterized by a lower tensioning load or force than an implant having a lower austenite final tuning. 
     
     
         4 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a cooled loading cartridge containing the elongate body and configured to temporarily cool at least a portion of the elongate body below the austenite final temperature so as to temporarily convert the elongate body to a martensitic metallic phase. 
     
     
         5 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a cooled delivery catheter containing the elongate body and configured to temporarily cool at least a portion of the elongate body below the austenite final temperature so as to temporarily convert the elongate body to a martensitic metallic phase. 
     
     
         6 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one alloy comprises a nitinol, nickel, or titanium metal and the elongate body comprises a coil. 
     
     
         7 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body comprises a proximal portion, a distal portion, and an intermediate portion, wherein the intermediate portion is characterized by the high austenite final tuning. 
     
     
         8 . The implant assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the proximal portion and the distal portion are characterized by a low austenite final tuning. 
     
     
         9 . The implant assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the low austenite final tuning is in a range from about 5 degrees Celsius to about 15 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         10 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate body is characterized by the high austenite final tuning along an entire length thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The implant assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the austenite final temperature is characterized by an austenite final temperature that is in a range from about 30 degrees Celsius to about 35 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
         12 . An implant assembly for treating a lung of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the implant assembly comprising:
 an elongate body having proximal and distal portions and an intermediate portion therebetween, wherein the elongate body has a constrained delivery configuration and a deployed configuration adapted to compress a lung tissue volume, wherein:
 at least one of the proximal, distal, and intermediate portions comprise an alloy having a first austenite final tuning, and 
 at least one of the proximate, distal, and intermediate portions comprise an alloy having a second austenite final tuning different from the first austenite final tuning. 
   
     
     
         13 . The implant assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the proximal and distal portions comprise the alloy having the first austenite final tuning and the intermediate portion comprises the alloy having the second austenite final tuning. 
     
     
         14 . The implant assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first austenite final tuning is characterized by a strength greater than the second austenite final tuning at body temperature. 
     
     
         15 . The implant assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first austenite final tuning is characterized by a strength less than the second austenite final tuning at body temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The implant assembly of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the first austenite final tuning is characterized by an austenite final temperature that is in a range from about 5 degrees Celsius to about 15 degrees Celsius, and   the second austenite final tuning is characterized by an austenite final temperature that is in a range from about 30 degrees Celsius to about 35 degrees Celsius.   
     
     
         17 . The implant assembly of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the intermediate portion comprises an alloy having the first austenite final tuning,   the proximal portion comprises an alloy having the second austenite final tuning, and   the distal portion comprises a third austenite final tuning different than the first and second austenite final tunings.   
     
     
         18 . An implant system for treating a lung of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the implant system comprising:
 an elongate implant support having a proximal end and a distal end configured for advancement into the lung of a patient in alignment with a first region of a patient; and   a plurality of alternatively selectable implants, each implant having:
 an elongate implant body deployable from an insertion configuration to a deployed configuration within the lung, 
 the elongate body in the insertion configuration advanceable distally within the lung by the implant support, and 
 the elongate body, when deployed from the insertion configuration to the deployed configuration in the lung, configured to locally compress an associated volume of lung tissue by applying an associated compressive load; 
   wherein the elongate bodies of the plurality of implants have differing strengths at body temperature so that the compressive loads are variably selectable by selecting and deploying a desired implant having a desired strength.   
     
     
         19 . The implant system of  claim 18 , further comprising an imaging system suitable for identifying localized lung tissue strength or density. 
     
     
         20 . The implant system of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate bodies of the plurality of implants have differing lengths. 
     
     
         21 . The implant system of  claim 18 , wherein the elongate bodies of the plurality of implants have differing austenite final tunings.