The present disclosure provides systems and devices for monitoring the pressure within a negative pressure system, such as a suction cannister. In one aspect, the system includes an anchor configured for positioning within an intestine of the patient at the anastomosis site and a source of negative pressure, such as a suction cannister, fluidly coupled to the anchor. A portable alarm device is coupled to the suction cannister and includes a trigger for detecting the pressure therein. A signal device emits a signal when this pressure is above a threshold level to ensure that the anchor remains securely in contact with the walls of the intestines at the anastomosis site. The alarm device includes a handle to allow a patient to grasp and carry the suction cannister, providing critical patient mobility during the recovery period.

A device for occluding flow of materials is formed as a simple structure permitting a compact delivery configuration which may shift to an expanded deployment configuration. The device has at least one expandable portion formed of a plurality of elongated longitudinally extending frame elements. The frame elements may be spaced apart to define spaces therebetween, and a flexible occlusive material may be provided to block flow of material through such spaces. A flexible occlusive material may form one of two expandable portions of the device without the need for frame elements.

Devices, systems, and methods described herein relate to affecting an internal diameter of a body lumen, and, in many examples, of a pylorus. A silk-based bulking agent may be injected in a pyloric tissue so as to reduce an effective inner diameter of the pylorus. A multi-part occluding agent may be injected into a pylorus on the surface of the pyloric tissue to occlude the pylorus alone or in combination with the silk-based bulking agent.

Stent apparatuses are provided. In some embodiments, the stent apparatus comprises: a tubular body; and at least two induction loops capable of generating an electrical current in the presence of one or more of magnetic, electrical, and radiofrequency energy. The stent apparatus may be placed in a non-target bodily tissue during surgery and used to sense the proximity of an electrosurgical instrument to prevent injury to the non-target tissue. Also provided herein are related systems and methods for protecting and/or mapping the non-target bodily tissue having the stent apparatus placed therein.

An illustrative stent may comprise an elongated tubular member having a first end and a second end and an intermediate region disposed therebetween. The elongated tubular member configured to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The elongated tubular member may comprise at least one twisted filament, such as a knitted filament having a plurality of twisted knit stitches with intermediate rung portions extending between adjacent twisted knit stitches, or a plurality of helical filaments twisted with a plurality of longitudinal filaments.

Medical stent designs are disclosed. An example stent includes a tubular scaffold having a proximal end and a distal end. The tubular scaffold includes a first filament extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the first filament including a first biodegradable region positioned adjacent to a second biodegradable region. Further, the first biodegradable region includes a first biodegradable material, the first biodegradable material having a first rate of degradation. The second biodegradable region includes a second biodegradable material, the second biodegradable material having a second rate of degradation, wherein the first rate of degradation is different from the second rate of degradation.

The invention relates surgical abdominal methods of treating obesity in a patient by implanting a volume filling device that, when implanted in a patient, reduces the food cavity in size by a volume substantially exceeding the volume of the volume filling device. Also disclosed is a laparoscopic instrument for providing a volume filling device to be invaginated in the stomach wall of a human patient to treat obesity.

An apparatus for treating obesity comprises a volume filling device formed by at least two segments and is provided and following implantation, the device is placed resting against the stomach wall of the patient to reduce the inner volume of the stomach, thereby affecting the patients appetite.

An implantable flow-restricting device, extending along a longitudinal extent which need not be linear, and having a first portion and a second portion with a saddle region therebetween. At least one of the first or second portions may be angled with respect to the saddle region to resist migration of the device. At least one of the first or second portions may be configured to maintain a distance from a region of the anatomical structure in which such portion is positioned. An occluder, such as an expandable occluder, may be associated with the flow-restricting device, such as with one of the first or second portions thereof. The occluder may serve to block passage of material through the anatomical passage in which the saddle region is positioned, prevent migration of the device (e.g., through such passage), and/or increase volume occupied by the device.

A mesh element having a mesh gauge selected to control flow of materials therethrough. The mesh element is implantable into an anatomical structure upstream of a body passage or within a body passage to control flow of materials through the body passage. The mesh element may be coupled to a support structure to facilitate anchoring of the mesh element in place relative to the body passage. The support structure may have a lumen defined therethrough to allow flow of materials through the body passage, with the mesh element regulating the flow of materials into the lumen. The mesh element alternatively may be directly coupled to an anatomical structure upstream of a body passage to regulate or determine flow of materials through the body passage.