Patent ID: 9561350
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61F,A61K,A61M

Claim:
1. A paranasal sinus access implant device for implantation in a human to fluidly connect a lacrimal apparatus from a location in an orbit to a paranasal sinus through a straight, surgically-formed fistula formed between the lacrimal apparatus in the orbit and the paranasal sinus, the implant device comprising: a proximal end at a first longitudinal end of the device; a distal end at a second longitudinal end of the device that is longitudinally opposite the first longitudinal end; a head adjacent the proximal end of the implant device; a conduit between the proximal end and the distal end and extending longitudinally along the implant device from adjacent the head toward the distal end of the implant device; an internal passage through the head and the conduit; a length of the implant device longitudinally along the implant device between the proximal end and the distal end in a range of from 8 millimeters to 50 millimeters; a width of the internal passage transverse to the length of the implant device in a range of from 0.25 millimeter to 5 millimeters; the conduit including a first longitudinal portion having a length of at least 3 millimeters and a second longitudinal portion having a length of at least 3 millimeters and being located toward the distal end relative to the first longitudinal portion; the first longitudinal portion of the conduit having a first minimum wall thickness adjacent the internal passage and the first longitudinal portion of the conduit extending from a proximal end of the first longitudinal portion of the conduit adjacent the head to a distal end of the first longitudinal portion of the conduit disposed toward a proximal end of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit; an exterior of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit having an anchoring surface feature including anchor protrusions spaced along the length of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit and recess areas between the anchor protrusions, the length of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit extending from a proximal end of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit at a said anchor protrusion closest to the head to a distal end of the second longitudinal portion of the conduit at a said anchor protrusion farthest from the head; the second longitudinal portion of the conduit having a second minimum wall thickness adjacent the internal passage that is smaller than the first minimum wall thickness, wherein the first minimum wall thickness is at least 0.05 millimeter larger than the second minimum wall thickness and the second minimum wall thickness is at a said recess area and occurs at multiple ones of the recess areas; and the implant device being configured to be implanted to fluidly connect the lacrimal apparatus to the paranasal sinus so that when implanted: