Patent ID: 6523541
Filing Date: 2003-02-25
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A delivery system for delivering an implant into a soft palate of a patient for treatment of snoring, said system comprising:(A) an implant having: (a) a sheet of flexible, bio-compatible material having a longitudinal length between a proximal edge and a distal edge, a transverse width and a thickness between upper and lower surfaces; (b) said material sized to be inserted into said soft palate with said longitudinal length extending aligned with an anterior-posterior axis of said palate and with said thickness contained within a thickness of said soft palate (B) a delivery tool having: (a) a penetrating member with a distal end for penetration into said soft palate through a small penetration wound, said implant carried in said distal end of said penetrating member with said longitudinal dimension of said implant aligned with an axis of said penetration member; (b) a flattening tool contained within said distal end of said penetration member and constrained by said penetration member against a bias for a distal tip of said tool to expand beyond a size of said penetration wound to approximately a width of said implant; (c) said flattening tool retractable approximate to said implant length between an extended position and a retracted position with said distal tip of said tool in said retracted position smaller than said penetration wound; (d) said penetrating member retractable relative to said flattening tool when said flattening tool is in said extended position.