Patent ID: 7892220

Claim:
A method of using an applicator to place a barrier in a vascular structure proximate to a nutrient absorbing organ to achieve weight loss in a patient, wherein the vascular structure has a plurality of vascular branches, wherein the nutrient absorbing organ is a duodenum having an inner lumen, one or more inner layers of mucosal or submucosal tissue surrounding the lumen, and an outer muscular layer surrounding the inner layers, wherein the one or more inner layers have a smooth portion downstream from a pyloric valve and a folded portion downstream from the smooth portion, the inner layers being configured to absorb nutrients from contact with food and to transfer the nutrients to a patient's bloodstream through a network of connecting blood vessels, wherein the applicator has a tip configured to pierce the tissue of a vascular structure, wherein the tip comprises an angled surface for piercing tissue, the method comprising: a) placing the applicator into the tissue of the vascular structure located near the nutrient absorbing organ, wherein the applicator is inserted through the abdomen, wherein the abdomen is pierced using a trocar and the applicator is inserted through the trocar; b) piercing the tissue of the vascular structure located near the nutrient absorbing organ with the applicator tip without entering the inner lumen defined by the nutrient absorbing organ and without entering the mucosal tissue surrounding the lumen; and c) applying a polymerizable fluid barrier from the placed applicator tip to a selected portion of the plurality of vascular branches such that the polymerizable fluid barrier affects only the selected portion of the plurality of vascular branches such that the flow of nutrients from the nutrient absorbing organ through the selected portion of the plurality of vascular branches to the blood stream is stopped entirely for the selected portion of the plurality of vascular branches blocked by the polymerizable fluid barrier.