Understanding the Lipogems® Device: How Your Fat Tissue Gets Prepared for Treatment
Carlo Ferdinando Maria Tremolada, Antonio Bosetto, Paolo Pirazzoli · United States Patent · 2019
A Patented System Processes Fat Without Chemicals or Enzymes
If you're considering fat grafting for tissue reconstruction, you may wonder how your own fat tissue gets prepared for treatment. This U.S. patent describes the Lipogems® device—a specially designed system that processes fat tissue harvested through liposuction. Unlike older methods that use harsh chemicals or enzymes, this device works through gentle mechanical action. It washes and breaks down fat into tiny clusters while keeping the healing cells alive and functional.
Older Fat Processing Methods Had Significant Drawbacks
Before this technology, doctors used several approaches to prepare fat for transplantation. These included spinning fat in a centrifuge, letting it settle by gravity, or using blenders to break it apart. Each method had problems. Centrifuges and blenders caused many fat cells to rupture, releasing oil that contaminated the usable material. Some techniques required multiple instruments and exposed the tissue to air, increasing infection risk. The result was often that a large portion of harvested fat became unusable, meaning patients needed more liposuction sessions.
The Device Uses Gentle Washing and Mixing in a Closed System
The Lipogems® device features a sealed container with special internal components. Saline solution flows through the chamber while small metal spheres create gentle turbulence. This combination washes away blood, fluids, and debris while breaking fat into smaller clusters. The fat tissue never contacts air or multiple instruments during processing. Everything happens inside one sterile container, reducing contamination risk.
Key features of the device include:
A washing chamber that separates useful fat from waste fluids
Built-in mesh filters that trap fat clusters of the right size
Metal spheres that create gentle mixing without damaging cells
Inlet and outlet ports for saline to flow through continuously
Fat Clusters Stay Small Enough for Easy Injection
The device produces fat tissue broken into clusters between 0.3 and 0.8 millimeters in size. This small size matters for two reasons. First, these clusters pass easily through injection needles without clogging. Second, smaller clusters can establish blood supply more quickly after transplantation, improving their survival. The mesh filters inside the device ensure only appropriately sized clusters get collected for use.
Processing Preserves Cells Important for Healing
Traditional fat processing often destroys a significant portion of the regenerative cells that make fat grafting effective. The Lipogems® system's gentle approach aims to preserve these valuable components. The fat clusters processed through this device contain:
Intact adipocytes (fat cells that provide volume)
Pericytes (helper cells that support blood vessel healing)
Mesenchymal stem cells (regenerative cells that support tissue repair)
The natural scaffold structure that holds these cells together
Why This Technology Matters for Your Treatment Options
This patent represents the engineering behind Lipogems® treatments used in over 105,000 orthopedic cases worldwide. For patients considering fat grafting for reconstruction, this technology offers several potential advantages. The closed processing system reduces infection risk. The gentle mechanical action preserves more viable tissue than older methods. The standardized device means your doctor doesn't need to manually adjust settings or rely on personal technique for consistent results.
The Lipogems® system is FDA cleared and used at leading medical institutions globally. While this patent document describes the technical details of the device itself, numerous clinical studies have examined how the processed tissue performs in actual patients. If you're exploring whether Lipogems® might help with your tissue reconstruction needs, discuss with your physician how this technology might apply to your specific situation.
Source: Tremolada et al., United States Patent, 2019.
Original Publication
Device and Method for Preparing Adipose Tissue for Transplantation
Carlo Ferdinando Maria Tremolada, Antonio Bosetto, Paolo Pirazzoli · United States Patent · 2019
A device for preparing adipose tissue for transplantation from lobular fat extracted by liposuction is described. The liposuctioned material consists of a solid component comprising adipocytes in cell agglomerates of heterogeneous sizes and a fluid component comprising oils, blood residues, and medicated saline solutions. The device comprises at least one washing and separating container with a washing chamber for processing the liposuctioned material. The container has at least one inlet and one outlet, allowing material to enter and fluid components to exit the chamber. The washing and separating container couples to stirring means via releasable coupling means, with drive means provided for driving the stirring apparatus. The stirring means includes a stirring member supported by a support structure, with the washing and separating container releasably coupled to the stirring member through the coupling means. Emulsion generating means are provided in the washing chamber for generating an emulsion of fluid components by mechanical stirring. This device addresses limitations of prior art techniques including centrifugation, sedimentation, and manual washing methods, which suffer from incomplete removal of cellular debris and oils, extensive material handling in potentially non-sterile environments, and oxidative stress from prolonged air exposure. The invention provides improved preparation of adipose tissue while maintaining cell viability for transplantation procedures.