# US 10,864,015 B2 · Flow and delivery apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,015 B2 - Document ID: US10864015B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/548,993 - Filed: 2016-02-05 - Published: 2018-08-30 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-09 - Assignees: Coraflo Ltd. - Applicants: Coraflo Ltd. - Inventors: Ludwig K. Von Segesser - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864015B2 ## CPC - A61B 17/3439: {with means for changing the inner diameter of the cannula, e.g. expandable (A61B17/3423, A61B17/3431 take precedence; catheters A61M25/0662)} - A61B 17/3431: {being collapsible, e.g. made of thin flexible material (A61B17/3423 takes precedence)} - A61M 1/3613: {Reperfusion, e.g. of the coronary vessels, e.g. retroperfusion} - A61M 1/3661: {for haemodialysis} - A61M 25/0662: {Guide tubes} - A61B 2017/00367: {Details of actuation of instruments, e.g. relations between pushing buttons, or the like, and activation of the tool, working tip, or the like} - A61B 2017/00557: {inflatable (A61B2017/22051 takes precedence)} - A61B 2017/3433: {with different outer diameters of the cannula} - A61B 2017/3488: {Fixation to inner organ or inner body tissue} - A61M 1/3659: {Cannulae pertaining to extracorporeal circulation} - A61M 16/04: Tracheal tubes (catheters in general A61M25/00) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract A cannula and a method of using a cannula are disclosed. The cannula include a first portion having an interior lumen, a narrow portion coupled to the first portion and having an interior lumen, an expandable portion having an interior lumen and being coupled to the narrow portion, and a tip being disposed at a distal end of the expandable portion. The expandable portion is being capable of having an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration. The interior lumens of the first portion, the narrow portion, and the expandable portion are communicatively coupled to allow passage of at least one of a fluid, a powder, a gas, an object, and a device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a first portion having a first interior lumen; a narrow portion coupled to the first portion and having a second interior lumen, wherein a diameter of the narrow portion is smaller than a diameter of the first portion; an expandable portion having a third interior lumen and being coupled to the narrow portion, the expandable portion being capable of having an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration; and a tip being disposed at a distal end of the expandable portion; wherein the interior lumens of the first portion, the narrow portion, and the expandable portion are communicatively coupled to allow passage of at least one of a fluid, a powder, a gas, an object, and a device; wherein the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip are separately self-expanding; wherein the tip includes at least one orifice. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to be connectable to bypass tubing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the collapsed configuration, the narrow portion and the expandable portion have substantially equal diameters. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the collapsed configuration, the expandable portion is inserted through an access orifice having a diameter substantially equal to or greater than the diameter of the expandable portion in the collapsed configuration, the access orifice being disposed on a target object configured to receive the device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, upon insertion of the expandable portion through the access orifice, the expandable portion is advanced to a target location in the target object, wherein, at the target location, the expandable portion is expanded into the expandable configuration. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expandable portion includes at least one orifice. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the orifice in the expandable portion is positioned proximate the tip. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a coating for covering at least a part of at least one of the following: the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the coating is a watertight coating. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus permits flow of fluid through interior lumens of at least one of the following: the first portion, the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the flow of fluid is in at least one of the following directions: a single direction and multiple directions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the flow of fluid is in at least one of the following directions: a retrograde direction and an antegrade direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the flow of fluid in the retrograde direction is substantially equal and/or unequal to the flow of fluid in the antegrade direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a cannula. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the cannula is at least one of the following: an arterial cannula and a venous cannula. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expandable portion includes at least one diffuser for directing flow of fluid out of the apparatus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expandable portion includes at least one deflector for deflecting flow of fluid out of the apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip comprising a plurality of flexible filaments allowing the diameters of the at least one of the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip to be varied using at least one mechanism. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising at least one mechanism that, upon actuation, serves to alter the configuration of at least one of the narrow portion, the expandable portion, and the tip between the collapsed configuration and the expanded configuration. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of flexible filaments comprises one or more materials that include at least one of the following: metal, shape-memory metal, alloy, plastic, textile fiber, synthetic fiber, natural fiber, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of flexible filaments have a shape including at least one of the following: round, oval, flattened, triangular, rectangular and combinations thereof. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of flexible filaments include at least one of the following: an elastic flexible filament, a non-elastic flexible filament, a textile fiber, flexible filaments that are braided together, flexible filaments that are knitted together, flexible filaments that are interwoven, flexible filaments that are interlaced, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein at least one flexible filament in the plurality of flexible filaments is a covered flexible filament. ### Claim 24 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein at least one flexible filament in the plurality of flexible filaments is an uncovered flexible filament. ### Claim 25 (depends on 18) The mechanism according to claim 18, wherein the at least one mechanism includes at least one of the following: a mandrel, a bougie, a balloon, a pressurization mechanism, a retraction mechanism, an electric motor, a change in pressurization, a wrapping string, a balloon, a sheath and any combination thereof. ### Claim 26 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cannula is insertable into at least one of the following: a hollow body, a solid body, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the hollow body includes at least one of the following: a hollow organ in a patient, a vein, an artery, a urethra, a ureter, an intestine, an esophagus, a trachea, a bronchial tube, a pleural space, a peritoneum, and a vessel within a solid organ in the patient and/or another access device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the plurality of flexible filaments form a plurality of openings in the cannula, the at least one of the hollow body and the solid body is configured to at least partially cover at least one opening in the plurality of openings when the cannula is inserted into the at least one of the hollow body and the solid body. ### Claim 29 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cannula is a wall-less cannula. ### Claim 30 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cannula is configured to be used in at least one of the following: a medical context, a non-medical context, percutaneous insertion, central cannulation, a tracheal tube, a chest tube, a drainage catheter, a heart surgery, hemofiltration, hemodialysis, and a dialysis. ### Claim 31 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tip includes at least one basket to stabilize placement of the tip at a target location. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the at least one basket has a shape including at least one of the following: a bulb, a ball, a cylinder with round, an oval, an asymmetric shape, a triangular shape, a square shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, a heptagonal shape, an octagonal shape, a pyramid, a cone, a double cone, an inverted cone, an inverted double cone, a bell shape, a single layer shape, a dual layer shape, a multiple layer shape, single or multiple, uni- and/or multidirectional folds shape, plications, an inverted tulip-like structure, a tulip-like structure with a single or multiple small or large distal opening(s), a uniform shape, an asymmetric shape, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 33 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expanded configuration includes at least one first expanded configuration and at least one second expanded configuration, wherein a diameter of the expandable portion in the at least one second expanded configuration is greater than a diameter of the expandable portion in the at least one first configuration. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the expandable portion includes at least one portion having an elastic property to allow expansion of the expandable portion into at least one of the following: the at least one first expanded configuration and the at least one second expanded configuration. ### Claim 35 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the expandable portion and the tip include at least one portion containing at least one opening, wherein the at least one opening is configured for passing at least one of a fluid, a powder, a gas, an object, a device, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the at least one portion is a non-elastic portion. ### Claim 37 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expandable portion is placed in the collapsed configuration using traction, wherein the collapsed configuration allowing removal of the expandable portion from a target location. ### Claim 38 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expandable portion is placed in at least one of the collapsed configuration and the expanded configuration using at least one of the following mechanisms: a mandrel, a bougie, a balloon, a pressurization mechanism, a retraction mechanism, an electric motor, a change in pressurization, a wrapping string, a balloon, a sheath, and any combination thereof; wherein the collapsed configuration allowing at least one of the placement and removal of at least the expandable portion from a target location. ### Claim 39 (depends on 38) The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the tip includes a basket having at least one expanded configuration and at least one collapsed configuration; wherein the tip is advanced to the target location in the collapsed configuration and expanded into the expandable configuration using the at least one of the mechanisms at the target location; wherein, using the at least one of the mechanisms, the tip is placed into the collapsed configuration for removal from the target location. ### Claim 40 (depends on 39) The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the basket includes at least one traction member for retaining the basket in the at least one expanded configuration, wherein release of the at least one traction member places the basket in the collapsed configuration. ### Claim 41 (depends on 39) The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the basket includes at least one locking mechanism for retaining the basket in at least one expanded configuration, the locking mechanism is configured to stabilize the basket in the at least one expanded configuration at the target location. ### Claim 42 (depends on 41) The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one locking mechanism includes at least one of the following: an active locking mechanism, a passive locking mechanism, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 43 (depends on 41) The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one locking mechanism is configured to irreversibly retain the basket in the at least one expanded configuration, thereby preventing the basket from being returned to the at least one collapsed configuration. ### Claim 44 (depends on 41) The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one locking mechanism is configured to reversibly retain the basket in the at least one expanded configuration, thereby allowing the basket to be returned into the at least one collapsed configuration. ### Claim 45 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a sheath. ### Claim 46 (depends on 45) The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the sheath is self-expandable. ### Claim 47 (depends on 45) The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the sheath is configured for delivery of at least one of the following: a fluid, a powder, a gas, an object, a device, and any combination thereof, to a target location. ### Claim 48 (depends on 45) The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the sheath includes at least one of the following: at least one elastic section, at least one non-elastic section, at least one permanently deformable section, at least one temporarily deformable section, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 49 (depends on 45) The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the sheath includes at least one lumen, wherein the lumen allows passage of at least one of the following: a fluid, a powder, a gas, an object, a device, and any combination thereof. ### Claim 50 (depends on 49) The apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the at least one lumen in the sheath includes at least one of the following: a pressurized lumen, a depressurized lumen, a valve, a side arm, a split and any combination thereof. ### Claim 51 (depends on 45) The apparatus according to claim 45, further comprising a coating covering at least one portion of the sheath. ### Claim 52 (depends on 51) The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the coating is configured to change at least one property of the sheath including at least one of the following: a physical property, a chemical property, a mechanical property, a pharmaceutical property and any combination thereof.