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US 12,642,544 B2Granted
Funnel catheter and novel methods of utilization
AssigneeVascular Development Corp, LLC
InventorRichard E. Fulton, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods useful in facilitating the removal of thrombus, embolus, or debris from a blood vessel and other intravascular interventional actions, including proximal embolic protection when treating a vascular lesion or condition.
Claims20
A method of removing a material from a blood vessel, comprising:
- (a) advancing a device to a target site, wherein the device comprises:
- (i) an outer catheter shaft;
- (ii) an inner catheter shaft disposed at least partially within the outer shaft;
- and
- (iii) an expandable element having a first end coupled to a distal end of the inner catheter shaft and a second end coupled to a distal end of the outer catheter shaft such that translation of the inner catheter shaft relative to the outer catheter shaft causes the expandable element to transition between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration, the expandable element having a funnel shape in the expanded configuration and a cylindrical tubular shape in the collapsed configuration, wherein an inner surface of the funnel shape is contiguous with an inner surface of the inner catheter shaft, wherein the expandable element is non-inflatable;
- (b) translating at least one of the outer and inner catheter shafts of the device, thereby causing the expandable element to transform from a non-occlusive cylindrical shape to the expanded configuration with an outer cylindrical shape and an inner funnel shape, which occludes a blood flow and isolates a portion of the blood vessel containing a clot from the blood flow and exposes one or more apertures on the device to allow fluidic communication between a lumen of the inner catheter shaft and blood of the blood vessel;
- (c) applying a negative pressure to a proximal end of the lumen of the inner catheter shaft;
- and
- (d) applying suction to the portion of the blood vessel containing the clot and aspirating the clot from the portion of the blood vessel.
6 more elements
A method of preventing fragmentation and distal embolization of a thrombus during thrombus removal from a target site of a blood vessel, the method comprising:
- (a) introducing a protective flow arrest device into the blood vessel in close proximity to the target site;
- (b) occluding the blood vessel to blood flow with the protective flow arrest device by expanding an expandable element of the protective flow arrest device, wherein the protective flow arrest device comprises an outer catheter shaft and an inner catheter shaft disposed at least partially within the outer catheter shaft and the expandable element has a first end coupled to a distal end of the inner catheter shaft and a second end coupled to a distal end of the outer catheter shaft;
- wherein expanding the expandable element comprises translating at least one of the outer and inner shafts to expose one or more apertures on the protective flow arrest device and allow fluidic communication between a lumen of the inner catheter shaft and blood of the blood vessel;
- (c) applying a negative pressure to a proximal end of the lumen of the protective flow arrest device;
- (d) aspirating the thrombus while occluding the blood vessel;
- (e) aspirating the thrombus through the protective flow arrest device;
- (f) transitioning the expandable element of the protective flow arrest expandable element to a collapsed configuration;
- and
- (g) removing the protective flow arrest device from the blood vessel.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.