Delivering a conduit into a heart wall to place a coronary vessel in communication with a heart chamber and removing tissue from the vessel or heart wall to facilitate such communication
AssigneeVentrica, Inc.
InventorsALAN R. RAPACKI, DARIN C.. GITTINGS, GILBERT S. LAROYA, MARK J. FOLEY
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Devices and methods for delivering conduits into the wall of a patient's heart to communicate a coronary vessel with a heart chamber. The devices are passed through the coronary vessel and the heart wall to place the conduit and establish a blood flow path between the vessel and the heart chamber. Additional devices and methods are provided for removing tissue from a coronary vessel or the heart wall to establish a flow path between the coronary vessel in communication with the heart chamber.
Claims59
A device for delivering a conduit into the wall of a patient's heart to place the conduit in communication with a heart chamber, the device comprising:
- a support member having a length, a proximal end and a distal end;
- a conduit supported by the support member;
- a sheath overlying at least a portion of the conduit, the sheath being movable to selectively expose the portion of the conduit covered by the sheath;
- and
- wherein the sheath is moved to expose said portion of the conduit upon positioning the support member and conduit at a desired location within the wall of the heart.
A device for delivering a conduit to a selected location in the wall of a patient's heart to place the conduit in communication with a heart chamber, the device comprising:
- a support member having a length, a proximal end and a distal end;
- a conduit disposed on the support member;
- and
- a positioning member provided on the support member, the positioning member configured to indicate placement of the conduit in a selected position within the heart wall;
- wherein the positioning member is disposed a predetermined distance from the conduit and the position of the conduit relative to the heart wall is determined by the position of the positioning member relative to the heart wall.
A device for delivering a conduit through the wall of a patient's heart and the wall of a coronary vessel to communicate a heart chamber with the coronary vessel, the device comprising:
- a support member configured for placement through the wall of a heart so that a portion of the support member extends into a heart chamber;
- an expandable conduit sized and configured for placement in the heart wall so as to communicate the heart chamber with a coronary vessel, wherein the conduit is supported on the support member in a collapsed orientation and is expanded to an expanded orientation for placement in the heart wall;
- and
- wherein the support member has an expansion mechanism that engages the conduit and is actuated to move the conduit from the collapsed orientation to the expanded orientation to securely position the conduit in the heart wall.
A method for placing a conduit in the wall of a patient's heart, the method comprising steps of:
- (a) providing a support member and a conduit;
- (b) passing the support member and the conduit through a wall of a coronary vessel and through the wall of a patient's heart;
- (c) positioning the conduit within the wall of the heart;
- and
- (d) removing the support member from the wall of the heart.
A method for placing a conduit in the wall of a patient's heart at a selected position with respect to the heart wall, the method comprising steps of:
- (a) providing a support member and a conduit, the support member having a positioning member disposed at a predetermined location with respect to the conduit;
- (b) passing the support member and the conduit through a wall of a coronary vessel and through the wall of a patient's heart;
- (c) locating the positioning member against tissue to place the conduit at a selected location within the wall of the heart;
- and
- (d) removing the support member and leaving the conduit in the wall of the heart.
A method for placing and expanding a conduit in the wall of a patient's heart, the method comprising steps of:
- (a) providing a support member and a conduit, the conduit being supported in a collapsed orientation and movable to an expanded orientation;
- (b) placing the support member and the conduit in a wall of a patient's heart;
- (c) positioning the conduit within the wall of the heart;
- (d) expanding the conduit to the expanded orientation;
- and
- (e) removing the support member and leaving the conduit in the wall of the heart.
A device for forming a channel that extends at least partially through the wall of a patient's heart and communicates with a heart chamber, the device comprising:
- a shaft having a length, a proximal end and a distal end;
- and
- a tissue removal mechanism movably supported on the shaft so as to be movable along the length of the shaft, the tissue removal mechanism including a tissue-removing portion that is actuated to remove a section of tissue from a patient's heart to form a channel that extends at least partially through the heart wall and communicates with a heart chamber;
- wherein the tissue removal mechanism is moved along at least a portion of the length of the shaft into contact with the section of heart tissue and is actuated to remove the section of tissue.
A device for removing a portion of the wall of a coronary vessel located adjacent the wall of a patient's heart, the device comprising:
- a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;
- a tissue-removing mechanism disposed adjacent the distal end of the shaft, wherein the tissue-removing mechanism is disposed at a predetermined distance with respect to the distal end of the shaft so that the distal end of the shaft may be placed at a location adjacent the wall of a coronary vessel that positions the tissue-removing mechanism against the wall of the coronary vessel;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the tissue-removing mechanism for selectively actuating the mechanism to remove a portion of the wall of the coronary vessel without removing a substantial portion of the wall of the heart located adjacent the coronary vessel.
A device for forming a channel through at least a portion of the wall of a patient's heart by utilizing electrical energy, the device comprising:
- a shaft having a length, a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft being sized and configured to be placed in a heart wall with at least the distal end of the shaft extending into the heart wall;
- an electrode disposed adjacent the distal end of the shaft, the electrode adapted to apply electrical energy to tissue in order to ablate the tissue;
- and
- a coupling adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy.
A method for forming a channel that extends through the wall of a patient's heart to communicate a coronary vessel with a heart chamber, the method comprising:
- placing a shaft through an outer wall of a coronary vessel and into an interior lumen of the vessel, the shaft having a portion configured to remove tissue from the heart wall;
- placing the shaft through an inner wall of the coronary vessel and placing said portion of the shaft in contact with the heart wall;
- and
- using the shaft to remove tissue from the heart wall to form a channel that extends through the heart wall and communicates the coronary vessel with a heart chamber.
A method for removing a portion of the wall of a coronary vessel of a patient's heart without removing a substantial portion of the wall of the heart, the method comprising steps of:
- positioning an instrument adjacent the wall of a coronary vessel located adjacent the wall of a patient's heart;
- and
- using the instrument to remove a portion of the wall of the coronary vessel without removing a substantial portion of the wall of the heart.
A method for forming a channel that extends through the wall of a patient's heart and communicates a coronary vessel with a heart chamber, the method comprising:
- providing an instrument including an electrode;
- positioning the instrument and the electrode through a wall of a coronary vessel;
- placing the electrode in contact with the heart wall adjacent the coronary vessel;
- and
- applying electrical energy to the electrode to ablate the tissue of the heart wall.
A method for introducing a medical device through a coronary vessel and the wall of a patient's heart to perform a medical procedure, the method comprising steps of:
- positioning a guide member through a coronary vessel and the wall of a patient's heart into a heart chamber;
- providing a medical device configured to carry out a medical procedure on the heart;
- and
- using the guide member to introduce the medical device into the heart wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.