Apparatus and methods for sealing vascular puncturess

#The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for sealing or closing passages through tissue, and more particularly to devices for sealing punctures or other openings communicating with body lumens, such as blood vessels, and to apparatus and methods for delivering such devices.

#Catheterization and interventional procedures, such as angioplasty or stenting, generally are performed by inserting a hollow needle through a patient's skin and muscle tissue into the vascular system. A guide wire may then be passed through the needle lumen into the patient's blood vessel accessed by the needle. The needle may be removed, and an introducer sheath may be advanced over the guide wire into the vessel, e.g., in conjunction with or subsequent to a dilator. A catheter or other device may then be advanced through a lumen of the introducer sheath and over the guide wire into a position for performing a medical procedure. Thus, the introducer sheath may facilitate introduction of various devices into the vessel, while minimizing trauma to the vessel wall and/or minimizing blood loss during a procedure.

#Upon completion of the procedure, the devices and introducer sheath may be removed, leaving a puncture site in the vessel wall. External pressure may be applied to the puncture site until clotting and wound sealing occur. This procedure, however, may be time consuming and expensive, requiring as much as an hour of a physician's or nurse's time. It is also uncomfortable for the patient, and requires that the patient remain immobilized in the operating room, catheter lab, or holding area. In addition, a risk of hematoma exists from bleeding before hemostasis occurs.

#FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of an apparatus for sealing a passage through tissue, in accordance with the present invention.

#FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the assembled apparatus of FIG. 1A.

#FIG. 2A is a detail of a plug member on a distal end of the apparatus of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

#Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first preferred embodiment of an apparatus 10 for sealing a passage through tissue, in accordance with the present invention. Generally, the apparatus 10 includes a plug member 12, an elongate shaft or carrier member 14, and an elongate guide member 16.

#The plug member 12 is a substantially rigid body, preferably having a generally cylindrical shape, including a proximal end 20, a distal end 22, and an outer surface 30. The plug member 12 includes a lumen 24 that extends between a proximal opening 26 and a distal opening or port 28.

#The plug member 12 may be formed from a biocompatible material, e.g., a plastic, such as polyethylene or polyester. Preferably, the plug member 12 is formed at least partially (and more preferably entirely) from bioabsorbable material, such as collagen, polyglycolic acids (PGA's), polyactides (PLA's), and the like, that may be at least partially absorbed by the patient's body over time. Alternatively, the plug member 12 may be a semi-rigid or flexible body or may have a substantially flexible distal tip (not shown), e.g., to facilitate atraumatic insertion of the plug member 12 into the passage. In addition or alternatively, the plug member 12 may be tapered along its length, and/or the distal end 22 may be rounded to facilitate advancement of the plug member 12 into a passage through tissue.