Apparatus for trapping emboli
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorWilliam Gregory Ladd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A filter for filtering micro-emboli from a patient's blood during an angioplasty procedure is disclosed which comprises a plurality of curved wires connected to a rod between a first connector fixed with respect to the rod and a second connector slidingly mounted on the rod. Two layers of filter material are connected to opposite sides of the wires, and each layer includes perforations which are offset from the perforations in the other layer. When the rod and the wires are disposed within a catheter, the inner wall of the catheter compresses the wires toward the rod and when the rod is extended from the catheter, the wires resume their curved shape and pull the sliding connector along the rod toward the fixed connector.
Claims25
An apparatus for filtering fluid in a bodily passageway comprising:
- a hollow tube having an open end;
- a rod having a first end and a second end slidingly disposed within said tube;
- a plurality of curved flexible strands, each having a first end connected to said rod at a first point and a second end connected to said rod at a second point between said first point and said rod second end;
- and,
- a portion of filter material connected to said plurality of strands;
- whereby drawing said rod into said tube compresses said flexible strands toward said rod.
An apparatus for filtering blood in a blood vessel comprising:
- a catheter;
- a shaft having a longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end, disposed within said catheter for sliding movement with respect thereto;
- a first connector fixedly attached to said shaft;
- a second connector slidingly mounted on said shaft between said first connector and said shaft second end;
- a plurality of flexible wires having a given shape connected between said first and second connectors;
- and,
- a portion of filter material connected to said plurality of wires;
- whereby drawing said rod into said catheter compresses said wires toward said rod and moves said second connector away from said first connector.
A filter apparatus for filtering blood downstream of an arterial narrowing during a procedure to widen the arterial narrowing, comprising:
- a catheter having an inner wall and an open end;
- a hollow rod having an outer surface and a first end and a second end slidingly disposed within said catheter;
- a guide wire disposed within said hollow rod;
- a first ring member fixedly connected to said outer surface of said rod;
- a second ring member slidingly connected to said outer surface of said rod between said first ring member and said rod second end;
- a plurality of flexible wires preformed into a curved shape and having first ends connected to said first ring member and second ends connected to said second ring member;
- a first sheet of filter material having perforations and connected to said plurality of wires between said rod and said wires, said first sheet having a length less than the length of said plurality of wires;
- a second sheet of filter material having perforations and connected to said plurality of wires, said second sheet perforations being offset from said first sheet perforations;
- a safety wire connected between said first ring member and said second ring member and to said rod;
- and,
- a safety stop connected to said rod between said second ring member and said rod second end;
- whereby said plurality of wires are compressed by said catheter inner wall when said rod is inside of said catheter and whereby said plurality of wires expand to assume their preformed shape and contact the wall of said artery when said rod second end and said wires are extended from said catheter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.