Blood vessel sealing system
AssigneeCCH Associates, LLC
InventorsChristopher U. Cates, William D. Knopf, Douglass G. Whitney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for sealing access openings into blood vessels using an expandable member in the blood vessel on a control member that extends out through the access opening and an applicator which inserts a preformed sealing material into the access opening over the control member to keep the control member and expandable member centered in the access opening and withdrawing the collapsed expandable member back through the sealing material after the access opening is sealed.
Claims10
A method of sealing an opening in a blood vessel wall through an access passage in the skin and tissue of a patient comprising the steps of:
- a) inserting an expandable member attached to a control member into the blood vessel lumen through the opening in the blood vessel wall while the expandable member is in a collapsed condition smaller than the blood vessel wall opening so that the control member extends out of the blood vessel wall opening and the access passage exteriorly of the patient;
- b) expanding the expandable member to an expanded condition larger than the blood vessel wall opening;
- c) pulling the expandable member back against the blood vessel wall opening using the control member to form a seal at the blood vessel wall opening;
- d) inserting a collagen plug into the access passage around the control member while the seal is maintained at the blood vessel wall opening until the collagen plug is located at the blood vessel wall opening;
- e) after a coagulum is formed at the blood vessel wall opening to seal the opening, deflating the expandable member to the collapsed condition;
- and,
- f) retracting the collapsed expandable member through the collagen plug while leaving the collagen plug in position so that the coagulum seals the opening through the collagen plug.
A blood vessel sealing system for sealing the wall opening in a blood vessel through the access passage formed through the skin and tissue in the patient comprising:
- a) sealing means including
- an elongate control portion having a cross-sectional size smaller than the cross-sectional size of the access passage and the blood vessel wall opening,
- an expandable portion thereon having a collapsed condition smaller than the cross-sectional size of the access passage and the blood vessel wall opening and an expanded condition larger than the cross-sectional size of the access passage and the blood vessel wall opening,
- expanding means or selectively expanding and collapsing said collapsible portion of said sealing means;
- b) an elongate collagen plug defining opposed leading and trailing ends thereon and a central passage therethrough adapted to receive the control portion therethrough and to receive the expandable portion of said sealing means therethrough while aid expandable portion is in the collapsed condition;
- and,
- c) applicator means for selectively inserting said collagen plug into the access passage around said control portion of said sealing means so that the leading end of said collagen plug is located at the blood vessel wall opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.