Device and method for tacking plaque to blood vessel wall

A method of treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease, comprising:

• holding plaque against blood vessel walls by installing a tack device formed as a thin, annular band of durable, flexible material having a plurality of barbs or anchoring elements on its outer annular periphery, said annular band being dimensioned and designed to be applied with a spring force against the plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls.

A device for delivering a compressible annular tack into a blood vessel for emplacement against plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls, comprising:

• a hollow catheter delivery tube having delivery tube end,
• a fabric carrier slidable along a surface of catheter delivery tube on which the annular tack is loaded in a compressed form and is moved by the sliding of the fabric carrier to the delivery tube end, and
• wherein the compressed annular tack is released at the delivery tube end to expand back to its uncompressed size for emplacement to hold plaque against the blood vessel walls.

A device for delivering a compressible annular tack into a blood vessel for emplacement against plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls, comprising:

• a catheter delivery tube having delivery tube end,
• wherein the annular tack is loaded in a compressed form on an outer surface of the catheter delivery tube, and
• a cover is sleeved over the catheter delivery tube to hold the annular tack in its compressed state on the outer surface of the catheter delivery tube until it reaches the delivery tube end.

A device for delivering an annular tack into a blood vessel for emplacement against plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls, comprising:

• a catheter delivery tube having delivery head,
• wherein the annular tack is to be made of a material having shape-memory and formed as a linear strip ribbon in its rest state and is capable of restoring to an annular shape when exposed to internal body temperature,
• wherein the delivery head of the catheter delivery tube has a plurality of barrels of a rotatable, multi-barreled tack magazine for loading a plurality of tacks therein in an array around the outer surface of the catheter delivery tube, and an internal pressure chamber for generating pressure for eject a ribbon strip from its barrel as it is moved by rotation of the magazine to bring each ribbon strip in turn to an ejector position in the delivery head.