Wedge wire for use with a narrowed bifurcation vessel
OwnerColin PEARCEinventor
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Abstract
A wedge wire for maintaining the patency of an opening to a branch vessel while installing a stent in a main branch of a narrowed bifurcated vessel is provided. The wedge wire has a wedge portion that is larger than the rest of the body of the wedge wire and this wedge portion is used to maintain patency of the branch vessel when a balloon catheter is used to expand a stent in the main branch across the opening of the second branch.
Claims14
A wedge wire for maintaining the patency of an opening to a branch vessel while installing a stent in a main branch of a narrowed bifurcated vessel, the wedge wire comprising;
- a proximate end and a distal end;
- a wedge portion positioned proximate the distal end;
- a first portion extending between the proximate end and the wedge portion;
- and
- a distal portion extending between the distal end and the wedge portion,
- wherein the wedge portion has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the first portion and the thickness of the second distal portion.
The wedge wire of claim 2 wherein the thickness of the first portion and the thickness of the distal portion are substantially the same.
A method of treating a narrowing of a bifurcated vessel, the bifurcated vessel having a main vessel, a branch vessel and an opening formed between the branch vessel and the main vessel, the method comprising:
- deploying a stent in the main vessel across the opening to the branch vessel;
- using a first guide wire, positioning an uninflated balloon in the stent;
- providing a wedge wire having a proximate end and a distal end and a wedge portion proximate the distal end, the wedge portion having a thickness greater than the rest of the wedge wire;
- maneuvering the distal end of the wedge wire through a sidewall of the stent and through the opening into the branch vessel until the wedge portion of the wedge wire is positioned in the opening;
- and
- inflating the balloon to enlarge the stent while using the wedge portion of the wedge wire to maintain pendency in the opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.