TAVR Valve Guidewire and Guidetube with Adjustable Distal Loop
OwnerMichael B. McDonaldinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microcatheter device for crossing a patient's aortic valve has a guidetube combined with a free-floating and removable guidewire. The guidetube is generally hollow with a main shaft and a distal ring, the main shaft and the distal ring formed from flexible plastic. The distal ring is larger in diameter than the main shaft, and is configured to conform to an internal guidewire for insertion into the aorta, and then to deploy to form a downwardly-extending loop when in place in the left ventricle. A guidewire is received by the guidetube and is configured to advance into the distal ring to cause a diameter of the distal ring to expand, retract, or completely straighten. The distal ring diameter is thus adjustable to fit the size of the patient's left ventricle.
Claims11
A microcatheter/guidewire combination device for crossing a patient's aortic valve, the microcatheter comprising:
- a generally hollow guidetube comprising a main shaft and a distal ring, the main shaft and the distal ring formed from flexible plastic tubing, the tubing of the distal ring larger in outer diameter than the tubing of the main shaft, the distal ring configured to be substantially straight for insertion into the aorta and across the aortic valve, and to deploy to form a downwardly-extending loop when in place in the left ventricle, and
- a guidewire received by the guidetube, the guidewire configured to cause the distal ring of the guidetube to straighten when the guidewire is advanced fully into the guidetube, the guidewire further configured to cause the distal ring of the guidetube to deploy when the guidewire is retracted from the distal ring, the guidewire further configured to cause the diameter of the distal ring to increase when the guidewire is partially advanced into the distal ring.
A microcatheter for positioning a valve during a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, the microcatheter comprising:
- a guidetube comprising a resilient hollow body conformable to a guidewire when the guidewire is passed in through a proximal opening in the guidetube and through the guidetube, the guidetube comprising a main shaft and a distal ring, the distal ring deployable to a deployed shape when the guidewire is retracted from the guidetube, the deployed shape comprising a loop extending downwardly from the main shaft, the loop curving adjustably from substantially 360 degrees in a partially-deployed configuration to substantially 540 degrees in a retracted configuration, the loop becoming larger in diameter as the guidewire is advanced partially into the distal ring.
A method of positioning a cardiac valve, the method comprising:
- advancing a microcatheter into a patient's aorta, across the patient's aortic valve, and into the patient's left ventricle cavity, the microcatheter comprising:
- a generally hollow guidetube comprising a main shaft and a distal ring, the main shaft and the distal ring formed from flexible plastic tubing, the tubing of the distal ring larger in diameter than the tubing of the main shaft, the distal ring configured to conform to an internal guidewire for insertion into the aorta, and to deploy to form a downwardly-extending loop when in place in the left ventricle, and
- a guidewire received by the guidetube, the guidewire configured to advance into the distal ring to cause a diameter of the distal ring to expand, the guidewire further configured to retract to cause the diameter of the distal ring to contract;
- retracting the guidewire until the guidetube deploys to form a distal ring of a desired diameter;
- partially advancing the guidewire to increase the diameter of the distal ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.