Systems and methods for protecting the cerebral vasculature

A method of inhibiting embolic material from entering cerebral vasculature, the method comprising:

• positioning a guidewire through a right subclavian artery and into a left subclavian artery;
• tracking a distal portion of a first protection device over the guidewire, the distal portion of the first protection device comprising:
• an outer sheath;
• a first self-expanding filter assembly radially within the outer sheath;
• and
• at least one of proximally retracting the outer sheath and distally advancing the self-expanding filter assembly to deploy the first self-expanding filter assembly from the outer sheath in the left subclavian artery upstream of the left vertebral artery;
• after deploying the self-expanding filter assembly, withdrawing the outer sheath from the right subclavian artery and withdrawing the guidewire into an innominate artery;
• tracking a distal portion of a second protection device over the guidewire, the distal portion of the second protection device comprising:
• a proximal sheath;
• a proximal self-expanding filter assembly radially within the proximal sheath;
• a distal sheath;
• and
• a distal self-expanding filter assembly radially within the distal sheath;
• at least one of proximally retracting the proximal sheath and distally advancing the proximal self-expanding filter assembly to deploy the proximal self-expanding filter assembly from the proximal sheath in the innominate artery;
• steering the distal sheath into a left common carotid artery;
• at least one of proximally retracting the distal sheath and distally advancing the distal self-expanding filter assembly to deploy the distal self-expanding filter assembly from the distal sheath in the left common carotid artery;
• and
• after deploying the proximal and distal self-expanding filter assemblies, withdrawing the proximal and distal sheaths.