Vascular access closure systems and methods

A closure system for sealing an access site through a side wall of a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

• a device handle;
• a catheter assembly extending distally from the device handle;
• an expandable member coupled to a distal end of the catheter assembly and configured to shift between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, wherein the expandable member is configured to engage an interior surface of the side wall of the blood vessel in the deployed configuration;
• and
• a sealing shaft assembly extending distally from the device handle and operatively connected to a source of RF energy, wherein the sealing shaft assembly is configured to apply RF energy to the side wall of the blood vessel at the access site;
• wherein the sealing shaft assembly comprises a first shaft portion fixedly secured to the device handle and a second shaft portion movably coupled to the first shaft portion, wherein a distal end of the second shaft portion is axially offset from a distal end of the first shaft portion in an open configuration;
• wherein the catheter assembly is slidably disposed between the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion.

A method of sealing an access site through a side wall of a blood vessel, comprising:

• advancing a catheter assembly of a closure system over a guidewire into the blood vessel through the access site;
• shifting an expandable member coupled to the distal end of the catheter assembly from a delivery configuration to a deployed configuration within the blood vessel;
• retracting the closure system to engage the expandable member with an interior surface of the side wall of the blood vessel;
• exposing a sealing shaft assembly operatively connected to a source of RF energy adjacent the access site;
• actuating the sealing shaft assembly to grasp the side wall of the blood vessel around the catheter assembly;
• and
• applying RF energy to the side wall of the blood vessel at the access site with the sealing shaft assembly.