Embolic protection system and method including and embolic-capturing filter

A system for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:

• a filter, adapted to be guided to and deployed within a blood vessel at a location distal to an interventional procedure site, to occlude the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site, to pass the blood to enable blood to flow past the occlusion, to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to enable retention of the captured emboli therein, including:
• an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the art captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, wherein the expandable member has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, and wherein the expandable member includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material.

A method of forming a filter for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, wherein the filter comprises an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture the embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, includes a proximal end which is open and a distal end, and has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, wherein the expandable member further includes a longitudinal axis extending therealong, and the plurality of openings include longitudinal openings adapted to extend along the expandable member longitudinal axis, and aligned openings adapted to extend in alignment in the generally longitudinal direction at an angle relative to and symmetrical about the longitudinal axis, and wherein the expandable member includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material, wherein the method comprises;

• forming the expandable member so as to be generally conical-shaped, including a proximal end which is open and a distal end;
• and
• forming a plurality of openings in the expandable member for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, including forming longitudinal openings along the expandable member longitudinal axis, and forming aligned openings extending in alignment in the generally longitudinal direction at an angle relative to and symmetrical about the longitudinal axis, and including forming larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, and forming smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member.

A method of capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, in a system which comprises a filter, adapted to be guided to and deployed within a blood vessel at a location distal to an interventional procedure site, to occlude the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site, to pass the blood to enable blood to flow past the occlusion, to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to enable retention of the captured emboli therein, including an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, wherein the expandable member has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, and wherein the expandable member includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material, wherein the method comprises:

• positioning the filter in the interventional procedure site such that the generally conical-shaped expandable member is located within the blood vessel in the region at a location distal to the interventional procedure site;
• expanding the expandable member within the blood vessel at the location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel;
• passing the blood through the expandable member;
• performing the interventional procedure, which may release embolic material into the blood;
• filtering the blood through the expandable member, so as to capture larger embolic material in the proximal larger size openings, and smaller embolic material in the distal smaller size openings, which may be released into the blood upon performing the interventional procedure;
• contracting the expandable member;
• and
• retaining the captured emboli in the expandable member.

A method of forming a filter for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, wherein the filter comprises an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture the embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, includes a proximal end which is open and a distal end, and has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, wherein the plurality of openings in the expandable member are adapted to be formed in a plurality of sizes therein, and wherein the expandable member includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material, wherein the method comprises;

• forming the expandable member so as to be generally conical-shaped, including a proximal end which is open and a distal end;
• and
• forming a plurality of openings in the expandable member in a plurality of sizes therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, including forming larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, and forming smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member.

A system for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:

• a filter, adapted to be guided to and deployed within a blood vessel at a location distal to an interventional procedure site, to occlude the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site, to pass the blood to enable blood to flow past the occlusion, to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to enable retention of the captured emboli therein, including:
• an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, wherein the expandable member includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material.

A method of forming a filter for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, wherein the filter comprises an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture the embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, includes a proximal end which is open and a distal end, and has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable e member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material wherein the method comprises:

• forming the expandable member so as to be generally conical-shaped, including a proximal end which is open and a distal end;
• and
• forming a plurality of openings in the expandable member for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, including forming larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, and forming smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member.

A method of capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, in a system which comprises a filter, adapted to be guided to and deployed within a blood vessel at a location distal to an interventional procedure site, to occlude the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site, to pass the blood to enable blood to flow past the occlusion, to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to enable retention of the captured emboli therein, including an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, and includes a proximal end and a distal end, and the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material, wherein the method comprises:

• positioning the filter in the interventional procedure site such that the generally conical-shaped expandable member is located within the blood vessel in the region at a location distal to the interventional procedure site;
• expanding the expandable member within the blood vessel at the location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel;
• passing the blood through the expandable member;
• performing the interventional procedure, which may release embolic material into the blood;
• filtering the blood through the expandable member, so as to capture larger embolic material in the proximal larger size openings, and smaller embolic material in the distal smaller size openings, which may be released into the blood upon performing the interventional procedure;
• contracting the expandable member;
• and
• retaining the captured emboli in the expandable member.

A method of forming a filter for capturing and retaining embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, wherein the filter comprises an expandable member, adapted to be expandable within the blood vessel at a location distal to the interventional procedure site so as to occlude the blood vessel and direct the blood flowing through the blood vessel therethrough, and further adapted to be contractable so as to capture the embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the therapeutic interventional procedure, and to retain the captured emboli therein, wherein the expandable member is generally conical-shaped, includes a proximal end which is open and a distal end, and has a plurality of openings therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, wherein the plurality of openings in the expandable member are adapted to be formed in a plurality of sizes therein, and wherein the plurality of openings include larger size openings towards the proximal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter larger embolic material, and smaller size openings towards the distal end of the expandable member, adapted to filter smaller embolic material, wherein the method comprises;

• forming the expandable member so as to be generally conical-shaped, including a proximal end which is open and a distal end;
• and
• forming a plurality of openings in the expandable member in a plurality of sizes therein for enabling blood to pass therethrough while preventing emboli from passing therethrough, so as to capture larger embolic material in the proximal larger size openings, and smaller embolic material in the distal smaller size openings.