# US 8,465,517 B2 · Flexible tamping device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,465,517 B2 - Document ID: US8465517B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/789,284 - Filed: 2010-05-27 - Published: 2010-09-16 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2006-09-18 - Assignees: St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC - Applicants: John White; Andrew Thomas Forsberg - Inventors: John White; Andrew Thomas Forsberg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465517B2 ## CPC - A61B 17/0057: {Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect (sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009)} - A61B 17/06123: {Flat cylinders, e.g. including an inner reel} - A61B 2017/00637: {for sealing trocar wounds through abdominal wall} - A61B 2017/00654: {entirely comprised between the two sides of the opening} - A61B 2017/00659: {located only on one side of the opening} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A method and apparatus for sealing a puncture or incision formed percutaneously in tissue separating two internal portions of the body of a living being with an anchor, a sealing plug and a filament connecting the anchor and sealing plug. The method and apparatus provide for a tamping device that is coilable in some configurations and stiff and straight in other configurations. The coilable tamping device may also automatically tamp the sealing plug when the apparatus is withdrawn from the puncture site. The automatic uncoiling and tamping is facilitated by transducing a motive force generated by the withdrawal of the apparatus into a tamping force. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: withdrawing a closure device from the tissue puncture; automatically uncoiling a partially coiled tamping device to tamp a sealing plug toward the tissue puncture by transducing a motive force generated by withdrawal of the closure device in a first direction to a tamping force in a second direction; wherein the tamping device includes a different cross-sectional shape taken laterally through the tamping device when coiled than when uncoiled. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision according to claim 1, wherein the automatically uncoiling further comprises: passing the tamping device through a shaper to alter the cross-sectional shape of the tamping device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision according to claim 1, wherein the automatically uncoiling further comprises: passing the tamping device through a shaper to alter the cross-sectional shape of the tamping device; wherein the altering stiffens the tamping device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision according to claim 1, wherein the transducing further comprises automatically unwinding a filament from a filament spool by deploying an anchor attached to the filament inside the tissue puncture prior to withdrawing the closure device from the tissue puncture. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision according to claim 1, wherein the tamping device when uncoiled has a trough cross-sectional shape. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision according to claim 1, wherein the tamping device when uncoiled has a cross-sectional shape with a plurality of bends. ### Claim 7 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: providing a tissue puncture closure device comprising a filament connected at its distal end to an anchor and to a sealing plug located proximal of the anchor for disposition and anchoring about the tissue puncture; inserting the tissue puncture closure into the percutaneous incision; deploying the anchor into the tissue puncture; withdrawing the closure device from the percutaneous incision; automatically uncoiling a tamping device upon withdrawal of the closure device from the internal tissue wall puncture; reshaping a cross-section of the tamping device from a flat cross-sectional shape to a non-flat cross-sectional shape; tamping the sealing plug toward the anchor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method according to claim 7, wherein the reshaping includes contacting the tamping device with a shaper. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) A method according to claim 7, wherein the reshaping includes changing the cross-section of the tamping device from a flat cross-section to a folded cross-section. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, wherein the folded cross-section includes a trough shape. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) A method according to claim 7, wherein the tamping device includes at least one recess along its length, and the reshaping includes bending the tamping device at the recess. ### Claim 12 A method of treating a vascular incision, comprising: providing a vascular closure device having a filament, an anchor, a sealing plug, and an at least partially coiled tamping device, the filament extending from a first end to a second end of the closure device, the anchor attached to the filament at the second end of the device, the sealing plug slidingly attached to the filament adjacent to the anchor, and the tamping device having a distal end arranged adjacent to the sealing plug and a cross-section taken laterally through the tamping device; inserting the anchor through the vascular incision at a location distal of the vascular incision; withdrawing the vascular closure device to dispose the sealing plug proximal of the vascular incision; uncoiling the tamping device to compact the sealing plug toward the anchor, wherein uncoiling the tamping device includes changing a shape of the cross-section of the tamping device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device includes changing from a flat cross-section to a trough shaped cross-section. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device includes folding the tamping device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein the vascular closure device further includes a shaper positioned at the first end, wherein uncoiling the tamping device includes contacting the tamping device with the shaper to change the cross-sectional shape of the tamping device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein the shaper is positioned distal of a coiled portion of the tamping member. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A method according to claim 15, wherein a portion of the tamping device proximal of the shaper comprises a curved, flexible configuration and a portion of the tamping device distal of the shaper comprises a straight, stiff configuration. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device includes changing from a flat cross-sectional shape to a one of: a U-shaped, a V-shaped, or a closed polygonal shaped cross-section. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein the filament is coiled around a spool, wherein rotating the spool by unwinding the filament rotates at least one gear to unwind the tamping device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) A method according to claim 12, wherein the vascular closure device further comprises an automatic unwinding device for unwinding the tamping device in response to retraction of the tissue puncture closure device from the tissue puncture. ### Claim 21 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: withdrawing a closure device from the tissue puncture; automatically uncoiling a partially coiled tamping device to tamp a sealing plug toward the tissue puncture by transducing a motive force generated by withdrawal of the closure device in a first direction to a tamping force in a second direction; wherein the tamping device includes a different cross-sectional shape when coiled than when uncoiled; wherein the automatically uncoiling further comprises passing the tamping device through a shaper to alter the cross-sectional shape of the tamping device, wherein the altering stiffens the tamping device. ### Claim 22 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: withdrawing a closure device from the tissue puncture; automatically uncoiling a partially coiled tamping device to tamp a sealing plug toward the tissue puncture by transducing a motive force generated by withdrawal of the closure device in a first direction to a tamping force in a second direction; wherein the tamping device includes a different cross-sectional shape when coiled than when uncoiled; wherein the tamping device when uncoiled has a cross-sectional shape with a plurality of bends. ### Claim 23 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: providing a tissue puncture closure device comprising a filament connected at its distal end to an anchor and to a sealing plug located proximal of the anchor for disposition and anchoring about the tissue puncture; inserting the tissue puncture closure into the percutaneous incision; deploying the anchor into the tissue puncture; withdrawing the closure device from the percutaneous incision; automatically uncoiling a tamping device upon withdrawal of the closure device from the internal tissue wall puncture; reshaping a cross-section of the tamping device; tamping the sealing plug toward the anchor; wherein the reshaping includes changing the cross-section of the tamping device from a flat cross-section to a folded cross-section. ### Claim 24 A method of sealing a tissue puncture in an internal tissue wall accessible through a percutaneous incision, comprising: providing a tissue puncture closure device comprising a filament connected at its distal end to an anchor and to a sealing plug located proximal of the anchor for disposition and anchoring about the tissue puncture; inserting the tissue puncture closure into the percutaneous incision; deploying the anchor into the tissue puncture; withdrawing the closure device from the percutaneous incision; automatically uncoiling a tamping device upon withdrawal of the closure device from the internal tissue wall puncture; reshaping a cross-section of the tamping device; tamping the sealing plug toward the anchor; wherein the tamping device includes at least one recess along its length, and the reshaping includes bending the tamping device at the recess. ### Claim 25 A method of treating a vascular incision, comprising: providing a vascular closure device having a filament, an anchor, a sealing plug, and an at least partially coiled tamping device, the filament extending from a first end to a second end of the closure device, the anchor attached to the filament at the second end of the device, the sealing plug slidingly attached to the filament adjacent to the anchor, and the tamping device having a distal end arranged adjacent to the sealing plug; inserting the anchor through the vascular incision at a location distal of the vascular incision; withdrawing the vascular closure device to dispose the sealing plug proximal of the vascular incision; uncoiling the tamping device to compact the sealing plug toward the anchor, wherein uncoiling the tamping device includes changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device; wherein changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device includes folding the tamping device. ### Claim 26 A method of treating a vascular incision, comprising: providing a vascular closure device having a filament, an anchor, a sealing plug, and an at least partially coiled tamping device, the filament extending from a first end to a second end of the closure device, the anchor attached to the filament at the second end of the device, the sealing plug slidingly attached to the filament adjacent to the anchor, and the tamping device having a distal end arranged adjacent to the sealing plug; inserting the anchor through the vascular incision at a location distal of the vascular incision; withdrawing the vascular closure device to dispose the sealing plug proximal of the vascular incision; uncoiling the tamping device to compact the sealing plug toward the anchor, wherein uncoiling the tamping device includes changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device; wherein changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device includes changing from a flat cross-sectional shape to a one of: a U-shaped, a V-shaped, or a closed polygonal shaped cross-section. ### Claim 27 A method of treating a vascular incision, comprising: providing a vascular closure device having a filament, an anchor, a sealing plug, and an at least partially coiled tamping device, the filament extending from a first end to a second end of the closure device, the anchor attached to the filament at the second end of the device, the sealing plug slidingly attached to the filament adjacent to the anchor, and the tamping device having a distal end arranged adjacent to the sealing plug; inserting the anchor through the vascular incision at a location distal of the vascular incision; withdrawing the vascular closure device to dispose the sealing plug proximal of the vascular incision; uncoiling the tamping device to compact the sealing plug toward the anchor, wherein uncoiling the tamping device includes changing a cross-sectional shape of the tamping device; wherein the vascular closure device further includes a shaper positioned at the first end, a portion of the tamping device proximal of the shaper comprises a curved, flexible configuration, and a portion of the tamping device distal of the shaper comprises a straight, stiff configuration, and uncoiling the tamping device includes contacting the tamping device with the shaper to change the cross-sectional shape of the tamping device.