Apparatus for compressing an expandable medical device
AssigneeCook Medical Technologies LLC
InventorJeffry S. Melsheimer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for compressing a medical device, such as a self-expanding stent, and loading the compressed medical device into a sheath are disclosed. A plurality of moveable blades are disposed about a central axis and form a radially contractible aperture which receives the device. An operating mechanism moves the blades between an expanded configuration and a radially contracted configuration. A subset of the blades is independently moveable in an axial direction with respect to other of the blades while the blades are in a contracted configuration.
Claims20
A system for compressing a medical device comprising:
- a plurality of moveable blades disposed about a central axis and forming an iris that defines a radially contractible aperture, the blades being configured to receive and compress a medical device within the aperture;
- and
- an operating mechanism for moving the plurality of blades between an expanded configuration and a contracted configuration;
- wherein a subset of the plurality of blades is independently moveable in at least a first axial direction with respect to other of the plurality of blades while the plurality of blades are in a contracted configuration.
A system for compressing and loading a self-expanding medical device into a sheath comprising:
- a plurality of moveable blades disposed about a central axis and forming an iris that defines a radially contractible aperture, the blades being configured to receive and compress a medical device within the aperture;
- an operating mechanism for moving the plurality of blades between a radially expanded configuration and a radially contracted configuration;
- and
- an operating mechanism for moving some of the plurality of blades in a first axial direction with respect to other of the plurality of blades while the plurality of blades are in a radially contracted configuration;
- wherein the compressed medical device is moved in a second, opposite axial direction within the aperture when said some of the plurality of blades are moved in the second axial direction.
A method of operating a compressor for compressing a medical device, the compressor comprising at least a first group of blades radially disposed about a central axis and a second group of blades radially disposed about the central axis, the first group of blades and the second group of blades arranged to be axially coextensive, the method comprising:
- moving the first and second groups of blades between a radially expanded configuration and a radially contracted configuration to compress the medical device;
- and
- selectively moving the first group of blades independently with respect to the second group of blades.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.