Systems and methods for locating and closing a tissue puncture

#U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/325,206, entitled “Balloon Insertion Apparatus and Method of Sealing a Tissue Puncture,” filed on 4 Jan. 2006, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In the event of a conflict, the subject matter explicitly recited or shown herein controls over any subject matter incorporated by reference. All definitions of a term (express or implied) contained in any of the subject matter incorporated by reference herein are hereby disclaimed. The paragraphs shortly before the claims dictate the meaning to be given to any term explicitly recited herein subject to the disclaimer in the preceding sentence.

#Various medical procedures, particularly cardiology related procedures, involve accessing a corporeal vessel or other bodily lumen through a percutaneous sheath. Accessing the vessel necessarily requires the formation of a hole or opening in the vessel wall. The hole allows medical equipment such as catheters to be inserted into the vessel so that the physician can perform the desired medical procedure. After the medical procedure has been completed, the sheath must eventually be removed from the vessel and the access hole in the vessel wall must be closed.

#Historically, access holes to blood vessels were closed by applying prolonged manual pressure over the puncture site by a physician or other trained medical professional. In most situations, the time involved was extensive, especially if anticoagulants and/or thrombolytic agents were used during the procedure. Using manual pressure to close the access holes resulted in greater time demands on the medical professional and also increased the patient's recovery time. Consequently, the expense associated with the procedure also increased. The discomfort and delay in mobilization for patients resulting from this prolonged manual pressure is significant.

#The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the vascular closure devices and are a part of the specification. The illustrated embodiments are intended to be merely examples of certain embodiments of the vascular closure devices.

#FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional vascular closure device that utilizes a balloon to close a hole in a blood vessel.

#FIG. 3 is an exploded assembly view of one embodiment of an introducer sheath and an associated vascular closure device.

#Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.

#A number of embodiments of vascular closure devices are described herein that may be used to close a hole in a blood vessel. It should be appreciated that although the vascular closure devices may be used to close any hole in any animal, the following discussion focuses on vascular closure devices that are used to close a hole in a blood vessel such as an arteriotomy. It should be appreciated, however, that the principles, concepts, and features described herein may apply to numerous other settings and may be used in connection with other uses beyond closing vascular holes (e.g., urinary tract, digestive tract, and the like). Also, it should be appreciated, that the features, advantages, characteristics, etc. of one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment to form an additional embodiment unless noted otherwise.

#As mentioned above, many medical procedures are performed that require access to a blood vessel through a hole, puncture, or opening in the vessel. The vascular closure devices described herein may be used to seal the hole in the blood vessel or arteriotomy following completion of the medical procedure. In most situations, the puncture extends through the patients skin and into the vessel at an oblique angle (e.g., approximately 20° to 45°) relative to the vessel. This makes it possible to insert a device such as a catheter into the vessel without bending the catheter significantly or damaging the blood vessel.