Systems, methods and devices for removing obstructions from a blood vessel
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
- a catheter having a lumen;
an expandable capture element which is contained within the lumen of the catheter, the capture element being slidable within the lumen of the catheter between a collapsed position contained within the lumen and an expanded position in which the capture element is positioned outside the lumen; and
an obstruction engaging device having a filament, the filament being movable from a collapsed position to an expanded position, the obstruction engaging element passing through the catheter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel includes an obstruction engaging element and an expandable capture element. The capture element preferably has a flexible cover and an expandable support structure. The engaging element engages the obstruction and moves the obstruction into the capture element. The capture element protects the obstruction when the obstruction is moved into the catheter.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
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a catheter having a lumen;
an expandable capture element which is contained within the lumen of the catheter, the capture element being slidable within the lumen of the catheter between a collapsed position contained within the lumen and an expanded position in which the capture element is positioned outside the lumen; and
an obstruction engaging device having a filament, the filament being movable from a collapsed position to an expanded position, the obstruction engaging element passing through the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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3. The system of claim 3, wherein:
the expandable capture element has a support structure with a flexible cover attached to the support structure. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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12. A method of removing an obstruction from a blood vessel comprising the steps of:
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providing a catheter, an obstruction engaging device and an expandable capture element, the capture element being contained within a lumen of the catheter in a collapsed position, the capture element moving to an expanded position when positioned outside the lumen, the obstruction engaging device having a filament which is movable from a collapsed position to an expanded position;
introducing the catheter into a blood vessel of a patient;
engaging an obstruction with the filament;
expanding the capture element; and
moving the obstruction into the capture element with the engaging device after the engaging and expanding steps. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
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a catheter having a lumen;
an expandable capture element contained within the lumen of the catheter, the capture element being in a collapsed position when contained within the lumen and being in an expanded position when positioned outside the lumen, the expandable capture element having a support structure forming a closed loop having a plurality of integrally formed hinges; and
an obstruction engaging device which extends through the expandable capture element, the engaging device having a collapsed shape and an expanded shape. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
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a catheter having a lumen;
an expandable capture element which is contained within the lumen of the catheter, the capture element being slidable within the lumen of the catheter, the capture element having an actuator for manually expanding and contracting the capture element; and
an obstruction engaging device which passes through the capture element. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A catheter for capturing an obstruction, comprising:
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a catheter having a lumen;
a capture element positioned in the lumen of the catheter, the capture element being expandable, the capture element having an expandable support structure and a cover attached to the support structure, the cover having a length which is at least three times a diameter of the support structure in the expanded position. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A device for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
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an expandable loop which is movable from a collapsed position to an expanded position;
a cover coupled to the loop, the distal end of the cover being moving from a closed position to an open position when the loop moves from the collapsed to expanded positions; and
a tube having an actuator extending therethrough, the actuator being coupled to the loop so that relative movement between the tube and the actuator causes the loop to move between the expanded and collapsed positions. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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42. A device for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, comprising:
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a tube;
a support structure movable between a collapsed position and an expanded position, the support structure extending through the tube and being naturally biased toward the expanded position, wherein the support structure expands when moved out of the distal end of the tube and is in the collapsed position when contained within the tube, the support structure being bowed outward;
a cover coupled to the structure, the cover moving from a closed position to an open position when the loop moves from the collapsed position to the expanded position.
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Specification