Endovascular snare for capture and removal of arterial emboli
First Claim
1. An endovascular snare adapted for the capture and removal of emboli from a vascular vessel, said snare comprising:
- a basket surrounding a central space and having an opening at one end, the opposite end being closed, said opening providing access to said central space for receiving said emboli;
a tongue attached to said basket adjacent to said opening and projecting outwardly therefrom, said tongue having a leading edge for engaging and separating said emboli from said vessel; and
a tether attached to said tongue for drawing said leading edge into engagement with said emboli, said tether being offset from a centerline of said basket.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A snare for capture and removal of arterial emboli is disclosed. The snare is formed from a basket of interlaced filamentary members or a skeleton of interconnected flexible members. The basket has an opening at one end. A tongue extends from the basket adjacent to the opening, the tongue being offset from the basket centerline. A tether is attached to the tongue. The basket is collapsible into a collapsed configuration for delivery within an artery via a catheter. The basket is resiliently biased to expand into an open configuration upon release from the catheter. The tongue has a leading edge that engages the embolus and separates it from the artery when the snare is drawn toward it using the tether.
239 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An endovascular snare adapted for the capture and removal of emboli from a vascular vessel, said snare comprising:
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a basket surrounding a central space and having an opening at one end, the opposite end being closed, said opening providing access to said central space for receiving said emboli;
a tongue attached to said basket adjacent to said opening and projecting outwardly therefrom, said tongue having a leading edge for engaging and separating said emboli from said vessel; and
a tether attached to said tongue for drawing said leading edge into engagement with said emboli, said tether being offset from a centerline of said basket. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An endovascular snare adapted for the capture and removal of emboli from a vascular vessel, said snare being movable through a catheter for positioning within said vessel, said snare comprising:
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a basket surrounding a central space and having an opening at one end, the opposite end being closed, said opening providing access to said central space for receiving said emboli;
a tongue attached to said basket adjacent to said opening and projecting outwardly therefrom, said tongue having a leading edge for engaging and separating said emboli from said vessel, said tongue and said basket being formed from a plurality of flexible, resilient monofilaments braided together, said basket being collapsible into a collapsed configuration for passage of said basket through said catheter and into said vessel, said monofilaments being resiliently biased to expand said basket into an open configuration for receiving said emboli upon release thereof from said catheter; and
a tether attached to said tongue for drawing said leading edge into engagement with said emboli, said tether being offset from a centerline of said basket. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method of removing an embolus lodged within a vascular vessel using a snare deployed from a catheter, said method including the steps of:
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inserting said catheter through said vessel and positioning the tip of said catheter past said embolus;
deploying said snare from said catheter, said snare expanding into said open configuration;
drawing said catheter away from said embolus and positioning said catheter tip on an opposite side of said embolus from said snare;
drawing said snare toward said embolus;
capturing said embolus within said basket; and
removing said catheter and said snare from said vessel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 19)
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18. A method of removing an embolus lodged within a vascular vessel using a snare deployed from a catheter having a balloon positioned near the catheter tip, said method including the steps of:
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inserting said catheter through said vessel and positioning the tip of said catheter proximate to said embolus;
inflating said balloon to enlarge said vessel and block flow therethrough;
deploying said snare from said catheter to a position on an opposite side of said embolus from said catheter tip, said snare expanding into said open configuration;
drawing said snare toward said embolus;
capturing said embolus within said basket;
deflating said balloon; and
removing said catheter and said snare from said vessel.
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Specification