Over-the-wire interlock attachment/detachment mechanism

• US 20060004434A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WL Gore and Associates Incorporated (W.L. Gore and Associates)
• Original Assignee: WL Gore and Associates Incorporated (W.L. Gore and Associates)
• Inventors: Opolski, Steven W., Forde, Sean T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,398,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00234 for minimally invasive surgery A61B17/0218, A61B17/0469, A61B17/12013, A61B17/1285, A61B17/29, A61B17/320016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00575 for closure at remote site, e.g. closing atrial septum defects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00619 Locking means for locking the implement in expanded state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0105 Open ended, i.e. legs gathered only at one side
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/011 Instruments for their placement or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/962 having an outer sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/018 made from tubes or sheets of material, e.g. by etching or laser-cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9505 having retaining means other than an outer sleeve, e.g. male-female connector between stent and instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9528 for retrieval of stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0067 conical

Abstract

The over-the-wire interlock attachment/detachment mechanism includes a cylindrical lock receiving section of a small diameter attached to an implantable medical device such as a blood clot filter, a stent, or a septal occluder. This cylindrical lock receiving section has a plurality of spaced, curved cutouts to receive both the guide fingers and contoured locking fingers formed on a cylindrical locking section. The locking fingers are angled outwardly from the cylindrical body of the cylindrical locking section, and are moved inwardly into engagement with the curved cutouts of the cylindrical lock receiving section by a sheath which slides over the cylindrical locking section or other suitable operator.

Claims

1. A medical implant delivery system comprising:

a locking mechanism sized and shaped for insertion in a mammalian blood vessel, the locking mechanism comprising a locking arm, said locking arm, when unrestrained, releases laterally and angularly outward; and

a sheath reversibly slidable over the locking mechanism and allowing the locking arm to repeatedly transition reversibly between a first state and a second state, wherein the sheath restrains the locking arm in the first state when slid over the locking arm and releases the locking arm into the second state when slid away from the locking arm.

2. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the locking arm extends, in the first state, substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the locking mechanism.

3. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the locking arm extends, in the second state, laterally and angularly outward from a longitudinal axis of the locking mechanism.

4. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the locking arm comprises an enlargement at its free end.

5. The delivery system of claim 4 wherein the enlargement is substantially circular.

6. The delivery system of claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism comprises multiple locking arms spaced substantially equidistant to a longitudinal axis of the locking mechanism.

7. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprising an implant attached to the locking mechanism through a cutout section in the implant that receives the locking arm.

8. The delivery system of claim 7 wherein the implant is selected from the group consisting of an occluder, a filter, and a stent.

9. The delivery system of claim 7 wherein the implant and the locking mechanism are axially aligned when the locking arm is received in the cutout section.

10. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprising a guidewire.

11. The delivery system of claim 1 further comprising a flexible section.

12. A method for retrieving a medical implant comprising:

accessing a medical implant using a locking mechanism comprising a locking arm, wherein the locking mechanism is enclosed in a sheath, and the implant comprises a cutout section;

sliding the sheath away from the locking mechanism to allow the locking arm to angle outwardly from a longitudinal axis of the locking mechanism;

positioning the locking arm over the cutout section of the implant;

sliding the sheath back over the locking mechanism to lock the locking arm in the cutout section and thereby locking the implant; and

retrieving the locking mechanism with the implant.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the accessing step comprises accessing the implant with a guidewire and passing the locking mechanism over the guidewire.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the implant is selected from the group consisting of an occluder, a filter, and a stent.