SELF-OPENING FILTER WITH WIRE ACTUATION

• US 20070299465A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Messal, Todd P., Stivland, Timothy M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,277,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/011 Instruments for their placement or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/018 made from tubes or sheets of material, e.g. by etching or laser-cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0006 circular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/008 paraboloidal

Abstract

A distal protection device that may include a guidewire having a proximal end and a distal end, a filter disposed on the guidewire, the filter including filtering material and an expandable hollow coil, and a wire at least partially disposed within the coil, wherein the filter is actuatable from a closed position to an open position by reducing tension on the wire and methods of use thereof.

Claims

1. A distal protection device comprising

a guidewire having a proximal end and a distal end;

a filter disposed on the guidewire, the filter including filtering material and an expandable hollow coil; and

a wire at least partially disposed within the coil;

wherein the filter is actuatable from a closed position to an open position by reducing tension on the wire.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the coil comprises a plurality of loops and wherein the loops are spaced apart in the open position of the filter and spaced closer together in the closed position.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the loops abut in the closed position.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the filtering material defines a proximally facing cavity having a mouth and wherein the coil is attached to the mouth.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the coil spirals along a portion of the length of the filtering material and wherein the coil has a proximal end attached to the filtering material proximal end and a distal end attached to the guidewire.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the coil has a helical shape and wherein the coil has a proximal end attached to the filtering material proximal end and a distal end attached to the guidewire proximate the filtering material distal end.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the loops are made from nitinol.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the loops are made from wire having a circular cross-section.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the loops are made from wire having a rectangular cross-section.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the coil has a first end that is fixed.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the coil has a second end that is fixed.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein the coil has a second end attached only to the filtering material.

13. The device of claim 1 further comprising

a slider tube disposed on the guidewire;

a stop disposed proximal of the slider tube; and

wherein the filter is attached to the slider tube.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the filter is attached to the guidewire.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the guidewire comprises a hollow portion having a lumen.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the guidewire comprises an opening from the guidewire lumen proximal the filter and wherein the wire is at least partially disposed in the coil.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein the guidewire comprises a solid portion proximal the hollow portion.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the solid portion is between 100 and 140 centimeters in length.

19. The device of claim 1 further comprising a weakness in the wire proximal the filter.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the weakness is a knot and wherein the guidewire defines an opening distal a lumen in which the wire is partially disposed, where the opening is just proximal the knot and smaller than the knot.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the guidewire includes a collar in which the opening is defined.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein the weakness comprises a perforation in the guidewire.

23. The device of claim 20 wherein the weakness comprises a neck.

24. The device of claim 1 wherein the wire is a polymeric member.

25. The device of claim 1 wherein the wire is a component that has high tensile strength and low columnar strength.

26. The device of claim 1 wherein the wire is Kevlar string.

27. A method of opening a distal protection filter comprising the steps of

providing a filter disposed on a guidewire, the filter having filtering material attached to a hollow coil;

providing a wire in tension disposed partially in the coil, the wire tension keeping the coil in a compacted configuration; and

releasing the tension in the wire to allow the coil to expand to an open configuration and thereby open the filter.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of releasing the tension in the wire comprises the step of moving the wire distally relative to the guidewire.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the wire comprises a distal section connected by a weakness to a proximal section and wherein the step of releasing the tension comprises the step of separating the proximal portion from the distal portion.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of releasing the tension includes the step of forcing a knot in the wire against a surface of the guidewire until the wire separates.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the step of releasing the tension includes the step of pulling the wire proximally.

32. A distal protection device comprising

an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end;

a filter disposed on the elongate member, the filter including a filtering material connected to a hollow expandable coil, the filter actuatable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, the coil having a first end and a second end and defining a lumen therebetween; and

a wire threaded through the lumen of the coil, the wire being attached to the first end and extending out from the second end.

33. The device of claim 32 wherein the coil comprises a plurality of loops that are spaced apart when the filter is in the expanded configuration and spaced more closely together when the filter is in the collapsed configuration.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein the loops abut when the filter is in the collapsed configuration.

35. The device of claim 32 wherein the filter is actuatable between the expanded configuration and the collapsed configuration by the application of tension to the wire.

36. The device of claim 32 wherein the filter is moved from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration by pulling the wire proximally.