ARTICULATING RETRIEVAL DEVICES

• US 20090069828A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Lazarus Effect, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: MARTIN, Brian Benjamin, Dieck, Martin S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,064,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/221 Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2212 having a closed distal end, e.g. a loop
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2215 having an open distal end

Abstract

The devices and methods described herein relate to improved structures for removing obstructions from body lumens. Such devices have applicability in through-out the body, including clearing of blockages within the vasculature, by addressing the frictional resistance on the obstruction prior to attempting to translate and/or mobilize the obstruction within the body lumen

Claims

1. A medical device for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, the medical device comprising:

a main bundle comprising a group of wires having a first end and a second end;

a capturing portion formed by the group of wires and having an open proximal end, a permeable distal end, and a capturing surface extending therebetween; and

where the capturing portion is formed from the group of wires such that the group of wires diverges from the second end of the main bundle to form the permeable distal end, the group of wires extend back in a proximal direction to form the capturing surface and open proximal end about the main bundle, such that articulation of the capturing portion relative to the main bundle does not cause the open proximal end to reduce in size.

2. The medical device of claim 1, where the capturing surface has an increased frictional resistance as compared to the open proximal end, such that the capturing surface engages the obstruction for removal of the obstruction.

3. The medical device of claim 1, where the capturing portion has a coverage density that increases from the open proximal end to the permeable distal end.

4. The medical device of claim 1, where wires in the group of wires diverges towards a distal end of the capturing portion to form the permeable distal end.

5. The medical device of claim 1, where wires in the group of wires diverge distal to the open proximal end to form the capturing surface.

6. The medical device of claim 1, where a side of the capturing surface is open.

7. The medical device of claim 1, where the open proximal end further comprises a plurality of flanges extending from the capturing portion.

8. The medical device of claim 7, where the flanges extend radially away from an axis of the capturing portion.

9. The medical device of claim 1, where the capturing portion is self-expandable.

10. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement member that provides radial strength to the capturing portion.

11. The medical device of claim 10, where the reinforcement member is formed from one or more of the wires in the group of wires.

12. The medical device of claim 1, where at least a portion of the capturing surface comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of a basket, a filter, a bag, a coil, a helical wire structure, a mesh, a single wound wire, and a plurality of crossing wires or a combination thereof.

13. The medical device of claim 1, where the main bundle of wires includes at least a first wire and a second wire where the first and second wire each have different characteristics.

14. The medical device of claim 13, where the characteristics are selected from a group consisting of material, cross-sectional shape, and cross-sectional size.

15. The medical device of claim 13, where the characteristics are selected from a group consisting of brittleness, ductility, elasticity, hardness, malleability, plasticity, strength, and toughness.

16. The medical device of claim 1, where the main bundle of wires includes at least one shape memory alloy wire.

17. The medical device of claim 1, where the main bundle of wires includes at least one wire selected from the group consisting of a superelastic wire, a polymeric wire, or a metal alloy.

18. The medical device of claim 17, where the metal alloy comprises an alloy selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, titanium, platinum, gold, iridium, tantalum, nitinol, and combinations thereof.

19. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising at least one radiopaque material located on the capturing portion.

20. The medical device of claim 1, where the individual wires each comprise a bundle of smaller wires.

21. The medical device of claim 1, where the individual wire comprises a super-elastic outer shell and an inner core of a radiopaque material.

22. The medical device of claim 21, where the inner core comprises a material selected from a group consisting of platinum, iridium, gold, and tantalum.

23. The medical device of claim 1, where the wires have a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of an open ended circle, an oval, a rectangular shape, a polygon, and a D-shape.

24. The medical device of claim 1, where the capturing portion is jointless.

25. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a covering at least partially located over the capturing portion.

26. The medical device of claim 25, where the covering comprises a polymeric covering having a porosity to allow fluid flow therethrough.

27. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a medial foot located on the main bundle, where the medial foot comprises a surface area or diameter larger than a diameter of the main bundle.

28. The medical device of claim 1, where at least one of the wires from the main bundle returns to the main bundle after forming at least a part of the capturing portion.

29. The medical device of claim 1, where each of the wires from the main bundle returns to the main bundle after forming a part of the capturing portion.

30. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel for use with a catheter, the system comprising:

a capturing portion being self expanding and having a permeable distal end, an open proximal end, and a capturing surface extending therebetween; and

at least one leading wire extendable from the catheter and through the capturing portion and connecting to the capturing portion at a location distal to the open proximal end such that the capturing portion can articulate about the leading wire without reducing a profile of the open proximal end.

31. The system of claim 30, where the leading wire extends to the permeable distal end.

32. The system of claim 30, where the leading wire extends to the capturing surface.

36. The system of claim 30, where a first portion of the capturing surface adjacent to the open proximal end has a low coverage density relative to a remaining portion of the capturing surface, thereby lowering frictional resistance of the first portion of the capturing surface when moving over the obstruction.

37. The system of claim 30, where the at least one leading wire comprises a super-elastic outer shell and an inner core of a radiopaque material.

38. The system of claim 37, where the inner core comprises a material selected from a group consisting of platinum, iridium, gold, tantalum, alloys or mixtures thereof.

43. The system of claim 30, where the capturing portion is jointless.

45. The system of claim 30, further comprising a proximal foot having a configuration to limit undesired proximal movement of the obstruction.

46. The system of claim 45, where the proximal foot further comprises a capturing portion and where a plurality of flanges extends from the capturing portion.

53. The system of claim 30, where the leading wire comprise a bundle of smaller wires.

57. The system of claim 30, where the group of wires diverges towards a distal end of the capturing portion to form the permeable distal end.

60. The system of claim 30, where the capturing portion comprises a distal capturing portion and the system further comprises a proximal capturing portion where the distal capturing portion is moveable relative to the proximal capturing portion, where the proximal capturing portion comprises an open distal end and a proximal end, where the leading wire extends through the open distal end of the proximal capturing portion, and is moveable relative to the proximal capturing portion such that a distance between the distal open end of the proximal capturing portion and the proximal open end of the distal capturing portion can be changed.

61. The system of claim 60, where the proximal end of the proximal capturing portion is permeable.

63. The system of claim 60, further comprising a first plurality of flanges located on the proximal open end of the distal capturing portion and a second plurality of flanges located on the distal open end of the proximal capturing portion, where the first and second plurality of flanges can removably engage each other.

70. The system of claim 60, where the proximal capturing portion has a coverage density that increases from the open distal end to the proximal end.

71. The system of claim 60, where a first portion of the capturing surface adjacent to the open proximal end has a low coverage density relative to a remaining portion of the capturing surface, thereby lowering frictional resistance of the first portion of the capturing surface when moving over the obstruction.

76. The system of claim 60, where the proximal capturing portion is self-expandable and compresses to fit within a lumen of the catheter.

33-35. -35. (canceled)

39-42. -42. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

47-52. -52. (canceled)

54-56. -56. (canceled)

58-59. -59. (canceled)

62. (canceled)

64-69. -69. (canceled)

72-75. -75. (canceled)

77-83. -83. (canceled)

84. A method of removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, the method comprising:

advancing a catheter distal to the obstruction;

deploying a first capturing portion distal of the obstruction, where the first capturing portion comprises a permeable distal end, an open proximal end, a capture surface extending therebetween, and at least one leading wire extending through the capturing portion and through the catheter;

withdrawing the catheter proximally to the obstruction;

moving the first capturing portion over the obstruction by pulling on the leading wire to apply a force to the capturing portion at a location distal to the open proximal end of the first capturing portion; and

removing the obstruction and first capturing portion from the blood vessel.

85. The method of claim 84, where pulling on the leading wire to apply the force to the capturing portion comprises applying the force to the permeable distal end.

86. The method of claim 84, where pulling on the leading wire to apply the force to the capturing portion comprises applying the force to the capture surface.

87. The method of claim 84, further comprising a proximal foot, where the proximal foot limits proximal movement of the obstruction as the first capturing portion moves over the obstruction.

88. The method of claim 84, further comprising a second capturing portion having an open distal end and a proximal end attached axially moveable relative to the first capturing portion, such that moving the first capturing portion over the obstruction causes the open proximal end of the first capturing portion to move towards the open distal end of the second capturing portion to surround the obstruction.

91. The method of claim 88, further comprising continuing to move the first capturing portion towards the second capturing portion such that the open proximal end and the open distal end can removably engage each other.

89-90. -90. (canceled)

92. (canceled)

93. A medical device for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel, the medical device comprising:

a capturing portion having an open proximal end, a permeable distal end, and a capturing surface extending there between, the capturing portion being formed from a plurality of traversing wires; and

where the traversing wires leave from the capturing portion at a location distal to the open proximal end, such that the traversing wires converge at a main bundle that extends through the capturing portion and out of the open proximal end, such that articulation of the capturing portion relative to the main bundle does not reduce a profile of the open proximal end.

94. A system for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel for use with a catheter, the system comprising:

a distal capturing portion being self expanding and having a permeable distal end, an open proximal end, and a distal capturing surface extending therebetween;

a proximal capturing portion where the distal capturing portion is moveable relative to the proximal capturing portion, where the proximal capturing portion comprises an open distal end and a proximal end,

at least one leading wire extending through the open distal end of the proximal capturing portion and to the open proximal end of the distal capturing portion.

95-96. -96. (canceled)