DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH VARIABLE DELIVERY RATE FOR DEPLOYING A MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20100036472A1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Papp, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,976,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9517 handle assemblies therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod

Abstract

A delivery system utilizes a handle assembly including an actuating mechanism capable of initially providing sufficient mechanical advantage to overcome static friction when initiating deployment of the medical device. The actuating mechanism includes components which help to increase the speed of deployment as the physician continues to manipulate the actuating mechanism.

Claims

1. A system for delivering a medical device within vasculature, comprising:

a retractable sheath;

a medical device retained by the retractable sheath; and

a handle assembly including an actuating mechanism coupled to the sheath, the actuating mechanism including a flexible elongate member having one end coupled to the retractable sheath and another end coupled to a wind-up member, the wind-up member being rotatable to allow a portion of the flexible elongate member to wind thereon to effect longitudinal movement of the sheath, and a speed-increasing member associated with the actuating mechanism which increases the speed by which the sheath moves longitudinally as the flexible elongate member is wound about the wind-up member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the speed-increasing member is associated with the wind-up member.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the speed-increasing member is a structure integrally formed on the wind-up member.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the speed-increasing member is coupled to the wind-up member.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wind-up member is a drum and the speed-increasing member is a cam coupled to the drum.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the wind-up member is a drum and the speed-increasing member is a plurality of linked cams coupled to the drum.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the wind-up member is a drum and the speed-increasing member is a ramp-like structure forming a portion of the drum.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the drum and the ramp-like structure create an outer edge having a partial spiral shape.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the speed-increasing member is associated with the flexible elongate member.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexible elongate member is a belt.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the flexible elongate member is a belt having a thickness and the speed-increasing member is a belt cam associated with the belt which increases the thickness of the belt in the region where the cam is located.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism further includes a thumbwheel coupled to the wind-up member for rotating the wind-up member.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the flexible elongate member is a belt having a thickness and the speed-increasing member includes a first belt cam and a second belt cam associated with the belt, the first cam being disposed a distance away from the second cam, each of the belt cams increasing the thickness of the belt in the region where the belt cams are located.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the belt cam has a plurality of notches extending therethrough to allow the belt cam to flex as it winds around the wind-up member.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the belt cam has a first face attached to the belt and a second face extending opposite to the belt, the belt cam having a plurality of notches extending into the second face for providing flexibility to the belt cam.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the belt cam has a variable thickness.

17. The system of claim 2, further including another speed-increasing member associated with the flexible elongate member.

18. The system of claim 3, further including a second-speed increasing member coupled to the wind-up member.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the wind-up member provides initial mechanical advantage to the actuating mechanism when the wind-up member is initially rotated by the user at a particular speed input and the speed-increasing member imparts a faster deployment speed in retracting the retraining sheath when the same input speed is applied by the user.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the wind-up member is a drum-like structure having a first region and a second region, the first region having an outer edge with a substantially uniform radius and the second region having an outer edge with a radius that is larger than the radius found in the first region.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second region is formed by a ramp-like structure which forms a part of the drum.

22. The system of claim 21, further including a second speed-increasing member coupled to the drum.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein when a particular input speed is applied to the actuating mechanism, the first region provides an initial deployment speed and the second region provides an increase deployment speed when the same input speed is applied to the actuating mechanism.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the speed-increasing member is a shaped portion formed on the wind-up member which varies the radius of the wind-up member.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaped portion of the wind-up member has a groove associated therewith in which the elongate member is housed as the wind-up member is rotated.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the shaped portion of the wind-up has a substantially conical configuration.

24. A handle for delivering a medical device within vasculature, comprising:

a body; and

an actuating mechanism located in the body, the actuating mechanism including a belt having a first end and a second end, the second end of the belt being coupled to a rotatable, wind-up member upon which at least a portion of the belt is wound to cause the first end of the belt to effect longitudinal movement, the wind-up member being rotated via the actuating motion to cause the belt to wind therearound, and a speed-increasing member to increase the longitudinal speed of the first end of the belt as the belt winds around the wind-up member when a particular input speed is applied by the user to the actuating mechanism.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the actuating mechanism provides a mechanical advantage when the actuating mechanism is initially actuated by the user.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the speed-increasing member is associated with the wind-up member.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the speed-increasing member is a structure integrally formed on the wind-up member.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the speed-increasing member is coupled to the wind-up member.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the wind-up member is a drum and the speed-increasing member is a cam coupled to the drum.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the speed-increasing member is associated with the flexible elongate member.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the speed-increasing member is a shaped portion formed on the wind-up member which varies the radius of the wind-up member.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the shaped portion of the wind-up member has a groove associate therewith in which the elongate member is housed as the wind-up member is rotated.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the shaped portion of the wind-up member has a substantially conical configuration.