METHOD OF REMOVING A VEIN FILTER
15 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of removing an implanted vessel filter by a femoral approach comprising the steps of providing a catheter with a curved tip, inserting a straightening device into the catheter to move the catheter tip from a curved position to a more straightened position, advancing the catheter tip through the femoral vein and past a cranial end of the filter, withdrawing the straightening device to enable the catheter tip to return to the curved condition, and inserting a filter grasping device though the catheter and a curved catheter tip to exit a distal portion to grasp the filter.
138 Citations
36 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
- 21. A vessel filter comprising a first region at a cranial end and a second region at a caudal end, the filter movable between a collapsed position for delivery to the vessel and an expanded position for placement within the vessel, the first region having a filter portion having a converging region to direct particles toward the center of the filter, the first region including a plurality of spaced apart elongated struts and a plurality of connecting struts extending at an angle from the elongated struts, a retrieval hook positioned at a proximal portion of the filter, the second region being flared in the expanded position to have a transverse dimension increasing toward a second end portion opposite the filter portion, the second region including a plurality of vessel engaging hooks, each of the hooks having a heel portion and a vessel penetrating portion, the vessel penetrating portion having a plurality of teeth, the heel portion extending further from the caudal end than the penetrating portion.
- 29. A vessel filter comprising a body made from a single tube, the tube cut to create a plurality of elongated struts forming a filter region and a mounting region, the mounting region including a plurality of vessel engaging hooks, each of the hooks having a penetrating tip pointing in a direction toward the filter region, a plurality of teeth for engaging the vessel, and a heel extending beyond the teeth in a direction opposite the direction of the penetrating tip.
- 31. The vessel filter of claim 31, wherein the heel of the hooks extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the struts in the mounting region.
- 34. A vessel engaging hook comprising a penetrating region and a heel region, the penetrating region having a tip directed in a first direction, the heel region include a heel directed in a second different direction to limit penetration of the hook, and a plurality of teeth adjacent the penetrating tip to engage tissue.
Specification