RECONFIGURING HEART FEATURES

• US 20100249920A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Millipede, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Millipede LLC (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Bolling, Steven F., Abbs, Jeremy A., Biancucci, Brian A.
• Application Number:
  US12/794,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20100249920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/2.110
• 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 17/0401 Suture anchors, buttons or pledgets, i.e. means for attaching sutures to bone, cartilage or soft tissue; Instruments for applying or removing suture anchors A61B17/0642 takes precedence; fixation devices for tendons or ligaments A61F2/0811
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/064 Surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0644 penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00783 Valvuloplasty
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00862 elastic or resilient for sutures A61B2017/0618
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect for prostheses A61F2210/0014
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0414 having a suture-receiving opening, e.g. lateral opening lateral eyelet for attaching suture to needle A61B2017/06019
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0647 having one single leg, e.g. tacks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/12018 Elastic band ligators
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2445 Annuloplasty rings in direct contact with the valve annulus
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2466 Delivery devices therefor

Abstract

Among other things, a heart tissue support has a ring-shaped body and gripping elements, each gripping element having a free end that is sharp enough to penetrate heart tissue when pushed against the tissue, and a feature to resist withdrawal of the gripping element from the tissue after the sharp free end has penetrated the tissue. Among other things, a tool to attach a support to a heart valve annulus has splaying elements that spread apart to hold the support in an expanded configuration prior to attachment. Among other things, an apparatus includes polygonal elements connected along corners of the elements to form a ring, the polygonal elements being capable of expanding and contracting, and gripping elements attached to points of the polygonal elements. Among other things, a method includes using a delivery tool to expand a support and a heart valve annulus to one diameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a heart tissue support having a ring-shaped body and gripping elements,

each gripping element having a free end that is sharp enough to penetrate heart tissue when pushed against the tissue, and a feature to resist withdrawal of the gripping element from the tissue after the sharp free end has penetrated the tissue.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feature to resist withdrawal comprises a barb.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the feature to resist withdrawal comprises a curve at the sharp free end.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises diamond-shaped elements, pairs of which are connected at corners of the elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises flexible elements and semi-rigid elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the semi-rigid elements bear gripping elements.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the flexible elements bear gripping elements.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the flexible elements comprise coils.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the coils comprise round wire.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the coils comprise flat wire.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the flexible elements comprise zig-zag wire.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which the zig-zag wire is sinusoidal.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the flexible elements comprise accordion crimped material.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises a spring loop of round wire.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises a ring of connected arc-shaped pieces.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which the arc-shaped pieces comprise portions of coils.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises an overlapping metal ribbon.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises a c-shaped coil having a gap.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring-shaped body comprises an elastic polymer band.

20. A tool to attach a support to a heart valve annulus, the tool comprising:

splaying elements that spread apart to hold the support in an expanded configuration prior to attachment, expand the heart valve annulus prior to attachment, enable the attachment of the support in its expanded configuration to the expanded valve annulus, and pull together to release the expanded support to a contracted configuration after the attachment.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising a balloon that inflates in the expanded configuration and deflates in the contracted configuration.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 in which the splaying elements provide a gap through which blood can flow past the balloon.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 in which the splaying elements comprise an articulating feature having an angle that changes between the expanded configuration and contracted configuration.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a sliding feature attached to the splaying elements and configured to change a configuration of the splaying elements.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a continuous cone configured to slide against annular tissue.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 in which the continuous cone has a shelf upon which the support rests.

27. The apparatus of claim 20 in which the splaying elements spread apart to hold the support at a diameter greater than a diameter of the heart valve annulus.

28. An apparatus comprising:

polygonal elements connected along corners of the elements to form a ring, the polygonal elements being capable of expanding and contracting, and

gripping elements attached to points of the polygonal elements, the gripping elements having a free end that is sharp enough to penetrate heart tissue when pushed against the tissue, and a feature to resist withdrawal of the gripping element from the tissue after the sharp free end has penetrated the tissue.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 in which the polygonal elements comprise diamond-shaped elements.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 in which the polygonal elements comprise hexagon-shaped elements.

31. A method comprising using a delivery tool to expand a support and a heart valve annulus to one diameter and to bring anchors of the support into radial alignment with a circumference of the annulus to attach the support to the annulus, and releasing the tool to allow the support to collapse to a predetermined diameter, retaining the heart valve annulus at about that predetermined diameter.