DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TACKING PLAQUE TO BLOOD VESSEL WALL USING WIRE MESH ANNULAR BAND
First Claim
1. A device for holding plaque against blood vessel walls surrounding a lumen of a blood vessel to keep the lumen open in treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease, comprising:
- a thin, annular band made of a durable, flexible material and having a plurality of barbs on its outer annular periphery, said annular band being dimensioned with a length along a longitudinal axis of the lumen that is less than its diameter, and being designed to be applied in the lumen with an outward expansion force against the plaque to press and hold the plaque against the blood vessel walls,wherein said annular band is made of thin, flexible wire which is looped and interleaved in an annular mesh form, andwherein said plurality of barbs are formed at a plurality of points on the wire around the outer annular periphery of the annular mesh form so as to project from the annular mesh form with sharp points outwardly toward the blood vessel walls such that, when an outward expansion force is applied, the sharp points around the outer annular periphery pierce into the plaque and maintain a locking relationship relative to the blood vessel walls.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A plaque tack device for treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease is formed as a thin, annular band made of thin, flexible wire formed in a mesh structure having a plurality of barbs on its outer periphery. It has a width that is small relative to its diameter, to minimize the amount of foreign structure placed in the blood vessel. One or more tacks may be applied in positions along a plaque accumulation site as needed to stabilize the site and/or hold pieces of plaque out of the way of blood flow. The barbs of the tack may be pressed into the plaque and/or blood vessel walls by balloon expansion. Related methods of deployment and delivery devices are provided for insertion of the plaque tack in a compressed state into the blood vessel and expanding it back to its annular shape for holding plaque against the blood vessel walls.
66 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A device for holding plaque against blood vessel walls surrounding a lumen of a blood vessel to keep the lumen open in treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease, comprising:
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a thin, annular band made of a durable, flexible material and having a plurality of barbs on its outer annular periphery, said annular band being dimensioned with a length along a longitudinal axis of the lumen that is less than its diameter, and being designed to be applied in the lumen with an outward expansion force against the plaque to press and hold the plaque against the blood vessel walls, wherein said annular band is made of thin, flexible wire which is looped and interleaved in an annular mesh form, and wherein said plurality of barbs are formed at a plurality of points on the wire around the outer annular periphery of the annular mesh form so as to project from the annular mesh form with sharp points outwardly toward the blood vessel walls such that, when an outward expansion force is applied, the sharp points around the outer annular periphery pierce into the plaque and maintain a locking relationship relative to the blood vessel walls. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for holding plaque against blood vessel walls surrounding a lumen of a blood vessel to keep the lumen open in treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease, comprising:
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providing a thin, annular band made of a durable, flexible material and having a plurality of barbs on its outer annular periphery, said annular band being dimensioned with a length along a longitudinal axis of the lumen that is less than its diameter, and being designed to be applied in the lumen with an outward expansion force against the plaque to press and hold the plaque against the blood vessel walls, wherein said annular band is made of thin, flexible wire which is looped and interleaved in an annular mesh form, and wherein said plurality of barbs are formed at a plurality of points on the wire around the outer annular periphery of the annular mesh form so as to project from the annular mesh form with sharp points outwardly toward the blood vessel walls such that, when an outward expansion force is applied, the sharp points around the outer annular periphery pierce into the plaque and maintain a locking relationship relative to the blood vessel walls, and delivering the thin annular band at a selected position along a length of plaque in the lumen in order to hold the plaque against the blood vessel walls at the selected position of a plaque accumulation site without the need for any holding material to be deployed around the selected position where it is not needed. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification