ANCHORS FOR USE IN MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

• US 20110218387A1
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Teleflex Life Sciences Limited (Teleflex Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: NeoTract, Inc. (Teleflex Incorporated)
• Inventors: Welch, Jacqueline N., Wei, Michael, Catanese, Joseph III, Lamson, Theodore C.
• Application Number:
  US13/034,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218387A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/30
• 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 17/06109 Big needles, either gripped by hand or connectable to a handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00805 Treatment of female stress urinary incontinence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0409 Instruments for applying suture anchors for applying suture clamps, clips or locks A61B2017/0488
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0412 having anchoring barbs or pins extending outwardly from suture anchor body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0417 T-fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0427 having anchoring barbs or pins extending outwardly from the anchor body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0464 for soft tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0045 Support slings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/04 Hollow or tubular parts of organs, e.g. bladders, tracheae, bronchi or bile ducts A61F2/18, A61F2/20 take precedence; devices, other than stent-grafts, providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body other than stent-grafts, e.g. stents A61F2/82; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes

Abstract

An anchor system and associated method for manipulating, approximating or compressing tissues and anatomical or other structures in medical applications for the purpose of treating diseases or disorders or other purposes. The anchor includes one or more elastic wing and fin structures extending radially from the anchor'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an anchor body;

at least one resilient wing extending from the anchor body, the resilient wing is foldable against the anchor body;

a resilient fin extending from the anchor body, the resilient fin is foldable against the anchor body;

a connector attached to the anchor body; and

a delivery apparatus about which the anchor body is configured and an outer sheath sized to hold the resilient wing and the resilient fin of the anchor body in their folded configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a delivery assembly wherein while housed in the delivery assembly and prior to deployment at a target site, the anchor body is constrained in a generally straight configuration, and wherein, upon deployment from the delivery assembly, the anchor body subsequently assumes a curved configuration.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor body is generally straight when unconstrained.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the resilient wing includes a wire-form.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wire-form defines a loop.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of wire-forms which define the resilient wing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fin is formed from a wire-form.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of wire-forms defining the fin.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fins.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least three wings.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor body further includes a mesh patch.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor body is bioabsorbable.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor body includes radiopaque markers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery apparatus is configured to deploy a plurality of anchor bodies.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for directly reforming a urethra or repositioning a bladder in a manner addressing female incontinence without reforming surrounding tissue.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for shifting without securing a bladder and bladder neck to resist movement due to forces created during valsalva.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a proximal anchor component.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the proximal anchor component defines a clothespin like structure.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the proximal anchor component defines a tubular device with a deformable center that engages the connector.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the proximal anchor component is defined by two pieces.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery apparatus includes a slot for engaging the connector.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor body includes a longitudinal slot adapted to receive a corresponding rail formed on the delivery apparatus.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor includes means for routing the connector along a length of the anchor.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor includes a bore configured to receive an anchor.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor includes means for turning the anchor within tissue when released from the delivery apparatus.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means include a turning fulcrum.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the means is embodied in flexible gradients along the anchor body.

28. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pair of anchor bodies connected by a slip knot arrangement configured to apply a tension to a mesh in a direction perpendicular to the anchor bodies.

29. A method for introducing an anchor within a patient, comprising:

accessing a target site within an interventional site with a delivery apparatus, the delivery apparatus housing at least one anchor; and

delivering the at least one anchor beyond the target site so that sufficient space is provided for turning of the at least one anchor and to account for tissue elasticity.

30. A method for introducing an anchor within a patient, comprising:

accessing a target within an interventional site with a delivery apparatus, the delivery apparatus housing at least one anchor; and

delivering the at least one anchor beyond or within a tissue plane or structure to provide purchase.