MANUAL ACTUATION SYSTEM FOR DEPLOYMENT OF IMPLANT

• US 20110238147A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penumbra, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Penumbra, Inc.
• Inventors: Barry, David, Bennett, Eric, Pons, Stephen, Vitus, Erin, Vargas, Matt, Bose, Arani, Tompkins, Ben
• Granted Patent: US 8,911,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• 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 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0136 Handles therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0147 with movable mechanical means, e.g. pull wires

Abstract

A system for mechanically deploying intraluminal implants is disclosed. The system is used with an implant that is delivered and/or deployed via a pull wire and includes a handle having a funnel and receiving channel for receiving the pull wire, a slider having a thumb grip and a wedge, and a shuttle having a grabber for grasping the pull wire. The thumb grip is pulled proximally to retract the wedge to cause the grabber to grasp the wire and retract the shuttle but not the wire. An extension spring linked between the slider and the shuttle abruptly pulls the shuttle to retract the pull wire after the slider is fully retracted.

Claims

1. A handle for retracting a pull wire disposed in a catheter body, said handle comprising:

a shell having a distal end, a proximal end, and a receptacle at the distal end for receiving a proximal end of the catheter body;

a trigger slidably mounted on an exterior of the shell;

a slider slidably disposed within the shell and coupled to move with the trigger, the slider carrying a tripping element; and

a shuttle slidably disposed within the shell and coupled to the slider by a first energy storage member, the shuttle carrying a wire grabber at its distal end and having a latch member releasably engaged with a stop element fixedly attached to the shell;

wherein proximal retraction of the trigger draws the slider proximally, storing potential energy in the first energy storage member until the tripping element on the slider engages and releases the latch from the stop element allowing the shuttle to be abruptly pulled proximally by release of energy from the first energy storage member.

2. A handle as in claim 1, wherein the slider opens the wire grabber to release the pull wire when the trigger is fully advanced in the distal direction.

3. A handle as in claim 2, wherein proximal retraction of the trigger closes the wire grabber to engage the pull wire.

4. A handle as in claim 3, wherein the wire grabber comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the shuttle and having a surface which is engaged by a wedge on the slider to open the grabber when the trigger is fully advanced in the distal direction.

5. A handle as in claim 1, wherein the first energy storage member comprises an elastic extension member mounted between the slider and the shuttle to elongate as the trigger is proximally retracted.

6. A handle as in claim 5, wherein the elastic extension member comprises a coil tension spring.

7. A handle as in claim 1, further comprising a second energy storage member coupled between the slider and the shell, wherein proximal retraction of the trigger stores potential energy in the second energy storage member so that the slider is returned to its distal-most position when the trigger is released.

8. A handle as in claim 7, wherein the second energy storage member is a coil compression spring.

9. A handle as in claim 1, wherein the receptacle on the shell has a conical surface with a wire passage at its apex so that the catheter is retained by the receptacle while the wire passes through the passage to the wire grabber.

10. A system comprising:

a handle as in claim 1, and

a catheter comprising a catheter body with a pull wire.

11. A system as in claim 10, further comprising:

an implant releasably carried by the catheter so that the implant is released by proximal retraction of the pull wire.

17. A method as in claim 1, further comprising releasing the trigger so that the slider and shuttle return to their distal-most positions and the grabber releases the wire.

12. A method for retracting a pull wire in a catheter, said method comprising:

mating a proximal end of the catheter with a handle;

proximally retracting a trigger on the handle to proximally translate a slider in the handle to perform the following steps in sequence;

(1) cause a grabber disposed on a shuttle to capture a proximal end of the pull wire;

(2) store potential energy in a first energy storage device coupled between the slider and the shuttle; and

(3) release the shuttle so that it will be pulled proximally by the energy storage device thus retracting the pull wire relative to the catheter.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein mating comprises aligning the proximal end of the catheter body in a conical receptacle at a distal end of the handle with the pull wire extending through an opening at an apex of the conical receptacle.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein the grabber has a spring-loaded pivotally mounted lever which closes on the pull wire as a wedge on the slider retracts relative to the shuttle.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the first energy storage device comprises a tension spring which elongates as the slider is retracted relative to the shuttle.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein the shuttle is initially held in place by a latch on the shuttle which engages a stop on the handle and is subsequently released by a trip on the slider which engages and dislodges the latch when the slider is retracted proximally by a preselected distance.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the slider and the shuttle are caused to return to the distal-most position by the release of energy from a second energy storage device disposed between the slider and the handle, wherein the second energy storage device stores potential energy as the trigger is proximally refracted.

19. A method as in claim 12, wherein the catheter carries an implant and retracting the pull wire releases the implant from the catheter.

20. A method as in claim 12, further comprising removing a first catheter from the handle and mating a proximal end of a second catheter body with the handle.

21. A handle for retracting a pull wire, the handle comprising:

a slider, a shuttle, and a trip, said slider and said shuttle movably mounted to said handle, said slider having a resting position, an intermediate position, and a deployment position, and movable by a user among said positions, said shuttle having a resting position and a deployed position and a wire gripper for engaging the pull wire;

wherein when said slider is moved to said deployment position, said shuttle converts to its deployed position via said trip, and wherein when said shuttle converts to said deployed position, said shuttle is moved to retract a pull wire.

22. The handle according to claim 21 wherein when said slider is in said resting position and said intermediate position, said shuttle is in said resting position.

23. The handle according to claim 21 wherein said slider and said shuttle return to their respective resting positions following release of said slider from said deployment position.

24. The handle according to claim 21 further comprising a stop and wherein said shuttle further comprises a button, whereby said button rests against said stop when said shuttle is in said resting position, and wherein said button is depressed by said slider when said slider is in said deployment position, whereby said button no longer rests against said stop.

25. The handle according to claim 21 further comprising a compression spring and a retraction spring, where said retraction spring biases said shuttle into said deployment position and said compression spring biases said slider and shuttle to their respective resting positions.

26. The handle according to claim 21 further comprising an internal lumen for receiving a pull wire.

27. The handle according to claim 21 wherein said wire gripper has a resting position and a gripping position.

28. The handle according to claim 21 wherein said slider prevents gripping of a pull wire by said wire gripper when said slider and said wire gripper are in their respective resting positions;

and wherein when said slider is in said intermediate position, said wire gripper converts to said gripping position to grip a pull wire.

29. The handle according to claim 21 wherein said wire gripper comprises gripper elements and said slider comprises a wedge, wherein said wedge nests between said gripper elements when said slider is in said resting position.

30. The handle according to claim 29 wherein said gripper elements further comprise a pivot point, and wherein said gripper elements are pivotable about said pivot points to grip a pull wire, to release a pull wire, or to return said wire gripper to its resting position.

31. The handle according to claim 21 further comprising a thumb grip movably mounted thereupon and in communication with said slider.

32. The handle according to claim 21 further comprising a substantially hollow interior and wherein said slider and said shuttle are housed within said substantially hollow interior.

33. A system for deploying an implant, the system comprising

an implant tool including a shaft having a lumen;

a pull wire disposed within the lumen and movable from a first position to a second position for releaseably retaining an implant near the distal end of the implant tool;

a handle including a slider, a shuttle and a trip,

where said slider is movable among a resting position, an intermediate position and a deployment position, and said shuttle comprises a wire gripper and has a resting position and a deployed position,

whereby when said slider is moved to its deployment position, said shuttle is moved to its deployed position via said trip, thereby retracting said pull wire and releasing said implant.

34. The system of claim 33 where said wire gripper converts from said resting position to said gripping position when said slider is in said intermediate position.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said slider comprises a wedge and said wire gripper comprises gripper elements, and whereby said wedge prevents engagement of said gripper elements when said slider is in said resting position.

36. The system of claim 33 where said handle further comprises a retraction spring for biasing said shuttle into said deployment position.

37. The system of claim 33 where said handle further comprises a compression spring for biasing said slider and said shuttle to return to their respective resting positions following release of said slider by a user.

38. A method of deploying an implant, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an implant;

providing an implant tool including a shaft having a lumen and a pull wire disposed in the lumen for releaseably retaining the implant near the distal end of the lumen;

providing a handle for receiving the pull wire, the handle comprising a slider and a shuttle for gripping and retracting the pull wire;

coupling the implant and the pull wire near the distal end of the lumen;

advancing the implant tool and implant intravascularly to an implant site;

coupling the pull wire and the handle;

retracting the slider until the shuttle retracts the pull wire; and

removing the implant tool, leaving the implant at the implant site.

39. The method of claim 38 where the handle comprises a lumen and the shuttle comprises a wire gripper, and the step of coupling the pull wire and the handle comprises introducing the pull wire into the lumen and retracting the slider until the wire gripper grips the pull wire.

40. The method of claim 38 where the shuttle comprises a trip, and the step of retracting the slider until the shuttle retracts the pull wire comprises retracting the slider until the slider activates the trip.

41. The method of claim 38 where the handle further comprises a retraction spring biasing the shuttle to retract within the handle, and a stop for preventing the refraction of the shuttle, and the shuttle comprises a button for resting against the stop, where the step of retracting the slider until the shuttle retracts the pull wire comprises retracting the slider until the slider depresses the button out of resting engagement with the stop.

42. The method of claim 39 where the slider comprises a wedge and the wire gripper comprises gripper elements, and wedge nests between the gripper elements before retraction of the slider, where the step of retracting the slider until the wire gripper grips the wire comprises moving the slider until the wedge no longer nests between the gripper elements.