Devices and Methods for Loading a Prosthesis onto a Delivery System

• US 20120101569A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Ventor Technologies LTD. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Ventor Technologies LTD. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Gallagher, John, Mearns, Paul, O'Sullivan, Kevin, Casley, Mark, Duane, Pat
• Granted Patent: US 8,562,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2427 Devices for manipulating or deploying heart valves during implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53843 Tube, sleeve, or ferrule inserting or removing

Abstract

In an embodiment, a device for loading a prosthesis onto a delivery system comprises a cap and a reducing member. The cap has a piston member that seats a prosthesis. The piston member has at least one side wall configured to contact a portion of the side of the prosthesis seated therein. The reducing member has a conical wall, a first open end, and a second open end. The first open end is configured to receive the piston member. The reducing member reduces an external dimension of at least a portion of the prosthesis seated in the piston member as the prosthesis is moved along an inner surface of the conical wall.

Claims

1. A device for loading a prosthesis onto a delivery system, the apparatus comprising:

a cap having a proximal end, a distal end, and a piston member, the piston member includes a first surface configured to contact a first end of the prosthesis seated therein, the piston member includes at least one side wall extending from a periphery of the first surface, the at least one side wall is configured to contact a portion of the side of the prosthesis seated therein; and

a reducing member having a conical wall, a first open end, and a second open end, the first open end is configured to receive the piston member,

wherein the reducing member reduces an external dimension of at least a portion of the prosthesis seated in the piston member as the prosthesis is moved along an inner surface of the conical wall.

2. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the reducing member further comprises a cylindrical wall that defines the first open end, and wherein the conical surface defines the second open end.

3. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the cap is configured to releasably couple with the reducing member.

4. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the at least one side wall of the piston member comprises at least two side walls that are spaced around the periphery of the first surface.

5. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis is a valve prosthesis having at least one support arm, and the portion of the side of the valve prosthesis that the at least one side wall contacts is a portion of the at least one support arm.

6. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the at least one side wall has a first width at a distal end of the at least one side wall, the at least one side wall has a second width at a proximal end of the at least one side wall, and the second width is greater than the first width.

7. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the second open end of the reducing member is sized to allow at least a portion of a second end of the prosthesis to pass through.

8. A method for loading a prosthesis onto a delivery system, the method comprising:

passing a distal end of a delivery system through a first open end and a second open end of a reducing member,

seating the prosthesis in a piston member of a cap by contacting a first end of the prosthesis with a first surface of the piston member and by contacting a portion of a side of the prosthesis with at least one side wall extending from the periphery of the first surface;

inserting the distal end of the delivery system into a center of the prosthesis and an opening defined by the piston member; and

advancing the cap towards a reducing member such that a portion of the prosthesis seated in the piston member advances along an inner surface of the conical wall of the reducing member.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising coupling the cap with the reducing member.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

coupling a second end of the prosthesis to a prosthesis retainer of the delivery system; and

advancing a retaining sleeve over at least a portion of the prosthesis that has been advanced along the conical wall of the reducing member.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising advancing the piston member and the reducing member away from the prosthesis retained within the retainer sleeve.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein advancing the cap towards a reducing member further comprises advancing at least a portion of the second end of the prosthesis through a first open end of the reducing member.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least a portion of the second end of the prosthesis comprises at least one coupling member, and wherein coupling the second end of the prosthesis to the prosthesis retainer comprises engaging each of the at least one coupling member with a slot in the prosthesis retainer.

14. The method of claim 8,

wherein the prosthesis is a valve prosthesis having at least one support arm, and

wherein seating the valve prosthesis in the piston member comprises

inserting the valve prosthesis in a recess defined at least in part by the first surface and the at least one side wall, and

centering the at least one support arm of the valve prosthesis with the at least one side wall of the piston member.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one side wall of the piston member comprises at least two walls, and wherein the at least one support arm comprises at least two support arms.