Spring Action Medical Device

• US 20120165850A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies, LLC (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies, LLC (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Deckard, Michael D., Hardert, Michael W., Moore, William F., Elsesser, James C., Lentz, David C., Melsheimer, Jeffry S., Kay, Thomas A. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,108,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/185
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22038 with a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22069 Immobilising; Stabilising
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22094 for crossing total occlusions, i.e. piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09025 with sliding mandrils

Abstract

A spring action medical device includes a spring that may propel a hammer component in a distal direction when the spring is released from a loaded state. When propelled forward by the spring, the hammer component makes contact with a distal tip of the medical device. The distal tip may then transfer a force to an external object, such as an occlusion in a body lumen.

Claims

1. A medical device, comprising:

a distal tip;

a spring; and

a hammer component disposed between the distal tip and the spring;

wherein the spring is configured to provide a force when released from a loaded state to propel the hammer component in a distal direction to strike the distal tip.

2. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a body portion, wherein the hammer component and the spring are disposed within the body portion;

wherein a first end portion of the spring is coupled with the hammer component, a second end portion of the spring is coupled with a support structure of the body portion, and the spring is compressed between the hammer component and the support structure when the spring is in the loaded state.

3. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a trigger wire coupled with the hammer component in a configuration where movement of the trigger wire in a proximal direction causes the hammer component to apply a compression force to the spring.

4. The medical device of claim 3, wherein the hammer component comprises a distal-most segment and a second segment;

wherein the trigger wire passes through an opening in the second segment and is connected with the distal-most segment.

5. The medical device of claim 3, further comprising:

an actuator base that comprises a ramped surface with at least one inclined ramp peak and at least one ramp valley; and

an actuator carriage piece coupled with the trigger wire, wherein a surface of the actuator carriage piece is configured to travel along the ramped surface of the actuator base in response to a twisting motion applied to the actuator carriage piece.

6. The medical device of claim 5, wherein the actuator carriage piece is configured to pull the trigger wire in a proximal direction as the actuator carriage piece travels up the at least one inclined ramp peak of the actuator base;

and

wherein the actuator carriage piece is configured to release tension in the trigger wire as the actuator carriage piece falls from the at least one inclined ramp peak into the at least one ramp valley.

7. The medical wire guide of claim 3, further comprising a trigger mechanism configured to selectively engage the trigger wire to hold the spring in the loaded state, wherein the trigger mechanism is configured to selectively release the trigger wire to allow the spring to propel the hammer component in the distal direction.

8. The medical device of claim 3, further comprising an oscillation generator coupled with the trigger wire to pull and release the trigger wire.

9. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

a body portion; and

a recoil spring;

wherein the hammer component and the spring are disposed within the body portion;

wherein a first end portion of the recoil spring is connected with the distal tip, a second end portion of the recoil spring is connected with a distal portion of the body portion, and the recoil spring is configured to stretch to allow a distal movement of the distal tip in response to contact between the hammer component and the distal tip.

10. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

a body portion; and

a safety wire;

wherein the hammer component and the spring are disposed within the body portion;

wherein a first end portion of the safety wire is connected with the distal tip, a second end portion of the safety wire is connected with a proximal end portion of the body portion, and the safety wire is configured to limit a distal movement of the distal tip relative to the proximal end portion of the body portion.

11. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a body portion, wherein the body portion comprises a first opening that provides a path for a wire guide to pass into a proximal end of the body portion, pass through an opening in the spring, pass through an opening in the hammer component, and pass out of an opening in the distal tip.

12. The medical device of claim 11, wherein the body portion comprises a second opening configured to provide a path for a trigger wire to pass into a proximal end of the body portion, pass through the opening in the spring, and connect with the hammer component.

13. The medical device of claim 12, further comprising an expandable balloon coupled with the body portion, wherein the body portion comprises a third opening configured to provide access to an inner chamber of the balloon.

14. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the distal tip comprises a distal-most tip of a wire guide or a distal-most tip of a catheter;

and

wherein the distal tip is configured to transfer a force to an adjacent external object in response to contact between the hammer component and the distal tip.

15. A medical device, comprising:

a body portion;

a distal tip disposed at a distal end of the body portion;

a support structure on an inner surface of the body portion;

a hammer component;

a spring disposed between the hammer component and the support structure; and

a trigger wire coupled with the hammer component in a configuration where movement of the trigger wire in a proximal direction relative to the body portion retracts the hammer component and compresses the spring into a loaded state between the hammer component and the support structure;

wherein the spring is configured to provide a force when released from the loaded state to propel the hammer component in a distal direction relative to the body portion to strike the distal tip.

16. A method of using a medical device, comprising:

placing a spring of the medical device in a loaded state by retracting a trigger wire of the medical device;

positioning a distal tip of the medical device to abut an occlusion in a body lumen or to be within a distal tip movement range of the occlusion in the body lumen; and

releasing the spring from the loaded state to propel a hammer component of the medical device in a distal direction to strike the distal tip and transfer a force from the distal tip to the occlusion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the loaded state comprises a compressed state, and the step of placing the spring in the loaded state comprises pulling the trigger wire connected with the hammer component in a proximal direction to cause the hammer component to apply a compression force to the spring.

18. The method of claim 17, where the step of pulling the trigger wire comprises applying a twisting motion to an actuator carriage piece coupled with the trigger wire so that the actuator carriage piece travels up an inclined ramp peak of an actuator base.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of releasing the spring from the loaded state comprises applying a twisting motion to the actuator carriage piece so that the actuator carriage piece falls from the inclined ramp peak into an adjacent ramp valley to release tension in the trigger wire.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of releasing comprises releasing the spring for a first attempt at clearing the occlusion by transferring force through the distal tip into the occlusion, and the method further comprises:

pulling the trigger wire connected with the hammer component in a proximal direction while the distal tip is within the body lumen to return the spring to the loaded state; and

releasing the spring from the loaded state for a second attempt at clearing the occlusion by transferring force through the distal tip into the occlusion.