APPARATUS AND SET FOR FOLDING OR UNFOLDING A MEDICAL IMPLANT AND METHOD

• US 20120277734A1
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcatheter Technologies Gmbh
• Inventors: Goetz, Wolfgang, Lim, Hou-Sen
• Granted Patent: US 9,433,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/1
• 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 2/2439 Expansion controlled by filaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9505 having retaining means other than an outer sleeve, e.g. male-female connector between stent and instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by using at least one tension thread (11, 11′), wherein the apparatus (100) includes a shaft (1) including a reception area for receiving the implant (300), a tensioning device (19) for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) by means of the tension thread (11, 11′), and a separation device for separating the tension thread (11, 11′) from the implant (300) and/or for cutting through the tension thread (11, 11′). The invention further relates to a set and a method.

Claims

1. An apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by using at least one tension thread (11, 11′

), wherein the apparatus (100) includes;

a shaft (1) including a reception or retaining area for receiving the implant (300);

a tensioning device (19) for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) by means of the tension thread (11, 11′

); and

a separation device for separating the tension thread (11, 11′

) from the implant (300) and/or for cutting through the tension thread (11, 11′

).

2. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the tensioning device (19) includes at least one pulling device which is arranged and/or provided for applying tension on the implant (300) by means of the tension thread (11, 11′

) in order to alter the shape of the implant (100) and/or for reducing a tension having been applied on the implant (300) by means of the tension thread (11, 11′

).

3. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the pulling device is arranged and/or provided for interacting with the tension thread (11, 11′

) in order to transfer force or tension, wherein the pulling device and the tension thread (11, 11′

) are intricate with each other.

4. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the pulling device is consists of at least one pulling thread (17) or includes at least one pulling thread (17).

5. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, therein the tension thread (11, 11′

) and/or the pulling thread (17) constitute a bundle or a plurality of threads or thread elements or consists thereof.

6. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the separation device includes a cutting device (86) for cutting through the tension thread (11, 11′

).

7. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the separation device is part of a sleeve aperture (83) in a wall of a sleeve (81) of the apparatus (100), wherein the sleeve aperture (83) connects an exterior of the sleeve (81) with an interior of the sleeve (81).

8. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve aperture (83) includes at least one first recess (83b) in which at least one tension thread (11, 11′

) is led or guided during use.

9. An apparatus (100) according to claim 8, wherein the first recess (83b) includes a first area or portion (84a) with a cutting device (86) for cutting the tension thread (11, 11′

).

10. An apparatus (100) according to claim 8, wherein the first recess (83b) includes a second area or portion (84b) without a cutting device.

11. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve aperture (83) includes at least one second recess (83c), in which at least one tension thread (11, 11′

) can be led, wherein the first recess (83b) and the second recess (83c) are separated by a bar (85) in such a way that at least two tension threads (11, 11′

) can be led while being spaced apart from each other.

12. An apparatus (100) according to claim 11, wherein at least the first recess (83b) has an extension in a dimension of the apparatus (100) which differs from an extension of at least the second recess (83c) in the same dimension of the apparatus (100).

13. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, including a sleeve (81), wherein an interior of the shaft (1) is permeable or can be passed in at least sections thereof in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (1), wherein the shaft (1) has a wall (3), wherein the shaft (1) includes at least one shaft aperture (9), through which tension threads (11, 11′

) for folding and/or unfolding the implant (300) can enter and/or leave, and wherein the sleeve (81) is arranged in an interior (5) or in an exterior (7) of the shaft (1) of the apparatus (100) in a state of use of the apparatus (100) such that tension threads (11, 11′

) can be led through both the shaft (1) and the sleeve (81) from the exterior of the apparatus (100) into an interior of the apparatus (100).

14. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, including a pre-tensioning device (87) which is arranged for exerting tension onto the sleeve (81) in at least one state of use.

15. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the recesses (83b, 83c) are arranged in the sleeve (81) such that at least three different openings between an exterior (7) of the shaft (1) and an interior (82) of the sleeve (81) can be established by superposing the shaft aperture (9) and the sleeve aperture (83).

16. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the implant (300) is a stent or a cardiac valve assembly.

17. A set including at least one apparatus (100) according to claim 1;

and at least one implant (300) connected with tension threads (11, 11′

) for the purpose of being folded and/or unfolded.

18. A method comprising the step of:

using an apparatus (100) according to claim 1.

19. A method according to claim 18 comprising the step of:

altering a tension having been applied on the implant (300) by means of at least one tension thread (11, 11′

) by altering a length of the pulling device branching off the interior (5) of the shaft (1).

20. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of:

cutting through at least one tension thread (11, 11′

) by inducing, enabling or allowing a relative movement between the shaft (1) and the sleeve (81).