TISSUE CLOSURE DEVICE WITH RESILIENT ARMS

• US 20130138145A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: von Oepen, Randolf
• Granted Patent: US 8,845,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/213
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00349 Needle-like instruments having hook or barb-like gripping means, e.g. for grasping suture or tissue A61B17/06066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00637 for sealing trocar wounds through abdominal wall
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00676 promotion of self-sealing of the puncture
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22038 with a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2215 having an open distal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2845 with a spring pushing the handle back
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/036 abutting on tissue or skin

Abstract

A tissue closure device includes a main body, a sheath, and a biasing member. The main body has a plurality of resilient arms that each extend from a proximal end to a distal tip. The resilient arms are movable between an open configuration in which the distal tips are radially spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the main body and from each other and a closed configuration in which the distal tips abut one another at or near the longitudinal axis. The sheath is longitudinally slideable on the main body to move the arms between the open and closed configurations. The biasing member causes the sheath to bias the arms toward the closed configuration.

Claims

1. A closure device for closing an opening in body tissue, the closure device comprising:

a main body having a longitudinal axis, the main body comprising a plurality of resilient arms that each extend from a proximal end to a distal tip, the resilient arms being movable between an open configuration, in which the distal tips are radially spaced apart from the longitudinal axis and from each other, and a closed configuration, in which the distal tips abut one another at or near the longitudinal axis;

a sheath longitudinally slideable on the main body to move the arms between the open and closed configurations; and

a biasing member that causes the sheath to bias the arms toward the closed configuration.

2. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises:

a shaft extending longitudinally between a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal ends of the plurality of arms being fixed to the distal end of the shaft; and

a cap fixed to the proximal end of the shaft.

3. The closure device recited in claim 2, wherein the cap is integrally formed with the shaft.

4. The closure device recited in claim 2, wherein the arms are integrally formed with the shaft.

5. The closure device recited in claim 2, wherein the cap includes a thumb opening extending laterally therethrough.

6. The closure device recited in claim 2, wherein the biasing member comprises a helical spring encircling the shaft, the helical spring being positioned on the shaft longitudinally between the cap and the sheath.

7. The closure device recited in claim 6, wherein the helical spring imposes a separating force between the cap and the sheath.

8. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein the resilient arms are biased toward the open configuration.

9. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein a guide wire lumen extends longitudinally through the main body.

10. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein a tissue stop is positioned on the distal end of each arm proximal from the tip.

11. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein the sheath includes one or more finger flanges extending radially outward therefrom.

12. The closure device recited in claim 11, wherein each finger flange has a finger opening extending therethrough.

13. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein the sheath has a lumen extending therethrough and the biasing member provides a sufficient force to slide the sheath distally along the main body to at least partially receive the resilient arms within the lumen, thereby moving the arms to the closed configuration.

14. The closure device recited in claim 1, wherein the biasing member comprises a helical spring positioned on the main body.

15. The closure device recited in claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism to maintain the longitudinal position of the sheath with respect to the main body when the arms are in the open configuration.

16. The closure device recited in claim 15, wherein the locking mechanism comprises:

a tab positioned on one of the sheath and the main body; and

a catch positioned on the other one of the sheath and the main body, the catch and tab being positioned so the catch receives and secures the tab when the arms are in the open configuration and releases the tab upon application of a sufficient releasing force.

17. The closure device recited in claim 16, wherein the tab is released by a twisting motion.

18. A method of closing an opening in a body tissue using a closure device having a plurality of resilient arms, the method comprising:

moving tips of the resilient arms from a closed configuration in which the tips abut each other to an open configuration in which the tips are radially spread apart from each other;

moving the closure device distally toward the tissue while the resilient arms are in the open configuration until the tips penetrate the tissue around the opening;

gathering the tissue around the opening by moving the tips of the resilient arms radially inward to the closed configuration; and

disengaging the resilient arms from the tissue.

19. The method recited in claim 18, further comprising removing the closure device from the body.

20. The method recited in claim 18, wherein disengaging the resilient arms from the tissue comprises moving the tips of the resilient arms toward the open configuration.

21. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the body tissue comprises a blood vessel, and wherein disengaging the resilient arms from the tissue is performed after hemostasis of the blood vessel has occurred at the opening.

22. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the resilient arms are at least partially received within a lumen of a sheath in the closed configuration, and wherein moving the tips of the resilient arms from the closed configuration to the open configuration comprises sliding the sheath proximally along the main body to expose the resilient arms, thereby allowing the resilient arms to move radially outward.

23. The method recited in claim 22, wherein a biasing member provides a distal biasing force on the sheath and wherein sliding the sheath proximally along the main body requires a force greater than and opposite to the distal biasing force.

24. The method recited in claim 18, wherein moving the tips of the resilient arms radially inward to the closed configuration comprises sliding a sheath distally along the main body to at least partially receive the resilient arms in a lumen of the sheath, thereby causing the resilient arms to move radially inward.

25. The method recited in claim 24, wherein a biasing member is used to cause the sheath to slide distally along the main body to at least partially receive the resilient arms within the lumen.