Anti-Arrhythmia Devices And Methods Of Use

• US 20140052169A1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Syntach AG
• Original Assignee: Syntach AG
• Inventors: Schwartz, Robert S., Van Tassel, Robert A., Holmes, David R. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US14/065,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20140052169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/24 Heart valves ; Vascular valves, e.g. venous valves; Heart implants, e.g. passive devices for improving the function of the native valve or the heart muscle; Transmyocardial revascularisation [TMR] devices; Valves implantable in the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2481 Devices outside the heart wall, e.g. bags, strips or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2487 Devices within the heart chamber, e.g. splints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/821 Ostial stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8483 Barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/00 Dilators with or without means for introducing media, e.g. remedies instruments for performing visual medical inspections of cavities or tubes of the body A61B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

An apparatus and method of use are disclosed for treating, preventing and terminating arrhythmias. In particular, the apparatus is implantable within or on various tissues and structures and is used to prevent or block conduction of aberrant impulses. A variety of methods of the present invention may be used to attack arrhythmias by short-circuiting impulses, inducing fibrosis, ablating tissue or inducing inflammation. In addition, the device and methods may also be used to treat aneurysms. The device may also be used to treat hypertension, and to function as a blood pressure regulator.

Claims

1. An implantable device for treating a cardiac arrhythmia, said device comprising:

a fiber-shaped element sized and shaped to be delivered to a treatment site in a lumen of a vein, an artery, or a chamber of a heart;

said device comprises a delivery state and an expanded state and is configured to be radially expanded from said delivery state to said expanded state at the treatment site to conform to a wall of the treatment site;

at least a treatment component of the fiber-shaped element, in the expanded state of the device, expands beyond a normal diameter of the treatment site to stretch the lumen of said treatment site and thereby induce fibrosis a tissue surrounding said treatment site.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said target site is selected from a pulmonary vein, an ostium of a pulmonary vein, and a left atrium.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device has a ribbon shape, a ring-shape, a tubular shape, or a combination thereof.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said device comprises one or more outwardly flared portions.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said device comprises an outwardly flared portion an end of said device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said outwardly flared portion comprises a ring at said end of said device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the fiber-shaped element is made of an elastic material and the device is configured to self-expand to said expanded state.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said fiber-shaped element is constructed to limit expansion of said device to control injury and prevent laceration of tissue at said target site.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said fibrosis of said tissue surrounding said treatment site involves cell death in said tissue surrounding said treatment site.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the entire device is comprised of said treatment component of said fiber-shaped element.

12. A method for treating a cardiac arrhythmia, said method comprising:

delivering an implantable device according to claim 1 to said treatment site in said lumen of a vein, an artery, or a chamber of a heart;

expanding said device to its expanded shape to stretch a diameter of said treatment site and thereby induce fibrosis of a tissue surrounding said treatment site that causes electrical decoupling of said tissue wherein said stretching secures said implant in place at said treatment site.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said arrhythmia is an atrial fibrillation, a reentrant supraventricular tachycardia, or a ventricular tachycardia, or a junctional tachycardia.

14. The method according to claim 12, and further wherein said implantable device is configured for permanent placement at said treatment site and maintains a diameter of said treatment site in a stretched state.

15. The method of claim 12, and further comprising determining a size for the expanded state of said implantable device beyond which the device will not expand.