LOADING APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR EXPANDABLE INTRALUMINAL MEDICAL DEVICES

• US 20140121748A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies, LLC (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cook Medical Technologies, LLC (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Melsheimer, Jeffry S., Burke, Jessica L., Chambers, Sean D., Valaie, Arman
• Granted Patent: US 9,216,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2436 Deployment by retracting a sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/844 folded prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/92 Stents in the form of a rolled-up sheet expanding after insertion into the vessel , e.g. with a spiral shape in cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9526 using a mandrel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53843 Tube, sleeve, or ferrule inserting or removing

Abstract

Medical device loading apparatuses, systems, methods and kits are described. A loading apparatus comprises a main body having a proximal end defining a proximal opening, a distal end defining a distal opening, and a passageway extending between the proximal and distal openings. An expandable intraluminal medical device can be loaded into a delivery catheter using the loading apparatus by placing the device into the passageway such that it is in a radially-expanded configuration; pulling the device along an axial path through the loading apparatus such that the device transitions from the radially-expanded configuration to a radially-compressed configuration; and pushing the radially-compressed device along the axial path into the delivery catheter.

Claims

1. A method of loading an expandable intraluminal medical device into a delivery catheter, said expandable intraluminal medical device having radially-expanded and radially-compressed configurations, said method comprising:

placing said expandable intraluminal medical device into a passageway defined by a loading apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device is disposed within the passageway in said radially-expanded configuration;

pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device along an axial path and through the apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device transitions from said radially-expanded configuration to said radially-compressed configuration; and

after pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and achieving said radially-compressed configuration, pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device into said medical device delivery catheter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device along the axial path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the steps of pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises moving said expandable intraluaminal medical device without rotation about an axis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the steps of pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises moving said expandable intraluminal medical device along an axis accompanied by rotational movement about the axis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the passageway defined by the loading apparatus defines a proximal chamber having a first inner diameter, a distal chamber having a second inner diameter, and a transition chamber disposed between the proximal and distal chambers, the second inner diameter being greater than the first inner diameter and the transition chamber having an inner diameter that transitions along the lengthwise axis from the second inner diameter to the first inner diameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the loading apparatus defines a main body having proximal and distal portions connected to each other at a separable connection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the proximal and distal portions of the main body define mating threads;

and

wherein the separable connection comprises a connection formed between the mating threads.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading apparatus includes at least one pull wire attached to said expandable intraluminal medical device;

and

wherein the step of pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises pulling the at least one pull wire to pull said expandable intraluminal medical device along an axial path.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a self-expandable intraluminal medical device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a device that requires an application of an expansion force to achieve radial expansion and said expanded configuration.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a balloon-expandable medical device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a support frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a graft member attached to the support frame.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a tissue section attached to the support frame.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a stent-graft.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a prosthetic valve.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises an occluder.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises a filter.

19. A method of loading an expandable intraluminal medical device into a delivery catheter, said expandable intraluminal medical device having radially-expanded and radially-compressed configurations, said method comprising:

placing said expandable intraluminal medical device into a passageway defined by a loading apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device is disposed within the passageway in said radially-expanded configuration;

pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device along an axial path and through the apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device transitions from said radially-expanded configuration to said radially-compressed configuration; and

after pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and achieving said radially-compressed configuration, pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device along the axial path and into said medical device delivery catheter;

wherein each of the steps of pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises moving said expandable intraluaminal medical device without rotation about an axis.

20. A method of loading an expandable intraluminal medical device into a delivery catheter, said expandable intraluminal medical comprising a self-expandable support frame having radially-expanded and radially-compressed configurations and a tissue section attached to the support frame, said method comprising:

placing said expandable intraluminal medical device into a passageway defined by a loading apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device is disposed within the passageway in said radially-expanded configuration;

pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device along an axial path and through the apparatus such that said expandable intraluminal medical device transitions from said radially-expanded configuration to said radially-compressed configuration; and

after pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and achieving said radially-compressed configuration, pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device along the axial path and into said medical device delivery catheter;

wherein each of the steps of pulling said expandable intraluminal medical device and pushing said expandable intraluminal medical device comprises moving said expandable intraluaminal medical device without rotation about an axis.