ENDOGRAFT INTRODUCER AND A CAPSULE ASSEMBLY FOR AN ENDOGRAFT INTRODUCER

• US 20150142097A1
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cook Medical Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cook Medical Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Coverdale, Kelly, Ducke, Werner D., Scott, Graham W., Yang, Mena
• Granted Patent: US 9,510,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9665 with additional retaining means

Abstract

A capsule assembly for an endograft introducer is disclosed. The assembly comprises: a capsule and a capsule plug. The capsule has a cavity for receiving an end of a stent graft and a capsule wall terminating in a distal end. The capsule plug comprises: a tip portion having a lead-in surface and an abutment surface; and a tail portion having an external surface engagable with an inside surface of the capsule wall. The capsule is slidably movable with respect to the capsule plug from a first position in which the distal end of the capsule wall surrounds an opening into the cavity to a second position in which the distal end of the capsule wall is positioned proximally with respect to the abutment surface, whereby movement of the tip portion into the capsule is resisted by abutment between the distal end of the capsule wall and the abutment surface.

Claims

1. A capsule assembly for an endograft introducer, the assembly comprising:

a capsule having a cavity and a capsule wall, the capsule wall having an external surface and terminating in a distal end, the distal end of the capsule wall tapering internally with an internally tapered portion before tapering externally with an externally tapered portion, resulting in a thickening of the capsule wall before thinning to an end; and

a capsule plug, the capsule plug comprising;

a tip portion having a lead-in surface and an abutment surface; and

a tail portion having an external surface engagable with an inside surface of the capsule wall,

wherein the capsule is slidably movable with respect to the capsule plug from a first position in which the distal end of the capsule wall surrounds an opening into the cavity to a second position in which the distal end of the capsule wall is positioned proximally with respect to the abutment surface, whereby movement of the tip portion into the capsule is resisted by abutment between the end of the capsule wall and the abutment surface.

2. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tip portion diverges in a direction toward the tail portion reaching a maximum tip portion diameter at a location adjacent to or distal of the abutment surface.

3. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tip portion comprises a first divergent portion and a second divergent portion, the first divergent portion diverging towards the second divergent portion and the first divergent portion diverging more steeply than the second divergent portion.

4. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tip portion divergence decreases in a direction toward the intermediate portion.

5. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall has a terminal internal diameter that is resiliently expandable to allow the tip portion to move distally from the first position to the second position.

6. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 5, comprising a landing zone located proximally of the abutment surface, the distal end of the capsule wall receivable in the landing zone.

7. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the landing zone has a landing zone diameter, the landing zone diameter smaller than the maximum tip portion diameter.

8. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall, the tip portion, the abutment surface and the landing zone are mutually shaped so as to provide a smooth transition from the lead-in surface to the distal end of the capsule wall in the second position so as to facilitate retraction of the capsule assembly through an endograft.

9. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tail portion has a stabilising surface that engages the inside surface of the capsule wall, the stabilising surface having a tail end,

wherein the tail end is spaced apart from the abutment surface by a distance exceeding 50% of the landing zone diameter.

16. An endograft introducer comprising a nose cone dilator and a capsule assembly at a proximal end, a guide wire catheter extending distally from the nose cone dilator through the capsule assembly, a sheath and a handle, to a distal end, the capsule assembly as defined by claim 1.

19. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall tapers internally with an internally tapered portion before tapering externally with an externally tapered portion, resulting in a thickening of the capsule wall before thinning to an end.

10. A capsule assembly for an endograft introducer, the assembly comprising:

a capsule having a cavity and a capsule wall, the capsule wall having an external surface and terminating in a distal end having a substantially flat end; and

a capsule plug, the capsule plug comprising;

a tip portion having a lead-in surface and an abutment surface;

a tail portion having an external surface engagable with an inside surface of the capsule wall; and

an intermediate portion joining the tip portion to the tail portion, the intermediate portion having a landing zone, the distal end of the capsule wall receivable in the landing zone,

wherein the capsule is slidably movable with respect to the capsule plug from a first position in which the distal end of the capsule wall surrounds an opening into the cavity to a second position in which the distal end of the capsule wall is received in the landing zone adjacent to the abutment surface providing a smooth transition from the lead-in surface to the external surface of the capsule wall so as to facilitate retraction of the capsule assembly through an endograft.

11. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the tip portion diverges in a direction toward the intermediate portion reaching a maximum tip portion diameter.

12. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall has a terminal internal diameter that is resiliently expandable to allow the tip portion to move distally from the first position to the second position.

13. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the landing zone has a landing zone diameter, the landing zone diameter smaller than the maximum tip portion diameter.

14. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall, the tip portion, the abutment surface and the landing zone are mutually shaped so as to provide a smooth transition from the lead-in surface to the distal end of the capsule wall in the second position so as to facilitate retraction of the capsule assembly through an endograft.

15. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the tail portion has a stabilising surface that engages the inside surface of the capsule wall, the stabilising surface having a tail end,

wherein the tail end is spaced apart from the abutment surface by a distance exceeding 50% of the landing zone diameter.

17. An endograft introducer comprising a nose cone dilator and a capsule assembly at a proximal end, a guide wire catheter extending distally from the nose cone dilator through the capsule assembly, a sheath and a handle, to a distal end, the capsule assembly as defined by claim 10.

20. The capsule assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the distal end of the capsule wall terminates in a substantially flat end and the distal end of the capsule wall is received in the landing zone adjacent to the abutment surface providing a smooth transition from the lead-in surface to the external surface of the capsule wall.

18. A capsule assembly for an endograft introducer, the assembly comprising:

a capsule having a cavity and a capsule wall, the capsule wall having an external surface and terminating in a distal end, the capsule wall having a main portion and an internally tapered portion, the internally tapered portion distal to the main portion, the internally tapered portion having a wall thickness equal to or greater than a thickness of the main portion adjacent to the internally tapered portion over all, or most of, the internally tapered portion; and

a capsule plug, the capsule plug comprising;

a tip portion having a lead-in surface and an abutment surface; and

a tail portion having an external surface engagable with an inside surface of the capsule wall,

wherein the capsule is slidably movable with respect to the capsule plug from a first position in which the distal end of the capsule wall surrounds an opening into the cavity to a second position in which the distal end of the capsule wall is positioned proximally with respect to the abutment surface, whereby movement of the tip portion into the capsule is resisted by abutment between the end of the capsule wall and the abutment surface.