HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR IMPLANT DELIVERY APPARATUS COMPRISING A FORCE LIMITER, A DISPLACEMENT LIMITER AND/OR A BRAKE FRAME ASSEMBLY

• US 20160184097A1
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcatheter Technologies Gmbh
• Inventors: Gotz, Wolfgang, Lim, Hou-Sen
• Granted Patent: US 10,736,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/9517 handle assemblies therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires

Abstract

The present invention relates to a handle assembly (100) for an implant delivery device for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant by means of at least one tension thread, wherein the handle assembly (100) comprises a drum (14) for winding the tension thread thereon by rotating the drum (14); a knob (9) to be rotated by a user of the handle assembly (100) in order to fold or unfold the medical implant, the knob (9) being interconnected with the drum (14) such that the drum (14) is rotated when the knob (9) is rotated; and a displacement limiter for limiting the length or displacement by which the tension thread (11) may be at least one of wound onto or unwound from the drum (14) by rotating the knob (9).

Claims

1. A handle assembly (100) for an implant delivery device for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant by means of at least one tension thread, wherein the handle assembly (100) comprises:

a drum (14) for winding the tension thread thereon by rotating the drum (14);

a knob (9) to be rotated by a user of the handle assembly (100) in order to fold or unfold the medical implant by tightening or winding the tension thread or by releasing or unwinding the tension thread, the knob (9) being arranged or interconnected with the drum (14) such that the drum (14) is rotated when the knob (9) is rotated; and

a displacement limiter for limiting the length or displacement by which the tension thread (11) may be at least one of wound onto or unwound from the drum (14) by rotating the knob (9).

2. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein the drum (14) and the knob (9) are interconnected by a rush gear (16), wherein the rush gear (16) is arranged to rotate inside a gear stopper (19) along or by means of a gear pattern or teeth (19111), wherein the rush gear (16) is interconnected to the drum (14) such that a rotation of the rush gear (16) results in a rotation of the drum (14);

wherein the gear stopper (19) is preferably arranged inside the rear knob (9), preferably without being fixed or interconnected to the rear knob (9); and

wherein the displacement limiter comprises or consists of a ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19) having an inner surface (191), the inner surface (191) comprising at least a first section (1911) comprising teeth (19111) and at least one of a second section (1913) having an inner surface different to the inner surface of the first section (1911) or a radial width smaller than that of the first section (1911), and a third section (1915) having an inner surface different to the inner surface of the first section (1911) or a radial width smaller than that of the first section (1911).

3. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the second section (1913) and the third section (1915) does not comprising teeth or a gear pattern.

4. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the second section (1913) and the third section (1915) is arranged in contact with or adjacent to the first section (1911).

5. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19) comprises at least also a fourth section (1917) on its inner surface (191), wherein the fourth section (1917), which preferably does not comprise teeth, is delimited from at least one of the first or second or third section (1911, 1913, 1915) by an inclination, an edge (19131, 19151), a stop or a protrusion configured to prevent the rush gear (16) to be rotated further towards to or onto the fourth section (1917).

6. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the surface of at least one of the second section (1913) and the third section (1915) has a radial distance to the center of the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element that is larger than a radial distance between the tips of the teeth (19111) and the center of the ring-shaped element.

7. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19) comprises at least a first protrusion (195) arranged to interfere with a second protrusion (241) of the casing assembly (24) or any other element of the handle assembly (100) so as to limit the rotation of the rush gear (19) within the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19).

8. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 7, wherein the at least first protrusion (195) is arranged so as to protrude into an inner lumen of the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19).

9. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 7, wherein the at least one first protrusion (195) is arranged between the second and the third sections (1913, 1915) or at the fourth section (1917) or opposite the first section (1911) of the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19).

10. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 5, wherein the second section (1913) at least one of a length, width (in a radial direction) and inclination such that the rush gear (16) may be positioned inside the second section (1913) such that at least one tooth of the rush gear (16) is engaged with at least one tooth of the teeth (19111) of the first section (1911) while at least one tooth of the rush gear (16) is at the same time in contact with the inclination, the edge (19131), stop or protrusion delimiting the second section (1913) from the fourth section (1917) or arranged within the second section (1913).

11. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the third section (1915) at least one of a length, width (in a radial direction) such that the rush gear (16) may be positioned inside it such that one tooth of the rush gear (16) is only half-engaged with at least one tooth of the teeth (19111) of the first section (1911) while at the same time the protrusion (195, 241) stop the gear stopper (19) from rotating further.

12. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the drum (14) is simultaneously engaged or half-engaged both to the rush gear (16) and the gear stopper (19), or is in contact with one or both, preferably always.

13. An implant delivery apparatus comprising at least one handle assembly (100) according to claim 1.

14. The implant delivery apparatus according to claim 13, designed or embodied as a catheter, in particular a heart catheter, or comprising such a catheter.

15. The implant delivery apparatus according to claim 14, comprising at least one implant connected with tension threads for the purpose of folding and/or unfolding or provided or prepared for being connected with tension threads.

16. The implant delivery apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the implant is a stent or a heart valve arrangement.

17. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the second section (1913) and the third section (1915) is arranged in contact with or adjacent to the first section (1911).

18. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 8, wherein the at least one first protrusion (195) is arranged between the second and the third sections (1913, 1915) or at the fourth section (1917) or opposite the first section (1911) of the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19).

19. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 5, wherein the second section (1913) at least one of a length, width (in a radial direction) and inclination such that the rush gear (16) may be positioned inside the second section (1913) such that at least one tooth of the rush gear (16) is engaged with at least one tooth of the teeth (19111) of the first section (1911) while at least one tooth of the rush gear (16) is at the same time in contact with the inclination, the edge (19131), stop or protrusion delimiting the second section (1913) from the fourth section (1917) or arranged within the second section (1913).

20. The handle assembly (100) according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19) comprises at least a first protrusion (195) arranged to interfere with a second protrusion (241) of the casing assembly (24) or any other element of the handle assembly (100) so as to limit the rotation of the rush gear (19) within the ring-shaped or tube-shaped element (19).