APPARATUS FOR FOLDING OR UNFOLDING A MEDICAL IMPLANT, AND IMPLANT

• US 20160250050A1
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcatheter Technologies Gmbh
• Inventors: LIM, Hou-Sen, GOETZ, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 10,188,537 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 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by using at least one tension thread (11, 11′), wherein the apparatus (100) includes a shaft (1) including a reception area (55) for receiving the implant (300), and a tensioning device for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) by the tension thread (11, 11′).

Claims

1. A foldable and/or unfoldable medical implant (300) comprising at least three tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) for folding and/or unfolding the implant (300) and at least one first guiding structure (303) for guiding some or all of the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) around the implant (300) at an outside or an circumference thereof, wherein three of the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are wound along or around the outside or circumference of the implant (300) or one guiding structure (303) in a manner such that each part of the outside or circumference is covered or contacted by exactly or not more than two tension treads (11′ and

15′

, 11′ and

14′

, 14′ and

15′

).

2. A medical implant (300) according to claim 1, further comprising at least a second guiding structure (303′

) and at least three posts (305, 305′

, 305″

), wherein the at least three posts (305, 305′

, 305″

) are arranged between the first and the second guiding structure (303, 303′

) in order to connect them with each other and/or to maintain the distance between them, wherein each of the at least three posts (305, 305′

, 305″

) has at least two openings (306, 306′

, 306″

, 307, 307′

, 307″

) through which tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided from an inside of the implant (300) to an outside of the implant (300) and back from the outside to the inside, wherein the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided to the outside through a first opening (307, 307′

, 307″

) of a first one of the posts (305, 305′

, 305″

) and back to the inside through any second first opening (307, 307′

, 307″

) of any second post (305, 305′

, 305″

), the first opening being different from the second opening, and the first post being different from the second post.

3. A medical implant (300) according to claim 1, comprising exactly three posts (305, 305′

, 305″

).

4. A medical implant (300) according to claim 1, wherein the tensioning threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided around the first and/or the second guiding structure (303, 303′

) such that the circumference of the implant (300) or the circumference of its guiding structure(s) (303, 303′

) are covered or contacted by no more than, or by exactly, two tension threads (11′ and

15′

, 11′ and

14′

, 14′ and

15′

).

5. A medical implant (300) according to claim 1, wherein the implant (300) is a stent or a cardiac valve assembly.

7. An apparatus (100) according to claim 6, comprising:

a medical implant (300) according to claim 1.

10. A medical implant (300) according to claim 2, comprising exactly three posts (305, 305′

, 305″

).

11. An apparatus (100) according to claim 7, wherein an interior of the shaft (1) is permeable or may be passed in at least sections thereof in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (1), wherein the shaft (1) has a wall (3), wherein the shaft (1) includes at least three shaft apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) through which tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) for folding and/or unfolding the implant (300) may enter and/or exit, wherein tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) for folding and/or unfolding of an implant (300) are interconnected with the tensioning device of the apparatus (100), wherein the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided from an inside of the shaft (1) to an outside of the shaft (1) and back from the outside to the inside, wherein the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided to the outside through a first apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) and back to the inside through a second aperture (9, 9′

, 9″

), wherein the first and the second apertures are different from each other.

12. An apparatus (100) according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus (100) comprises three shaft apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

), and wherein through each of the three apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) two tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) enter or exit.

6. An apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by altering the tension applied to the medical implant (300) by means of at least six tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

), wherein the apparatus (100) includes or is connect to;

a shaft (1) including a reception or retaining area (55) for receiving the implant (300); and

a tensioning device for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) that is connected and arranged to apply tension onto the medical implant (300) via all six tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

).

8. An apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein an interior of the shaft (1) is permeable or may be passed in at least sections thereof in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (1), wherein the shaft (1) has a wall (3), wherein the shaft (1) includes at least three shaft apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) through which tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) for folding and/or unfolding the implant (300) may enter and/or exit, wherein tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) for folding and/or unfolding of an implant (300) are interconnected with the tensioning device of the apparatus (100), wherein the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided from an inside of the shaft (1) to an outside of the shaft (1) and back from the outside to the inside, wherein the tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) are guided to the outside through a first apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) and back to the inside through a second aperture (9, 9′

, 9″

), wherein the first and the second apertures are different from each other.

9. An apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus (100) comprises three shaft apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

), and wherein through each of the three apertures (9, 9′

, 9″

) two tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) enter or exit.