Atraumatic medical retrieval device

• US 6,224,612 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Riley, James W., Bates, James S., Que, Like, Teague, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Pedro
• Application Number:
  US09/296,327
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 606/110, 606/113, 606/114, 606/127, 606/117, 606/128, 606/200
• US Class Current: 606/114
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/221 Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2212 having a closed distal end, e.g. a loop
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Baskets with atraumatic distal tips allow the capture of material from difficult-to-reach areas of the body, while reducing the risk of tissue damage.

Claims

1. A medical retrieval device, comprising:

a sheath having a proximal end and a distal end;

a handle at the proximal end of the sheath; and

a basket for removing material from a body, the basket having a collapsed position where the basket is enclosed within the sheath, and an expanded position where the basket extends from the distal end of the sheath, the basket comprising two or more pairs of basket legs, each pair of basket legs formed from a single wire loop, each wire loop comprising a protrusion at an apex of said wire loop where said wire loops intersect at a distal basket end, wherein said protrusions have a convex surface and a concave surface, said convex surface of one basket wire protrusion being unsecured to said concave surface of said intersecting basket wire protrusion.

2. The basket of claim 1 further comprising a semi-circular protrusion.

3. The basket of claim 1 wherein the basket legs are smoothly curved.

4. The basket of claim 1 wherein the basket legs comprise a plurality of angles.

5. The basket of claim 1 further comprising basket legs with cross-sectional shapes selected from the group consisting of D-shape, U-shape, B-shape, rectangular, round, half-round, oval or ribbon-like.

6. A method for retrieving material from a body, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a retrieval device into a body, the retrieval device comprising a sheath having a proximal end and a distal end, a handle at the proximal end of the sheath, and a basket for removing material from a body, the basket having a collapsed position where the basket is enclosed within the sheath, and an expanded position where the basket extends from the distal end of the sheath, the basket comprising two or more pairs of basket legs, each pair of basket legs formed from a single wire loop, each wire loop comprising a protrusion at an apex of said wire loop where said wire loops intersect at a distal basket end, wherein said protrusions have a convex surface and a concave surface, said convex surface of one basket wire being unsecured to said concave surface of said intersecting wire protrusion;

capturing the material within the basket; and

withdrawing the retrieval device from the body to remove the captured material from the body.