Defect occluder release assembly and method

• US 6,440,152 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ev3 Endovascular, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Microvena Corporation
• Inventors: Gainor, John P., Wegner, Darren L., Dukart, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Izaguirre, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US09/628,211
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 606/213, 606/215, 606/216, 606/217, 606/232, 606/228, 604/47, 604/27, 604/51, 604/53, 604/285, 604/286
• US Class Current: 606/213
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32056 Surgical snare instruments for removing or smashing calculi A61B2017/2212; tonsillotomes A61B17/26
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00575 for closure at remote site, e.g. closing atrial septum defects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00592 Elastic or resilient implements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00606 Implements H-shaped in cross-section, i.e. with occluders on both sides of the opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00623 Introducing or retrieving devices therefor

Abstract

A release assembly is provided to aid the reversible and repositionable deployment of a defect occluder. The release assembly includes an occluder tether having a distal portion comprising at least one suture loop, and a snare structure having a distal portion comprising a snare element. The at least one suture loop is receivable through at least a portion of the defect occluder, and reversibly looped over an anchor element so as to permit reversible collapse the defect occluder for selective ingress and egress from a delivery catheter. The snare element is reversibly engageable with the anchor element so as to reversibly retain the at least one suture loop upon the anchor element, and thereby hold the defect occluder in a posture for reversible free-floating tethered deployment in a defect while being observable in a final position prior to release.

Claims

1. A release assembly to aid the repositionable and reversible deployment of a defect occluder, said release assembly comprising:

a. an occluder tether having a distal portion comprising at least one suture loop, said at least one suture loop being receivable through portions of the defect occluder and reversibly looped over an anchor element so as to permit reversible collapse of the defect occluder for selective ingress and egress from a catheter; and

,

b. a snare structure having a distal portion comprising a snare element, said snare element being reversibly engageable with said anchor element so as to reversibly retain said at least one suture loop upon said anchor element, thereby holding the defect occluder in a posture for reversible free-floating tethered deployment in a defect while being observable in a final position prior to release thereafter.

2. The release assembly of claim 1 wherein said snare element comprises a loop.

3. The release assembly of claim 1 wherein said snare element comprises a ball.

4. The release assembly of claim 1 wherein said snare element comprises a disc.

5. The release assembly of claim 2 wherein said occluder tether is reversibly extendable from a distal end of a first lumen of a multi-lumen pushing tube.

6. The release assembly of claim 5 wherein said snare structure is reversibly extendable from a distal end of a second lumen of the multi-lumen pushing tube.

7. The release assembly of claim 6 wherein said anchor element has a distal end extendable from the distal end of the second lumen of the multi-lumen pushing tube.

8. The release assembly of claim 6 wherein said anchor element has a distal end extendable from a distal end of a third lumen of the multi-lumen pushing tube.

9. The release assembly of claim 7 wherein said anchor element is a pin wire.

10. The release assembly of claim 9 wherein said pin wire is advanceable relative to said snare structure so as to prevent said single snare loop from sliding off said pin wire.

11. The release assembly of claim 10 wherein said pin wire is retractable so as to release at least said snare loop from said pin wire.

12. The release assembly of claim 10 wherein said snare structure is advanceable relative to said pin wire so as to release said snare loop from said pin wire.

13. The release assembly of claim 12 wherein said occluder tether is retractable within the first lumen of the multi-lumen pushing tube so as to draw said at least one suture loop from the defect occluder for release of the tethered defect occluder from the release assembly.

14. The release assembly of claim 13 wherein said single snare loop is about 0.100 inches in length.

15. In a method of occluding a septal defect, the steps comprising:

a. non-rigidly tethering a retrievable defect occluder for tethered free floating deployment within a septal defect; and

,

b. reversibly deploying said retrievable defect occluder from a catheter and into the septal defect such that said retrievable defect occluder is selectively repositionable and subsequently observed in its final free floating position prior to release or retrieval thereof.