Measuring device for use with a hemostatic puncture closure device

• US 6,494,848 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1997
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: St Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St Jude Medical Puerto Rico BV (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Sommercorn, Richard Kay, Allison, Richard Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARMOR II, CHARLES ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/990,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 600/587, 606/191, 606/194, 335/11, 335/12, 337/00
• US Class Current: 600/587
• 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 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site

Abstract

A measuring device is disclosed which includes a proximal end portion having an actuation member thereon and a distal end portion having an expandable member thereon wherein the actuation member and the expandable member are in mechanical or fluid communication via a lumen which extends therebetween such that actuation of the actuation member causes the radial expansion of the expansion member so that when the measuring device is placed in a puncture with the distal end portion in a blood vessel, the measuring device may be withdrawn until the expandable member contacts the wall of the blood vessel adjacent to the puncture to provide the user with an indication of the distance between and/or depth of the blood vessel beneath the skin of the patient.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the depth below skin level of a target organ or blood vessel of a human patient that has been punctured in the course of a medical procedure, said device comprising;

an elongate tubular member having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion and a body portion therebetween, said tubular member further including a lumen extending between said proximal end portion and said distal end portion and extending through said body portion;

an elastically deformable actuation member associated with said proximal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen;

an expandable member associated with said distal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen such that actuation of said elastically deformable actuation member causes expansion of said expandable member; and

a plurality of markings on said body portion which are indicative of the depth of the expandable member below the skin of the patient.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said lumen is in fluid communication with said elastically deformable actuation member and said expandable member.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said markings are graduated to provide a user of said device with a numerical indication of the depth of the expandable member below the skin of the patient.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said markings are bands which correspond to the length of at least a portion of a medical device which is to be used for a subsequent medical procedure.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said markings extend proximally from said distal end portion of said tubular member and said markings correspond to a kit for use in a subsequent medical procedure wherein the flow of fluid through the puncture is to be discontinued.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein a second lumen is in fluid communication with said distal end portion of said tubular member.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said second lumen is sized for the receipt of a guidewire therethrough and said second lumen extends proximally from said distal end portion of said tubular member.

8. A device for measuring the depth below skin level of a target organ or blood vessel of a human patient that has been punctured in the course of a medical procedure, said device comprising;

an elongate tubular member having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion and a body portion therebetween, said tubular member further including a lumen extending between said proximal end portion and said distal end portion and extending through said body portion;

an elastically deformable actuation member associated with said proximal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen;

an expandable member associated with said distal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen such that actuation of said elastically deformable actuation member causes said distal end portion to be proximally displaced and expansion of said expandable member; and

a slidable member which is slidable along said body portion and which is movable to a position along said body portion which is indicative of the depth below the skin of the patient of the expandable member.

9. The device of claim 8 further including a plurality of graduated markings on said body portion.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein a second lumen is in communication with said distal end portion of said tubular member and extends through at least a portion of said body portion of said tubular member.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said second lumen is sized for the receipt of a guidewire therethrough and said second lumen extends proximally from said distal end portion of said tubular member.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein said second lumen extends proximally from said distal end portion of said tubular member and through said body portion to an opening which is generally adjacent to said proximal end portion of said tubular member.

13. A device for measuring the depth below skin level of a target organ or blood vessel of a human patient that has been punctured in the course of a medical procedure, said device comprising;

an elongate tubular member having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion and a body portion therebetween, said tubular member further including a lumen extending between said proximal end portion and said distal end portion and extending through said body portion;

an elastically deformable actuation member associated with said proximal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen;

an expandable member associated with said distal end portion of said tubular member and in communication with said lumen such that actuation of said elastically deformable actuation member causes expansion of said expandable member;

said lumen being in fluid communication with said elastically deformable actuation member and said expandable member; and

a plurality of markings on said body portion which are indicative of the relative distance between the expandable member and the skin of the patient.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein a second lumen is in communication with said distal end portion of said tubular member and extends through at least a portion of said body portion of said tubular member.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said second lumen is sized for the receipt of a guidewire therethrough and said second lumen extends proximally from said distal end portion of said tubular member.

16. A method for measuring the depth below skin level of a blood vessel of a human patient that has been punctured during the course of a medical procedure, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a guidewire through the puncture into the blood vessel;

passing a measuring device over the guidewire wherein the measuring device has a distal end portion, a proximal end portion and a body portion wherein the distal end portion has an expandable member thereon which is in communication with an elastically deformable actuation member on the proximal end portion thereof via a lumen which extends therebetween;

advancing the measuring device over the guidewire until the distal end portion of the measuring device is positioned in the blood vessel;

actuating the elastically deformable actuation member on the proximal end portion of the measuring device to cause the expansion of the expandable member on the distal end portion of the measuring device;

withdrawing the expandable member in the blood vessel and puncture until resistance is felt due to contact between the expanded expandable member and the wall of the blood vessel; and

noting the skin level position of the measuring device relative to the expandable member.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the skin level position of the measuring device is noted by observing graduated markings on the body portion of the measuring device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the skin level position of the measuring device is noted by sliding a slidable member along the body portion of the measuring device to identify the skin level position of the patient relative to the expandable member.

19. A method for measuring the depth below skin level of a blood vessel of a human patient that has been punctured during the course of a medical procedure, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a measuring device into the puncture wherein the measuring device has a distal end portion, a proximal end portion and a body portion wherein the distal end portion has an expandable member thereon which is in communication with an elastically deformable actuation member on the proximal end portion thereof via a lumen which extends therebetween;

advancing the measuring device distally in the puncture until the distal end portion of the measuring device is positioned in the blood vessel;

actuating the elastically deformable actuation member on the proximal end portion of the measuring device to cause the distal end portion to be proximally displaced and expansion of the expandable member on the distal end portion of the measuring device;

withdrawing the expandable member in the blood vessel and puncture until resistance is felt due to contact between the expanded expandable member and the wall of the blood vessel; and

noting the skin level position of the measuring device relative to the expandable member based on markings located on the body portion of the measuring device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the skin level position of the measuring device is noted by sliding a slidable member along the body portion of the measuring device to identify the skin level position of the patient relative to the expandable member.