Expandable cage embolic material filter system and method
First Claim
1. A system for capturing embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:
- a catheter, including an elongated shaft, adapted to be positionable within the blood vessel and distal to an interventional procedure site, wherein the catheter shaft includes a distal end; and
a filter device, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be deployed distal to the interventional procedure site, and to pass blood therethrough and to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the interventional procedure, wherein the filter device includes an expandable cage assembly, adapted to be expandable to capture embolic material, and to be collapsible to retain the captured embolic material, wherein the expandable cage assembly includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expanded from unexpanded condition thereof, and a filter material for filtering embolic material, extending about the plurality of struts, and means for varying the stiffness along the length of the expandable cage assembly for enabling the expandable cage assembly to expand freely responsive thereto, comprising variable dimensions of the plurality of struts along substantially the entire thereof.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system used in a blood vessel when an interventional procedure is being performed in a stenosed or occluded region, which is capable of enabling an expandable cage assembly therein, adapted to filter the blood in a blood vessel, to be expandable, so as to capture any embolic material that may be created and released into the bloodstream during the interventional procedure. The system includes a catheter which is positionable in a blood vessel at the interventional procedure site. The system further includes an expandable cage assembly, which is expandable and which may be deployed in the blood vessel distal to the interventional procedure site, which includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expandable from unexpanded condition thereof, wherein each of the plurality of struts includes an element for varying the stiffness along the length thereof, for enabling the expandable cage assembly to be expandable, portions thereof which are in contact in the unexpanded condition, wherein the expandable cage assembly is capable of expanding, while preventing the unexpanded in contact portions thereof from sticking together during expansion and deployment thereof.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A system for capturing embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:
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a catheter, including an elongated shaft, adapted to be positionable within the blood vessel and distal to an interventional procedure site, wherein the catheter shaft includes a distal end; and
a filter device, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be deployed distal to the interventional procedure site, and to pass blood therethrough and to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the interventional procedure, wherein the filter device includes an expandable cage assembly, adapted to be expandable to capture embolic material, and to be collapsible to retain the captured embolic material, wherein the expandable cage assembly includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expanded from unexpanded condition thereof, and a filter material for filtering embolic material, extending about the plurality of struts, and means for varying the stiffness along the length of the expandable cage assembly for enabling the expandable cage assembly to expand freely responsive thereto, comprising variable dimensions of the plurality of struts along substantially the entire thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for capturing embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:
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a catheter, including an elongated shaft, adapted to be positionable within the blood vessel and distal to an interventional procedure site, wherein the catheter shaft includes a distal end; and
a filter device, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be deployed distal to the interventional procedure site, and to pass blood therethrough and to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the interventional procedure, wherein the filter device includes an expandable cage assembly, adapted to be expandable to capture embolic material, and to be collapsible to retain the captured embolic material, wherein the expandable cage assembly includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expanded from unexpanded condition thereof, and a filter material for filtering embolic material, extending about the plurality of struts, and means for varying the stiffness along the length of the expandable cage assembly for enabling the expandable cage assembly to expand responsive thereto, comprising variable dimensions of the plurality of struts along substantially the entire length thereof. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for capturing embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, comprising:
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a catheter, including an elongated shaft, adapted to be positionable within the blood vessel and distal to an interventional procedure site, wherein the catheter shaft includes a distal end; and
means for filtering embolic material, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be deployed distal to the interventional procedure site, and to pass blood therethrough and to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the interventional procedure, wherein the filtering means include an expandable cage assembly, adapted to be expandable to capture embolic material, and to be collapsible to retain the captured embolic material, wherein the expandable cage assembly includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expanded from unexpanded condition thereof, and a filter material for filtering embolic material, extending about the plurality of struts, and means for varying the stiffness along the length of the expandable cage assembly for enabling the expandable cage assembly to expand freely responsive thereto, comprising variable dimensions of the plurality of struts along substantially the entire length thereof. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of capturing embolic material which may be released into a blood vessel during a therapeutic interventional procedure, in a system which comprises catheter, including an elongated shaft, adapted to be positionable within the blood vessel and distal to an interventional procedure site, wherein the catheter shaft includes a distal end, and a filter device, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be deployed distal to the interventional procedure site, and to pass blood therethrough and to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood in the blood vessel during the interventional procedure, wherein the filter device includes an expandable cage assembly, adapted to be expandable to capture embolic material, and to be collapsible to retain the captured embolic material, wherein the expandable cage assembly includes a plurality of struts, adapted to be expanded from unexpanded condition thereof, and a filter material for filtering embolic material, extending about the plurality of struts, and means for varying the stiffness along the length of the expandable cage assembly for enabling the expandable cage assembly to expand responsive thereto, comprising variable dimensions of the plurality of struts along substantially the entire length thereof, wherein the method comprises:
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positioning the catheter shaft in the interventional procedure site such that the expandable cage assembly is located within the blood vessel in the region at a location distal to the interventional procedure site;
expanding the expandable cage assembly within the blood vessel at the location distal to the interventional procedure site responsive to the stiffness varying means so as to capture embolic material;
performing the interventional procedure, which may release embolic material into the blood;
filtering the blood through the expandable cage assembly so as to capture embolic material which may be released into the blood upon performing the interventional procedure; and
collapsing the expandable cage assembly so as to retain the captured embolic material.
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Specification