Body vessel filter

• US 6,706,054 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ev3, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: ev3, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Dolmatch, Bart Lewis, Dukart, Brian Lee, Wessman, Bradley John
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, KEVIN THAO
• Application Number:
  US09/746,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20010000799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 606/113, 606/114, 606/127, 606/159, 606/200
• US Class Current: 606/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0103 With centering means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0105 Open ended, i.e. legs gathered only at one side
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/011 Instruments for their placement or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/016 made from wire-like elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0067 conical

Abstract

A catheter-deliverable filter assembly deployable in a vessel of the body in alternatively a temporary configuration enabling the filter to be removed from the vessel or a permanent configuration, and a method for its use. The filter assembly comprises an elongated support carrying spaced along its length a filter element and a anchoring element with the filter element being spaced distally from the anchoring element. Each element comprises a core mounted to the elongated support and a plurality of flexible, resilient wires extending distally from the core, the wires having proximal portions attached at one end to the core and distal portions. The wires of the anchoring element include gripping elements for gripping the walls of a vessel. The wires are so configured as to support the apices of the filter and anchoring elements substantially in the center of the vessel. The filter assembly may include a hollow flexible tether releasably attached to the proximal end of the elongated support and having a distal end portion within which are resiliently confined the wires of the anchoring element when the filter element alone is deployed.

Claims

1. A catheter-deliverable filter assembly for deploying a filter element in a vessel of the body, comprising:

an elongated support having proximal and distal ends, separate filter and anchoring elements spaced axially along said support and each comprising a core carried by the support and a plurality of flexible, resilient wires having proximal portions attached to the core and distal portions extending distally of the core and configured to expand into resilient contact with walls of a vessel, said wires converging proximally toward their respective cores to define apices of the respective elements, said filter element being spaced distally of said anchoring element, and said anchoring element alone including gripping elements carried by distal portions of said wires and adapted to grip the walls of a vessel to anchor the filter assembly in the vessel.

2. The filter assembly of claim 1 including a hollow flexible tether releasably attached to the proximal end of said support and having a tubular, distal end portion within which are resiliently confined the wires forming said anchoring element when only the distal, filter element is deployed.

3. The filter assembly of claim 2 wherein said gripping elements comprise proximally pointing prongs carried by distal end portions of the wires of the anchoring element within said distal end portion of the tether and oriented to come into contact with and grip the vessel walls when said anchoring element is ejected from the distal end portion of the tether.

4. The filter assembly of claim 2 wherein said elongated support is tubular and includes open distal and proximal ends to define an infusion tube extending distally from the filter element and having a proximal end in fluid communication with the hollow tether to enable a fluid to be ejected distally of the filter element.

5. The filter assembly of claim 2 wherein the distal end portion of the tether is releasably locked to said elongated support, the filter assembly including a flexible wire slidably received in said tether and bearing at its distal end a lock release for releasing the tether from the support to enable the tether to be withdrawn from the filter assembly.

6. The filter assembly of claim 5 wherein the distal end portion of the tubular tether includes an inner lip having a proximally facing surface and said support includes a portion receivable proximally of said lip within the distal end portion of the tether and bearing a latch having a distally facing surface engaging the proximally facing surface of the lip of the tether to releasably lock the tether to the support.

7. The filter assembly of claim 6 wherein said lock release comprises a distally-open rigid tubular portion shaped to engage and cam said latch out of contact with said lip to unlock the tether from the support.

8. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein said wires of each element have length portions configured to lay in circumferentially spaced line contact against and along the walls of a vessel to substantially center said apices within the lumen, the wires being so disposed with respect to each other so as to be spaced from each other distally of the apices when the elements are deployed in the vessel.

9. The filter assembly of claim 1 or claim 2 including a delivery catheter having an inner bore within which the core and wires of the filter element are slidably received in an elastically restrained orientation enabling delivery of the filter assembly to the vessel.

10. The filter assembly of any one of claims 1 and 2 wherein said distal portions of the wires each have a length so configured as to spiral axially in the same direction to facilitate release of the wires toward said predetermined configuration without tangling.

11. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area of the distal portions of the wires is less than that of the proximal wire portions to provide the distal wire portions with comparatively greater flexibility.

12. The filter assembly of claim 1 wherein each said core includes a plurality of axially extending bores spaced circumferentially of the central axis, and wherein an adjacent pair of said wires comprise the legs of a U shaped wire length, the legs extending distally through adjacent ones of said axially extending bore to lock each wire to the core and to prevent rotation of said wires about their respective axes within said circumferentially spaced bores.

13. A filter assembly deployable in the lumen of a vessel, the filter assembly comprising an elongated support having distal and proximal ends, a tether attached to said proximal end, and a core carried along the length of said support, said core having distal and proximal ends and a central axis, and a plurality of flexible wires extending from the core, said core including a plurality of axially extending bores spaced circumferentially of the central axis, and wherein an adjacent pair of said wires comprise the legs of a U shaped wire length, the legs extending distally through different ones of said axially extending bores to lock each wire to the core and to prevent rotation of said wires about their axes.