Cardiac treatment apparatus

• US 7,410,461 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Paracor Surgical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Paracor Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Lau, Lilip, Hartigan, Bill
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilbert; Samuel G
• Application Number:
  US10/314,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20030065248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 600 16- 18, 600/37, 128/897, 128/898, 606/157, 623 661- 3, 601/11, 661/93, 661/95, 662/02
• US Class Current: 600/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2481 Devices outside the heart wall, e.g. bags, strips or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0072 Delivery tools therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/2484 Delivery devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/33 Controlling, regulating or measuring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8243 by induction
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/191 mechanically acting upon the outside of the patient's native heart, e.g. compressive structures placed around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/438 the force acting on the blood contacting member being mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/873 specially adapted for wireless or transcutaneous energy transfer [TET], e.g. inductive charging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/882 Devices powered by the patient, e.g. skeletal muscle powered devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0587 Epicardial electrode systems; Endocardial electrodes piercing the pericardium
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49995 Shaping one-piece blank by removing material

Abstract

A cardiac harness for treating congestive heart failure is disclosed. The harness applies elastic, compressive reinforcement on the left ventricle to reduce deleterious wall tension and to resist shape change of the ventricle during the mechanical cardiac cycle. Rather than imposing a dimension beyond which the heart cannot expand, the harness provides no hard limit over the range of diastolic expansion of the ventricle. Instead, the harness follows the contour of the heart throughout diastole and continuously exerts gentle resistance to stretch. Also disclosed is a method of delivering the cardiac harness to the heart minimally invasively.

Claims

1. A cardiac treatment apparatus, comprising:

an elastic cardiac harness having a first row, a second row, up to an Nth row of elastic elements extending circumferentially around at least a portion of the heart, adjacent rows being connected by interconnecting elements so that all of the elements in all of the rows do not overlap;

the elastic elements being formed from a metal alloy and adapted to cover at least a majority of a patient'"'"'s left ventricle to globally exert pressure that does not exceed 10 mm Hg on the patient'"'"'s left ventricle during the cardiac cycle, the elastic elements being sufficiently elastic such that the elements do not limit end-diastolic volume during filling of the ventricle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elastic elements comprise hinge structures, and wherein the elasticity of the harness is due substantially entirely to bending of the hinge structures.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the harness has a compliance sufficiently high that the harness is not constrictive.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elastic elements include hinge structures for providing systolic pumping assistance.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elastic elements comprise interconnected hinge structures which form a ring.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the harness is configured to reinforce the heart during the cardiac cycle without causing the heart to be more spherical.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elastic elements are formed from a nickel-titanium alloy.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elastic elements are formed from a superelastic material.

9. The elastic cardiac harness of claim 1, wherein the cardiac harness is adapted to globally exert pressures that do not exceed about 10 mm Hg on the patient'"'"'s left ventricle throughout the cardiac cycle and to remain in substantial contact with the majority of the left ventricle throughout the cardiac cycle.

10. The elastic cardiac harness of claim 9, wherein the cardiac harness is sufficiently elastic such that the cardiac harness does not limit end-diastolic volume during filling of the ventricle.

11. The elastic cardiac harness of claim 10, wherein the cardiac harness is sufficiently elastic to be mounted on the heart and remain in global contact with the epicardium without manual sizing of the cardiac harness after implantation.