Embolic device delivery system

• US 7,942,894 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Codman & Shurtleff Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Codman & Shurtleff Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: West, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Erezo; Darwin P
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASHACK, MARK F
• Application Number:
  US11/345,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• Field of Search: 606/200, 606/108, 606/198, 606/907, 606205-206, 606/151, 623/1.23, 623/1.11, 294/99.1, 294/99.2, 294/200
• US Class Current: 606/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/12054 Details concerning the detachment of the occluding device from the introduction device

Abstract

A vascular occlusion device deployment system is provided for deploying an embolic device at a preselected site within the vasculature of a patient. The deployment system includes a tubular element having a catch movably located within the tubular element. The catch has a normal open configuration and a closed configuration. When in the closed configuration, the catch grasps a headpiece of an embolic device. The tubular element has a constraining section and a releasing section. When the catch is within the constraining section of the tubular element, the constraining section acts upon the catch to keep the catch in a closed configuration. When the catch is moved to the releasing section, the catch returns to its normally open configuration and releases its grasp of the embolic device headpiece.

Claims

1. An embolic device deployment system, comprising:

a tubular element having an outer wall, an inner wall defining a lumen, and a wall thickness between the outer and inner walls of the tubular element;

a catch movably located within said lumen, the catch comprising a pair of jaws, at least one of said jaws is biased toward an open position providing a spacing between the jaws which is greater than spacing between the jaws at said closed position, the catch having a closed position, said catch being biased to the open position and sized to hold a portion of an embolic element when in the closed position;

said tubular element having a constraining section which constrains the catch to the closed position and a release section which permits the catch to move toward the open position when the catch is located at the release section;

said constraining section has a distal end edge at the distal-most location of the tubular element, a distal portion that is located distally of the release section, and a proximal portion that is located proximally of the release section;

said release section comprises a pair of generally opposing apertures that are each between said distal and proximal portions of the constraining section;

each aperture of the pair of apertures is an opening completely through said wall thickness of the tubular element to effect said open position at which one said pair of jaws enters one of said pair of apertures and the other of said pair of jaws enters the other of said pair of apertures to release the embolic device; and

said constraining section distal portion of the tubular element is a tubular portion that is a cylinder distal of the apertures that extends for a length of the tubing between the distal-end edge of the tubular element and the distal-most extent of the apertures, said constraining section cylinder distal of the apertures is proximal of the distal-end edge thereby allowing the catch to move to the open configuration when proximal of the distal-end edge of the tubular element, thereby releasing the embolic device into the cylinder distal of the apertures.

2. The deployment system of claim 1 wherein the pair of apertures extend circumferentially along the tubular element.

3. The deployment system of claim 1 wherein said constraining section and said release section are spaced longitudinally from each other along said tubular element, further including an elongated member attached to the catch whereby the elongated member is used to move the catch within the lumen between at least said constraining section and said release section.

4. The deployment system of claim 3 wherein the elongated member includes a lumen and a second elongated member located within the lumen, said second elongated member being movable linearly within the lumen and having a distal end portion which extends into the catch.

5. A combination of an embolic device and an embolic device deployment system, comprising:

an embolic device;

a tubular element having an outer wall, an inner wall defining a lumen, and a wall thickness between the outer and inner walls of the tubular element;

a catch movably located within said lumen, the catch comprising a pair of jaws, at least one of said jaws is biased toward an open position providing a spacing between the jaws which is greater than spacing between the jaws at said closed position, the catch having a closed position, said catch being biased to the open position, said catch grasping a portion of the embolic device when in the closed position and releasing the portion of the embolic device when in the open position;

said tubular element having a constraining section which constrains the catch to the closed position and a release section which permits the catch to move toward the open position when the catch is located at the release section to thereby release the embolic device;

said constraining section has a distal end edge at the distal-most location of the tubular element, a distal portion that is located distally of the release section, and a proximal portion that is located proximally of the release section;

said release section comprises a pair of generally opposing apertures that are each between said distal and proximal portions of the constraining section;

each aperture of the pair of apertures is an opening completely through said wall thickness of the tubular element to effect said open position at which one said pair of jaws enters one of said pair of apertures and the other of said pair of jaws enters the other of said pair of apertures to release the embolic device; and

said constraining section distal portion of the tubular element is a tubular portion that is a cylinder distal of the apertures that extends for a length of the tubing between the distal-end edge of the tubular element and the distal-most extent of the apertures, said constraining section cylinder distal of the apertures is proximal of the distal-end edge thereby allowing the catch to move to the open configuration when proximal of the distal-end edge of the tubular element, thereby releasing the embolic device into the cylinder distal of the apertures.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the pair of apertures extend circumferentially along the tubular element.

7. The combination of claim 5 further including an elongated member attached to the catch whereby the elongated member is used to move the catch within the lumen.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the elongated member includes a lumen and a second elongated member located within the lumen, said second elongated member being movable linearly within the lumen and having a distal end portion which extends into the catch.

9. A method of delivering an embolic device to a location within the vasculature of a patient, comprising:

providing a tubular element having a wall thickness defined between an outer wall and an inner wall defining a lumen, the tubular element having a distal end edge, a catch having a closed position and being movably located within the lumen, the catch comprising a pair of jaws, at least one of the jaws is biased toward an open position providing a spacing between the jaws which is greater than spacing between the jaws at said closed position, grasping a portion of the embolic device when in the closed position and releasing the portion of the embolic coil when in the open position, the tubular element having a constraining section which constrains the catch to the closed position and a release section having a pair of generally opposing apertures completely through the wall thickness of the tubular element and that permit the catch to move into the apertures and toward the open position, the constraining section is tubular and extends from the distal end edge of the tubular element to the apertures to form a cylinder that is distal of the apertures;

inserting a portion of an embolic device into the catch;

positioning the catch within the constraining section of the tubular element to maintain the catch in a closed position;

manipulating the tubular element to guide the embolic device to a preselected location within the vasculature of a patient;

moving the catch along the tubular constraining section until one of the pair of jaws of the catch enters into one of the pair of apertures of the release section of the tubular element and until the other jaw enters the other aperture, said moving being to the constraining section cylinder distal of the apertures, which is at a location proximal of the distal end edge thereby allowing the catch to move to the open configuration when proximal of the distal end edge of the tubular element, thereby releasing the embolic element into the cylinder distal of the apertures; and

allowing relative longitudinal movement between the tubular element and the embolic element until the embolic device fully exits from the cylinder distal of the apertures.

10. The method of claim 9 further including an elongated member attached to the catch, and the moving comprises manipulating the elongated member to move the catch longitudinally between at least the constraining section and the release section.