Apparatus for applying a compressive load on body tissue

• US 8,075,616 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edwards Lifesciences AG (Edwards Lifesciences Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Edwards Lifesciences AG (Edwards Lifesciences Corporation)
• Inventors: Solem, Jan Otto, Kimblad, Per Ola, von Oepen, Randolf, Michlitsch, Kenneth J., Ha, Suk-Woo, Eckert, Karl-Ludwig, Joergensen, Ib, Nielsen, Stevan, Quint, Bodo, Seibold, Gerd
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHILLINGER, ANN M
• Application Number:
  US10/500,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,280 Days
• Field of Search: 623 111- 154
• US Class Current: 623/2.37
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2451 Inserts in the coronary sinus for correcting the valve shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2481 Devices outside the heart wall, e.g. bags, strips or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/26 Penis implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/043 Bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/826 more than one stent being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8483 Barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0004 bioabsorbable

Abstract

A device for reshaping a cardiac valve (26), which is elongate and has such dimensions as to be insertable into a cardiac vessel (24). The device has two states, in a first state (K) of which the device has a shape that is adaptable to the shape of the vessel (24), and to the second state (k′) of which the device is transferable from said first state (K). Further, the device comprises a fixing means (22,23;22a,23a) for fixing the ends of the device within the vessel (24), when the device is first positioned therein, a shape-changing member (20;20a) for transferring the device to the second state (K′) by reshaping it, and a delay means (21;21a) for delaying said reshaping until the fixing of the ends of the device has been reinforced by keeping said device in said first state (K) until the delay means (21;21a) is resorbed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying a compressive load on body tissue, the apparatus comprising:

a catheter having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending through the catheter;

a balloon affixed to the catheter, the balloon being in fluid communication with the lumen and having contracted and deployed states, wherein the balloon assumes a predetermined shape in the deployed state, wherein the balloon includes an interior surface defining an expandable chamber; and

a stent having contracted and deployed states, wherein the stent is plastically deformable by the balloon and substantially conforms to the predetermined shape of the balloon in the deployed state, wherein the stent is configured to apply a compressive load on surrounding body tissue when in the deployed state;

wherein, in the deployed state, the balloon is maintained in the predetermined shape, at least in part, by an anchor element extending along a constrained portion of the interior surface of the balloon and limiting expansion of the balloon in the constrained portion in comparison with expansion in an unconstrained portion in which the anchor element is not present when the balloon changes from its contracted to its deployed state, wherein an entirety of the anchor element is disposed within the expandable chamber of the balloon.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the balloon assumes a curved shape in the deployed state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the balloon is in the deployed state, the anchor element is curved along the interior surface of the balloon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the balloon is in the contracted state, the anchor element is substantially straight along the interior surface of the balloon.

5. An apparatus for applying a compressive load on body tissue, the apparatus comprising:

an elongate delivery member having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending through the elongate delivery member;

a balloon affixed to the elongate delivery member, the balloon being in fluid communication with the lumen and having contracted and deployed states, wherein the balloon assumes a predetermined shape in the deployed state, wherein the balloon includes an interior surface defining an expandable chamber;

an elongate member having first and second states, wherein the elongate member is plastically deformed from the first state to the second state by the balloon when the balloon changes from the contracted state to the deployed state;

wherein the elongate member substantially conforms to a surface of the balloon in the deployed state, wherein the elongate member is configured to apply a compressive load on adjacent body tissue when in the second state;

wherein, in the deployed state, the balloon is maintained in the predetermined shape, at least in part, by an anchor element extending along a constrained portion of the interior surface of the balloon that restrains expansion of the balloon in the constrained portion in comparison with expansion in an unconstrained portion of the balloon in which the anchor element is not present; and

wherein an entirety of the anchor element is disposed within the expandable chamber of the balloon.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the balloon comprises a curved shape in the deployed state.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when the balloon is in the deployed state, the anchor element is curved along the interior surface of the balloon.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when the balloon is in the contracted state, the anchor element is substantially straight along the interior surface of the balloon.