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Expandable tip assembly for thrombus management

  • US 8,585,713 B2
  • Filed: 10/25/2011
  • Issued: 11/19/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An expandable tip assembly adapted to address an occlusive thrombus within a blood vessel without distal embolic protection, comprising:

  • a variable-stiffness hypotube having a proximal portion, a distal portion and a lumen sized and adapted to receive a guidewire;

    wherein the distal portion of the hypotube has a greater flexibility than the proximal portion;

    wherein the greater flexibility is provided by spiral laser cuts spaced along the distal portion of the hypotube;

    wherein a spacing between the spiral cuts decreases from a proximal end of the distal portion to a distal end of the distal portion;

    an expandable and reconstrainable scaffold coupled to the distal end of the hypotube, the scaffold being adapted to radially self-expand from a non-expanded configuration to an expanded configuration upon unsheathing of the scaffold and to transition from the expanded configuration to the non-expanded configuration upon re-sheathing of the scaffold;

    wherein the scaffold comprises a generally cylindrical configuration;

    wherein the scaffold comprises a laser-cut tube;

    wherein the scaffold comprises an open distal end without a distal embolic protection member or device;

    wherein a proximal end of the scaffold comprises a cut-out section adapted to facilitate re-sheathing of the scaffold;

    wherein the scaffold comprises a plurality of open cells defined by struts and connected by bridges;

    wherein each strut has two ends, with each end connected to one of the bridges;

    wherein the scaffold has a chronic outward force (COF) per unit length that does not decrease by more than 75% from a scaffold diameter of 1.5 mm to a scaffold diameter of 4.5 mm; and

    wherein the open cells are sized to promote at least one of vessel reperfusion or thrombus removal.

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