Thrombus removal system and process

• US 8,603,122 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Nexgen Medical Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nexgen Medical Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Pokorney, James L., Finitsis, Stephanos, Kucharczyk, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Holwerda, Kathleen
• Assistant Examiner(s): EASTWOOD, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US11/974,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 606/110, 606/113, 606/127, 606/159, 606/192, 606/200
• US Class Current: 606/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/221 Gripping devices in the form of loops or baskets for gripping calculi or similar types of obstructions surgical snare instruments A61B17/32056
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22034 for gripping the obstruction or the tissue part from inside

Abstract

A device capable of capturing and facilitating the removal of a thrombus in blood vessels (or stones in biliary or urinary ducts, or foreign bodies) uses a soft coil mesh with the aid of a pull wire or string to engage the surface of a thrombus, and remove the captured thrombus. The soft coil mesh is formed by an elongated microcoil element that forms the helical elements of a macrocoil element. The microcoil element provides a relatively elastic effect to the helical elements forming the macrocoil and allows for control of gripping forces on the thrombus while reducing non-rigid contact of the device with arterial walls. The use of multiple coil mesh elements, delivered through a single lumen or multiple lumens, preferably with separate control of at least one end of each coil, provides a firm grasp on a distal side of a thrombus, assisting in non-disruptive or minimally disrupted removal of the thrombus upon withdrawal of the device.

Claims

1. A device for retrieval of objects from within vessels of patients comprising:

a length of microcoil having approximately helical turns continuously or within adjacent sections of the length of microcoil and the helical turns have an average diameter, at least some of the continuous length or the segments in the length of microcoil having eyelets that extend beyond the average diameter, and a core wire passing through at least some adjacent eyelets from a distal end to a proximal end of the length of microcoil, the core wire being restrained near the distal end of the length of microcoil.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the average diameter of the helical turns is less than 0.050 inches.

3. The device of claim 2 carried within a lumen of a microcatheter wherein the lumen internal diameter is greater than the average diameter of the helical turns of the length of microcoil.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein tension applied on the proximal end of the core wire will cause the length of microcoil to form loops outside of the average diameter of the length of microcoil.

5. A device for insertion into a vessel for the removal of at least one solid object from within the vessel, the device comprising:

a catheter having a lumen;

within the lumen of the catheter is at least;

a macrocoil elongate element having an axis and a length, multiple eyelets on the macrocoil elongate element that extend away from the axis, and a core wire extending through at least two of the multiple eyelets;

wherein the core wire is attached at a distal point along the length of the macrocoil, wherein increasing tension on the core wire, which tension is in part guided by the core wire passing through multiple eyelets, causes the macrocoil to form loops, curves, bundles or a non-linear compressed shape.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the macrocoil element consists of a continuous length of microcoils or segments of microcoils along the length of the macrocoil that add flexibility and conformability to the microcoil.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the macrocoil element comprises a continuous length of microcoils.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein eyelets are formed along the length of the macrocoil element by dislocated microcoils extending away from the axis of the macrocoil elongate element and providing openings through which the core wire may pass.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein microcoils are positioned within the macrocoil so that an exterior surface of the microcoils positioned against a thrombus in a vessel will first engage an exterior surface of the thrombus.

10. The device of claim 5 wherein when tension is applied to the core wire, the macrocoil forms loops along the length of the macrocoil.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein at least some loops will be formed adjacent at least one eyelet.

12. A medical device for removing a thrombus from a blood vessel, comprising at least one microcatheter lumen, the medical device comprising at least one elongated flexible element lumen comprising a) at least one macrocoil comprising a continuous segment of microcoils or b) at least two separate flexible element segments comprising microcoils therein, each segment of the at least one macrocoil being capable of conformation to at least one solid object after deployment from the microcatheter lumen, each segment of flexible elements having eyelets extending away from an axis of the flexible element and a core wire extending through the eyelets, wherein tension on the core wire causes at least some adjacent eyelets to contract, forming a loop in the flexible element, the flexible element, when deployed to a location outside of the microcatheter lumen, is capable of being withdrawn from the location by withdrawal of the microcatheter lumen.

13. The medical device of claim 12 wherein the flexible element consists essentially of a continuous set of microcoils having an axis, the core wire and at least some eyelets are formed by microcoils extending away from the axis.

14. The medical device of claim 12 wherein eyelets are formed on the macrocoil by affixed eyelets extending away from the axis.

15. The medical device of claim 12 wherein the core wire is secured to at least some eyelets.

16. A medical device for removing a thrombus from a blood vessel, comprising at least one microcatheter lumen, the at least one microcatheter lumen having at least one deployable flexible element comprising a macrocoil having sections of microcoils separated by offset microcoils that form eyelets, each section of microcoils being capable of conformation to at least one solid object after deployment from the microcatheter lumen, each eyelet extending away from an axis of the microcoils with a core wire extending through the eyelets, wherein tension on the core wire causes at least some adjacent eyelets to contract towards each other, forming a loop in the flexible element, the loop comprising microcoils, and each of the at least one deployable flexible elements, when deployed to a location outside of the microcatheter lumen, is capable of being withdrawn from the location by withdrawal of the lumen.

17. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the flexible element consists essentially of a continuous set of microcoils having an axis, the core wire and at least some eyelets are formed by microcoils extending away from the axis.

18. The medical device of claim 16 wherein eyelets are form on the macrocoil by affixed eyelets extending away from the axis.

19. The medical device of claim 16 wherein the core wire is secured to at least some eyelets.

20. The device of claim 16 wherein microcoils are positioned within the macrocoil so that an exterior surface of the microcoils positioned against the thrombus in the blood vessel will first engage an exterior surface of the thrombus when the loop is drawn against the thrombus.