Devices and methods for crimping and loading a medical device into a delivery system

• US 9,308,569 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Gopikrishnan, Webster, Christopher, Dang, Kenny, Rangwala, Hussain
• Primary Examiner(s): Koehler, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US13/757,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/24 Heart valves ; Vascular valves, e.g. venous valves; Heart implants, e.g. passive devices for improving the function of the native valve or the heart muscle; Transmyocardial revascularisation [TMR] devices; Valves implantable in the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9524 Iris-type crimpers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/001 for adjusting a diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/006 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0065 telescopic
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 51/16 characterised by the use of the objects making heat exchangers B21D53/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5191 Assembly

Abstract

A device for crimping an expandable medical device and loading the expandable medical device into a delivery system includes an actuator, a compression assembly, and a pusher. The compression assembly is disposed in a compression chamber of the actuator and includes a plurality of compression elements coupled to each other to form a central cavity. The compression elements are coupled to the actuator such that rotation of the actuator causes the compression elements to rotate such that the central cavity radially compresses from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration. The pusher includes a pusher rod and is configured to translate relative to the actuator towards the compression chamber when the cavity is in the compressed configuration such that the pusher rod may enter the cavity and push the medical device out of the cavity into delivery system.

Claims

1. A device for crimping and loading an expandable medical device from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration, the device comprising:

an actuator including a compression chamber and an opening;

a compression assembly disposed in the compression chamber, wherein the compression assembly includes a plurality of compression elements arranged adjacent each other and forming a central cavity therein, wherein the compression elements are coupled to the actuator such that rotation of the actuator causes the compression elements to rotate such that the central cavity radially compresses from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration;

a pusher coupled to the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the pusher includes an outer wall defining a cavity and a pusher rod disposed within the cavity, the pusher rod being sized and shaped generally similar to the central cavity formed by the compression elements in the compressed configuration, wherein the pusher is configured to translate relative to the actuator such that the pusher rod may enter the central cavity with the central cavity in the compressed configuration; and

a sleeve disposed within the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the sleeve is also disposed within the cavity of the pusher.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the opening is sized and shaped to receive the medical device with the medical device in the expanded configuration.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the central cavity in the expanded configuration is sized and shaped to receive the medical device with the medical device in the expanded configuration.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a shoulder between the opening and the compression chamber.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein an inner surface of the shoulder includes a plurality of grooves, wherein each groove includes a first end adjacent an outer edge of the shoulder and a second end disposed radially inward from the first end.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein each compression element includes a first rod sized and shaped to fit within one of the grooves of the inner surface of the shoulder.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the sleeve includes a surface facing the compression chamber, and where the surface includes a plurality of grooves, wherein each groove includes a first end adjacent an outer edge of the surface and a second end disposed radially inward from the first end.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein each compression element includes a second rod sized and shaped to fit in one of the groves of the sleeve.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve disposed within the actuator and coupled to the compression elements.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the sleeve is coupled to the pusher such that the pusher and sleeve do not rotate relative to each other, and wherein the pusher may translate relative to the sleeve.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein when the actuator and sleeve are disposed in a first position the compression assembly is in the expanded configuration and wherein when the actuator and sleeve are disposed in a second position the compression assembly is in the compressed configuration.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes an opening disposed therethrough, wherein the opening through the sleeve is shaped and sized to received pusher rod therethrough.

13. A device for crimping and loading an expandable medical device from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration, the device comprising:

an actuator including a compression chamber, an opening, and a shoulder between the opening and the compression chamber, wherein an inner surface of the shoulder includes a plurality of grooves, wherein each groove includes a first end adjacent an outer edge of the shoulder and a second end disposed radially inward from the first end;

a compression assembly disposed in the compression chamber, wherein the compression assembly includes a plurality of compression elements arranged adjacent each other and forming a central cavity therein, wherein the compression elements are coupled to the actuator such that rotation of the actuator causes the compression elements to rotate such that the central cavity radially compresses from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration;

a pusher coupled to the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the pusher includes a pusher rod sized and shaped generally similar to the central cavity in the compressed configuration, wherein the pusher is configured to translate relative to the actuator such that the pusher rod may enter the central cavity with the central cavity in the compressed configuration; and

a sleeve disposed within the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the sleeve is sized and shaped to fit within the pusher, wherein the sleeve includes a surface facing the compression chamber, and where the surface includes a plurality of grooves, wherein each groove includes a first end adjacent an outer edge of the surface and a second end disposed radially inward from the first end,

wherein each compression element includes a first rod sized and shaped to fit within one of the grooves of the inner surface of the shoulder.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein each compression element includes a second rod sized and shaped to fit in one of the grooves of the sleeve.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the compression elements are disposed between the shoulder of the actuator and the surface of the sleeve.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the grooves on the inner surface of the shoulder and the grooves on the surface of the sleeve are angled with respect to a longitudinal axis of the device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein in the expanded configuration of the compression assembly, each first rod of the compression elements is disposed in a respective groove of the shoulder adjacent the first end of the groove and each second rod of the compression elements is disposed in a respective groove of the sleeve adjacent the first end of the groove, and wherein in the compressed configuration of the compression assembly, each first rod of the compression elements is disposed in the respective groove of the shoulder adjacent the second end of the groove and each second rod of the compression elements is disposed in the respective groove of the sleeve adjacent the second end of the groove.

18. A device for crimping and loading an expandable medical device from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration, the device comprising:

an actuator including a compression chamber and an opening;

a compression assembly disposed in the compression chamber, wherein the compression assembly includes a plurality of compression elements arranged adjacent each other and forming a central cavity therein, wherein the compression elements are disposed entirely between the first and second longitudinal ends of the actuator and are coupled to the actuator such that rotation of the actuator causes the compression elements to rotate such that the central cavity radially compresses from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration;

a pusher coupled to the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the pusher includes a pusher rod sized and shaped generally similar to the central cavity in the compressed configuration, wherein the pusher is configured to translate relative to the actuator such that the pusher rod may enter the central cavity with the central cavity in the compressed configuration; and

a sleeve disposed within the actuator and coupled to the compression elements,

wherein the sleeve is coupled to the pusher such that the pusher and sleeve do not rotate relative to each other, and wherein the pusher may translate relative to the sleeve, and

wherein protrusions on an inner surface of the pusher are coupled to grooves on an outer surface of the sleeve to couple the pusher and sleeve to each other.

19. A device for crimping and loading an expandable medical device from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration, the device comprising:

an actuator including a compression chamber and an opening;

a compression assembly disposed in the compression chamber, wherein the compression assembly includes a plurality of compression elements arranged adjacent each other and forming a central cavity therein, wherein the compression elements are coupled to the actuator such that rotation of the actuator causes the compression elements to rotate such that the central cavity radially compresses from an expanded configuration to a compressed configuration;

a pusher coupled to the actuator opposite the opening, wherein the pusher includes a pusher rod sized and shaped generally similar to the central cavity in the compressed configuration, wherein the pusher is configured to translate relative to the actuator such that the pusher rod may enter the central cavity with the central cavity in the compressed configuration; and

a sleeve disposed within the actuator and coupled to the compression elements,

wherein the sleeve is coupled to the pusher such that the pusher and sleeve do not rotate relative to each other, and wherein the pusher may translate relative to the sleeve,

wherein when the actuator and sleeve are disposed in a first position the compression assembly is in the expanded configuration and wherein when the actuator and sleeve are disposed in a second position the compression assembly is in the compressed configuration, and

wherein in the first position, the pusher is prevented from translating towards the actuator such that the pusher rod does not extend into the cavity of the compression assembly, and wherein in the second position, the pusher can translate relative to the actuator and the sleeve such that the pusher rod can extend into the cavity of the compression assembly.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein in the first position, a plurality of protrusions extending from an inner surface of the actuator block the pusher from translating towards the compression chamber sufficiently to have the pusher rod extend into the cavity, and wherein in the second position, the protrusions extending from the inner surface of the actuator align with grooves in an outer surface of the pusher to permit the pusher to translate relative to the actuator such that the pusher rod can extend into the cavity.