Method of making an off-wall spacer cage

• US 9,364,284 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Groff, Joel N., Smith, Scott R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arbes, Carl
• Application Number:
  US13/649,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0016 Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00511 Kidney
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0558 Anchoring or fixation means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 41/028 expandable mandrels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49817 with other than ancillary treating or assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A method of making a spacer cage is disclosed. The method may include providing a tube having an outer diameter, a first second, a second section and a middle section having a first end connected to the first section and a second end connected to the second section, cutting the middle section to form strut elements of the spacer cage and cutting a plurality of longitudinal slits in the first and second sections to allow radial expansion of the first and second sections, expanding the tube using a mandrel, heat setting the tube while on the mandrel, and subsequent the heat setting, removing the first and second sections from the tube.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a renal nerve modulation device, the method comprising:

providing a tubular member;

cutting the tubular member to define a plurality of strut assemblies connected by one or more expandable end sections;

wherein each of the strut assemblies include a main strut, a spacer strut, and an electrode strut;

attaching at least one tube to the tubular member adjacent to at least one of said expandable end sections;

removing one or more of said expandable end sections from the tubular member to define a cage member; and

attaching the cage member to a catheter shaft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting the tubular member to define one or more strut assemblies includes cutting a plurality of longitudinal slits in the tubular member.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing the tubular member on a mandrel and wherein disposing the tubular member on a mandrel includes expanding the tubular member.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising heat setting the tubular member.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tubular member includes a main body, a first expandable end section, and a second expandable end section, and further comprising attaching a first tube to the tubular member adjacent to the first expandable end section and attaching a second tube to the tubular member adjacent to the second expandable end section.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein removing the one or more expandable end sections from the tubular member to define a cage member includes removing the first expandable end section, the second expandable end section, or both from the tubular member.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein attaching the cage member to a catheter shaft includes disposing the first tube, the second tube, or both adjacent to the catheter shaft.