Articulated center post

• US 20040143293A1
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atrial Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cardia, Inc.
• Inventors: Marino, Joseph A., Corcoran, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,087,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/213
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0057 Implements for plugging an opening in the wall of a hollow or tubular organ, e.g. for sealing a vessel puncture or closing a cardiac septal defect sutures A61B17/04; closing rectum or urethra near body surface A61F2/0009
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00575 for closure at remote site, e.g. closing atrial septum defects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00592 Elastic or resilient implements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00606 Implements H-shaped in cross-section, i.e. with occluders on both sides of the opening

Abstract

This invention relates to an occlusion device for the heart, having an articulated center post which allows the device to better conform to the contours of the heart to increase sealing abilities and reduce breakage resulting from conformation pressure.

Claims

1. An occlusion device comprising:

a first occluding member;

a second occluding member; and

a flexible center section allowing the first and second members to independently conform to an aperture.

2. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the joint provided has a single articulation.

3. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the joint provided has two articulations.

4. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the joint provided has three articulations.

5. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the joint comprises a ball joint.

6. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the center section is made of titanium.

7. The articulated center section of claim 1, wherein the articulated center section has a diameter of about 8 millimeters to about 0.1 millimeter.

8. The articulated center section of claim 1 wherein the articulated center section has an axial length of less than about 20 millimeters.

9. The occlusion device of claim 1, wherein the joint comprises a reduction in the support material used to construct the center section.

10. The articulated center section in claim 1 wherein the joint provides 360°

of motion of the left and right parts relative to the joint.

11. An occlusion device having an articulated center post, the center post comprising:

a left part and a right part, each comprising a body, ball, and neck which terminates in the ball;

a center part comprising a left sleeve and a right sleeve wherein each sleeve has an end opening smaller than the ball;

left and right elastic shape memory fixation devices attached to the left and right parts, respectively; and

left and right foam sheets attached to the left and right fixation devices, respectively.

12. The center part of claim 111 wherein the right sleeve has a cuff at the proximal end whereby it attaches to the left sleeve.

13. An occlusion device for the closure of a physical anomaly, the device comprising:

a first occluding body connected to a first support structure;

a second occluding body connected to a second support structure; and

a flexible center connecting the first and second occluding body.

14. The occlusion device of claim 13, wherein the flexible center is articulated.

15. An occlusion device, the device comprising:

a jointed center strut;

a first plurality of fixation devices extending from a first end of the jointed center strut; and

a first sheet attached to the first plurality of fixation devices.

16. An occlusion device, the device comprising:

a jointed center strut having distal and proximal ends;

a first set of wire support arms extending from the distal end of the jointed center strut;

a first sheet attached to the first set of arms;

a second set of wire support arms extending from the proximal end of the center strut; and

a second sheet attached to the second set of support arms.

17. An occlusion device for the closure of a physical anomaly the occlusion device comprising:

a jointed center piece;

first and second collapsible support frames spaced from one another and extending from the jointed center piece; and

first and second sheets attached to the first and second collapsible support frames respectively.

18. A method of making an occlusion device with an articulated center section, the method comprising:

forming a left part and a right part, each part comprising a ball located on an end of the part, wherein the diameter of ball is greater than the diameter of body;

inserting the left part into a left sleeve so that the terminal end ball sits inside the sleeve and the rest of the part comes out an opening in the sleeve;

inserting the right part into a right sleeve so that the terminal end ball sits inside the sleeve and the rest of the part comes out an opening in the sleeve;

connecting the left and right sleeves together to secure the terminal end balls inside the center sleeve;

connecting a first occluding body to the left part; and

connecting a second occluding body to the right part.

19. The articulated center section of claim 18, wherein each sleeve has a distal end opening smaller than the terminal end ball.

20. The articulated center post of claim 18, wherein the right sleeve has a cuff at the end which can be inserted into the left sleeve to connect the two sleeves.

21. A method of deploying an occlusion device with an articulated center post, the method comprising:

inserting the device through a catheter while the device is attached to a grasping device; and

adjusting the flexibility of the joint while inserting the device to minimize distortion to the tissue surrounding the device.

22. The method of deployment as in claim 21, wherein the flexibility of the joint is engaged by:

advancing the device outside the catheter until the joint is revealed and therefore mobilized;

and restricted by retracting the device inside the catheter until the joint is no longer exposed and therefore restricted.

23. The method of deployment of claim 21, wherein the flexibility of the articulated center post is utilized to accommodate the insertion angle.