Artificial valve

• US 20060253189A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Corporation
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Corporation
• Inventors: Thornton, Sally C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,682,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.240
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2475 Venous valves

Abstract

Method and apparatus implementing and using techniques for controlling flow in a body lumen, including use of an implantable medical device. The device includes a membrane implantable in a body lumen and invertibly deformable between a first position and a second position. The membrane is invertible in response to the direction of fluid flow through the lumen and can be deformable by fluid flow in the body lumen.

Claims

1. A medical device, comprising:

a first frameless membrane having a first membrane sealing surface; and

a second frameless membrane having a second membrane sealing surface, the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane implantable in a body lumen and deformable between a first position under antegrade fluid flow and a second position under retrograde fluid flow, where in the second position the first membrane sealing surface and the second membrane sealing surface meet to resist fluid flow, and where the first membrane sealing surface and the second membrane sealing surface are formed of a material more flexible than other portions of the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane.

2. The medical device of claim 1, where the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane are symmetrically implantable in the body lumen.

3. The medical device of claim 1, where the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane each include at least one anchoring element.

4. The medical device of claim 3, where the anchoring element is configured to embed within the body lumen.

5. The medical device of claim 3, where the anchoring element is configured to penetrate through the body lumen.

6. The medical device of claim 1, where the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane include a radiopaque material.

7. The medical device of claim 1, where the first membrane sealing surface and the second frameless member sealing surface include a radiopaque material.

8. The medical device of claim 1, where the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane each define a portion of a cone.

9. The medical device of claim 8, where the first frameless membrane and the second frameless membrane each include an anchoring element adjacent to a vertex of the cone.

10. The medical device of claim 1, where the first frameless membrane and second frameless membrane move from the second position to the first position when antegrade fluid flow exerts a sufficient amount of pressure on the first frameless membrane and second frameless membrane.

11. A medical system, comprising:

a plurality of frameless membranes;

an elongate catheter including a central portion including a plurality of grooves surrounded by a retractable sheath, the plurality of frameless membranes positioned in the plurality of groves between the retractable sheath and the central portion; and

a plurality of push rods extending through the elongate catheter to the plurality of grooves to contract and extend the plurality of frameless members from the elongate catheter.

12. The medical system of claim 11, where the plurality of frameless membranes each include an anchoring element, where the plurality of push rods contact the anchoring elements of the plurality of frameless membranes.

13. The medical system of claim 12, where the plurality of push rods push the anchoring elements of the plurality of frameless members from a plurality of openings of the plurality of grooves.

14. The medical system of claim 13, where the retractable sheath fully retracts to expose the plurality of frameless membranes.

15. The medical system of claim 11, where the retractable sheath retracts to provide a plurality of openings, where the anchoring elements of the plurality of frameless membranes are pushed by the plurality of push rods through the plurality of openings.

16. A method, comprising:

positioning a frameless membrane in a body lumen, where the frameless membrane is invertibly deformable between a first position and a second position in response to the direction of fluid flow through the lumen relative to the membrane in the first position.

17. The method of claim 16, including forming a cavity between the frameless membrane and the body lumen when the frameless membrane is in the second position.

18. The method of claim 16, where the frameless membrane includes an anchoring element, the method further including:

penetrating the anchoring element through the body lumen.

19. The method of claim 16, where the frameless membrane includes an anchoring element, the method further including:

embedding the anchoring element into the body lumen.

20. The method of claim 16, including a second frameless membrane, the method further including:

positioning the two frameless membranes symmetrically.