CLIP APPLIER AND METHODS OF USE

• US 20080004636A1
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Pantages, Anthony, Reynolds, Timothy C., Walberg, Erik K., Ellingwood, Brian A., Jair, Kai Y.
• Granted Patent: US 8,313,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/142
• 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 17/064 Surgical staples, i.e. penetrating the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/0644 penetrating the tissue, deformable to closed position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/068 Surgical staplers , e.g. containing multiple staples or clampsstaplers containing only one staple A61B17/10; magazines or containers for staples A61B17/105; for performing anastomosis A61B17/115; staplers in general B25C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/083 Clips, e.g. resilient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/10 for applying or removing wound clamps, e.g. containing only one clamp or staple A61B17/076 takes precedence; containing multiple wound clamps A61B17/068; Wound clamp magazines containers, packaging elements or packages specially adapted for particular articles or with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00, B65D85/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1227 Spring clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00424 ergonomic, e.g. fitting in fist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00672 Locating means therefor, e.g. bleed back lumen

Abstract

An apparatus for placement into an opening formed in a wall of a body lumen to deploy a closure element. The apparatus comprising a housing having a handle portion formed at a distal end, the handle portion configured to be engaged by a user when advancing the housing to deploy the closure element. A locator assembly and a carrier assembly are at least partially received in the housing. The locator assembly can have one or more expansion members that can selectably contact the wall of the body lumen and a proximal end configured to cooperate with a portion of a locator control system operable to expand the one or more expansion members. A triggering system cooperates with the locator assembly and is moveable toward the one or more expansion members of the locator assembly upon the locator control system being operated to expand the one or more expansion members.

Claims

1. An apparatus for delivering a closure element to an opening formed in a wall of a body lumen, the apparatus comprising:

a locator assembly having a distal end region configured to extend into the opening and selectably contact the wall of the body lumen and a proximal end configured to cooperate with a movable plunger,

a carrier assembly coupled with said locating assembly, said carrier assembly retaining the closure element in a substantially tubular configuration within said carrier assembly; and

a triggering system cooperating with said locator assembly, said triggering system moveable toward the distal end region of said locator assembly as said movable plunger moves toward said distal end region.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a housing receiving said locator assembly, said carrier assembly, and said triggering system.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said locator assembly being configured to selectively control said distal end region of said locator assembly between said expanded state and said unexpanded state.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said locator assembly further comprises a control member coupled to at least one expansion member and a tubular member surround said control member.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said locator assembly further comprises a tubular body block mounted to said tubular member, a spring retainer receiving a portion of said tubular body block, and said movable plunger slidably cooperating with said tubular body block and said tubular member.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said distal end region of said locator assembly is configured to transition from an unexpanded state to an expanded state.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said triggering system moves toward said distal end region substantially simultaneously with said distal end region transitioning from said unexpanded state to said expanded state.

8. An apparatus for placement into an opening formed in a wall of a body lumen, the apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising a handle portion formed at a distal end, said handle portion comprising a shaped grasping portion and an elongate grasping portion;

a locator assembly receivable by said housing, said locator assembly having a distal end region configured to extend into the opening and selectably contact the wall of the body lumen; and

a carrier assembly coupled with said locating assembly, said carrier assembly retaining a closure element in a substantially tubular configuration within said carrier assembly, said closure element being deployable from within a portion of said carrier assembly to close the opening formed in the wall of the body lumen.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said shaped grasping portion is spaced apart from said elongate grasping portion.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said distal end of said housing further comprises at least one distal handle portion extending from said housing in a direction substantially opposite to at least one of said grasping portions.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said shaped grasping portion has a generally curved configuration with a recess adapted to receive at least one of a thumb or finger during use of the apparatus.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said apparatus further comprises a trigger extension coupled to and extending from said carrier assembly, said trigger extension being configured to advance the carrier assembly prior to deployment of the closure element.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein said trigger extension is movable toward said distal end region of said locator assembly upon activation of a locator control system to at least partially deploy at least one expansion element, disposed at said distal end region, configured to expand substantially transversely with respect to a longitudinal axis of said locator assembly.

14. An apparatus for placement into an opening formed in a wall of a body lumen to deploy a closure element, the apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising a handle portion formed at a distal end, said handle portion configured to be engaged by a user when advancing said housing to deploy the closure element;

a locator assembly receivable by said housing, said locator assembly having one or more expansion members configured to expand substantially transversely with respect to a longitudinal axis of said locator assembly to selectably contact the wall of the body lumen and a proximal end configured to cooperate with a portion of a locator control system operable to expand said one or more expansion members;

a carrier assembly coupled with said locating assembly, said carrier assembly retaining a closure element in a substantially tubular configuration within said carrier assembly, said closure element being deployable from within a portion of said carrier assembly to close the opening formed in the wall of the body lumen; and

a triggering system cooperating with said locator assembly, said triggering system moveable toward said one or more expansion members of said locator assembly upon said locator control system being operated to expand said one or more expansion members.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said housing further comprises at least one proximal handle portion configured to be engaged by the user when advancing said proximal end of said locating assembly.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said triggering system further comprises a trigger extension coupled to and extending from said carrier assembly, said trigger extension being configured to advance said carrier assembly prior to deployment of said closure element.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein each of said one or more expansion members comprises one or more substantially flexible members.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said locator control system is configured to selectively control said distal end region of said locator assembly between said expanded state and said unexpanded state.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein said locator assembly further comprises a control member coupled to said one or more expansion members and a tubular body surrounding said control member, said locator assembly further comprising a tubular body block mounted to said tubular member, a spring retainer receiving a portion of said tubular body block, and a movable plunger slidably cooperating with said tubular body block and said tubular member.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said carrier assembly comprises a carrier member for receiving and supporting said closure element in said substantially tubular configuration, a pusher member for distally deploying said closure element, and a cover member for retaining said closure element, said carrier member, said pusher member, and said cover member being slidably coupled.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said carrier member, said pusher member, and said cover member are provided as a plurality of nested, telescoping members with a common longitudinal axis.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said carrier member defines a lumen, said distal end region of said locator assembly being substantially axially aligned with, and at least partially slidably disposable within, said lumen of said carrier member.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said distal end region of said carrier member has a cross-section that increases distally for expanding said closure element to a cross-section that is greater than a natural cross-section of said closure element.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said distal end region of said pusher member includes one or more longitudinal extensions extending distally and being configured to expand radially as said distal end region of said pusher member moves distally and engages said distally-increasing cross-section of said distal end region of said carrier member.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said distal end region of said cover member includes one or more longitudinal extension extending distally and being configured to expand radially.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said carrier assembly further includes a support member being slidably coupled with said carrier member, said pusher member, and said cover member and being configured to provide radial support for said distal end region of said cover member.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said carrier member, said pusher member, said cover member, and said support member are provided as a plurality of nested, telescoping members with a common longitudinal axis.