APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SENSOR DEPLOYMENT AND FIXATION

• US 20120046560A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings Ii S.A.R.L.
• Original Assignee: CardioMEMS Incorporated
• Inventors: WHITE, Jason, TUMLIN, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/486
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/03 Detecting, measuring or recording fluid pressure within the body other than blood pressure, e.g. cerebral pressure; Measuring pressure in body tissues or organs A61B5/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6882 Anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• 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 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer

Abstract

An implant assembly is implanted in vivo within a vascular system in the implant assembly has a diameter greater than a vessel and compliance characteristics such that, upon release, the implant assembly forms an interference fit is between the anchor structure and the vessel wall, thereby preventing further distal movement.

Claims

1. An in vivo implant assembly for deployment within a vessel, the vessel having an inner diameter, comprising:

an intracorporal device body having a first end and a second opposing end, the intracorporal device body further having a longitudinal axis and a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be positioned; and

a means for passively creating an interference fit between the in vivo implant assembly and the inner diameter of the vessel, comprising;

a longitudinal anchor structure, wherein a proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure is positionally fixed relative to a top surface of the intracorporal device, wherein a distal end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure extends distally outwardly from the proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure and a respective end of the intracoporeal device body to form a loop that is positioned in an operative plane that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the intracorporal device body, wherein the distal-most end of the distal end portion forms a continuously curved tip, wherein at least a portion of the longitudinal anchor structure has a diameter that is at least as large as the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be operatively located, and wherein the intracorporal device is permanently fixed relative to the position of the created interference fit within the vessel.

2. The implant assembly of claim 1, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is greater than the inner diameter of the vessel.

3. The implant assembly of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal anchor structure comprises a first wire loop extending longitudinally from the first end of the intracorporal device body.

4. The implant assembly of claim 3, wherein the longitudinal anchor structure further comprises a second wire loop extending longitudinally from the second end of the intracorporal device body.

5. The implant assembly of claim 2, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is at least two times the inner diameter of the a vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be operatively located.

6. The implant assembly of claim 5, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is less than about approximately five times the inner diameter of the a vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be operatively located.

7. The implant assembly of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal anchor structure is sufficiently stiff to prevent downstream movement of the in vivo implant assembly after the interference fit is created.

8. The implant assembly of claim 7, wherein the in vivo implant assembly obstructs less that 50% of the cross-sectional area of the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is positioned after the interference fit is created.

9. The implant assembly of claim 8, wherein the vessel is a human pulmonary arterial vessel.

10. The implant assembly of claim 1, further comprising means for preventing substantial rotation of the implant assembly about an axis of rotation perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vessel.

11. An in vivo implant assembly for deployment within a vessel, the vessel having an inner diameter, comprising:

an intracorporal device body having a first end and a second opposing end, the intracorporal device body further having a longitudinal axis and a body diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be deployed; and

a means for passively creating an interference fit between the in vivo implant assembly and the inner diameter of the vessel, comprising;

a longitudinal anchor structure that extends distally outwardly longitudinally from a proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor to form a loop that forms a continuously curved tip at the distal-most end of the longitudinal anchor structure, wherein the longitudinal length of the longitudinal anchor structure is greater than the body diameter, wherein at least a portion of the longitudinal anchor structure has a diameter that is at least as large as the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be deployed, and wherein the intracorporal device is permanently fixed relative to the position of the created interference fit within the vessel.

12. The implant assembly of claim 11, wherein the loop of the longitudinal anchor structure is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the intracorporal device body.

13. The implant assembly of claim 12, wherein the longitudinal anchor structure comprises a first wire loop extending longitudinally from the first end of the intracorporal device body.

14. The implant assembly of claim 13, wherein the longitudinal anchor structure further comprises a second wire loop extending longitudinally from the second end of the intracorporal device body.

15. The implant assembly of claim 11, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is at least two times the inner diameter of the a vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be operatively located.

16. The implant assembly of claim 11, wherein a proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure is positionally fixed relative to a top surface of the intracorporal device.

17. An in vivo implant assembly for deployment within a vessel, the vessel having an inner diameter, comprising:

an intracorporal device body having a first end and a second opposing end, a longitudinal axis and a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the vessel; and

a longitudinal anchor structure extending distally outwardly longitudinally from the proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure to form a loop that has a continuously curved tip at the distal-most end of the longitudinal anchor structure, wherein the loop is configured to resiliently contact and form an interference fit with a portion of the operative vessel, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is greater than the inner diameter of the vessel, wherein at least a portion of the longitudinal anchor structure has a diameter that is at least as large as the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be deployed, and wherein the intracorporal device is permanently fixed relative to the position of the created interference fit within the vessel.

18. The implant assembly of claim 17, wherein the loop extends longitudinally from the first end of the intracorporal device body.

19. The implant assembly of claim 18, wherein the loop extends longitudinally from the second end of the intracorporal device body.

20. The implant assembly of claim 17, wherein the loop extends longitudinally from the first or second end of the intracorporal device body.

21. The implant assembly of claim 17, wherein the proximate end portion of the longitudinal anchor structure is anchored to at least one end of the intracorporal device body.

22. The implant assembly of claim 17, wherein the operative inner diameter is less than the deployment inner diameter.

23. A method of implanting an in vivo implant assembly within a vessel having an inner diameter, comprising:

providing an in vivo implant assembly comprising;

an intracorporal device body having a first end and a second opposing end, a longitudinal axis and a body diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be deployed; and

a means for passively creating an interference fit between the in vivo implant assembly and the inner diameter of the vessel, comprising;

a longitudinal anchor structure configured to extend distally outwardly longitudinally from the first or second end of the intracorporal device body and having a continuously curved tip at the distal-most end of the longitudinal anchor structure, wherein the overall longitudinal length of the intracorporal device body and the longitudinal anchor structure is greater than the inner diameter of the vessel, wherein at least a portion of the longitudinal anchor structure has a diameter that is at least as large as the inner diameter of the vessel into which the implant assembly is intended to be deployed, and wherein the intracorporal device is permanently fixed relative to the fixation position of the created interference fit within the vessel;

releasing the implant assembly into the vessel at a release position; and

permitting the implant assembly to form the interference fit with the inner diameter of the vessel at the fixation position.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the release position is upstream of the fixation position, further comprising permitting the implant assembly to move downstream within the vessel along with the flow of blood in the vessel.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising permitting the implant assembly to form the fixation position at a downstream furcation in which the vessel divides into sub-vessels.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the release position is proximate the fixation position.

27. The method of claim 23, comprising the further step of preventing the implant assembly from substantial rotation about an axis of rotation perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vessel.