Apparatus Comprising Individual Shaft Fibers and Set for Folding or Unfolding a Medical Implant and Method

• US 20130338755A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcatheter Technologies Gmbh
• Inventors: Goetz, Wolfgang, Lim, Hou-Sen
• Granted Patent: US 10,010,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2427 Devices for manipulating or deploying heart valves during implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2439 Expansion controlled by filaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires

Abstract

An apparatus for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant by way of at least one tension thread includes a shaft and a tensioning device for altering a form or shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant by way of the tension thread (11, 11′). In at least one shaft section thereof, the shaft includes a plurality of individual shaft fibers.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. An apparatus for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant by means of at least one tension thread, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a shaft;

a tensioning device for altering a form or shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant by means of the tension thread; and

wherein the shaft comprises in at least one shaft section thereof a plurality of individual shaft fibers.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, during use of the apparatus, shaft fibers of the plurality of individual shaft fibers are always present in bundled form in at least one first section of the shaft section, whereas, in a second section, the shaft fibers are provided or intended for moving away from each other during use of the apparatus.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein shaft fibers of the plurality of individual shaft fibers each comprise one or more shaft openings by means of which the one or more tension threads can exit from and/or enter into the respective shaft fiber.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein shaft fibers of the plurality of individual shaft fibers each comprise one or more shaft openings by means of which the one or more tension threads can exit from and/or enter into the respective shaft fiber.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, during a state of use of the apparatus, shaft fibers of the plurality of individual shaft fibers are arranged movably in or forth from at least the second section of the shaft independently of each other and/or independently of the position of the implant relative to the apparatus for folding or unfolding.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the shaft comprises in at least one section thereof at least one device for bundling individual shaft fibers of the plurality of individual shaft fibers.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the at least one device for bundling individual shaft fibers is arranged to be shiftable or movable along a longitudinal extension of the apparatus or is otherwise alterable or manipulatable or engineerable and/or is provided or intended for being used at or on different sections of the apparatus along the longitudinal extension thereof.

24. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein individual shaft fibers are designed or embodied and intended or provided for moving towards a rim portion of the implant when applying tension onto the implant by means of the tension threads extending through these individual shaft fibers.

25. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein tension threads exiting from individual shaft fibers are connected with a rim portion of the implant for applying a force onto the rim portion, in particular wherein the rim portion only comprises a part of the foldable and/or unfoldable periphery of the implant.

26. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein tension threads exiting from individual shaft fibers are connected with a rim portion for applying a force onto the rim portion of the implant, in particular wherein tension threads exiting from at least two individual shaft fibers are connected with the rim portion or parts thereof.

27. The apparatus according to claim 17 designed or embodied as a catheter, in particular a heart catheter, or comprising such a catheter.

28. A set, comprising:

at least one apparatus according to claim 17; and

at least one implant connected with tension threads for the purpose of folding and/or unfolding or provided or prepared for being connected with tension threads.

29. The set according to claim 28, wherein the implant is a stent or a heart valve arrangement.

30. The set according to claim 29, wherein individual shaft fibers and the implant are adapted such that, during a process of folding the implant, a first force required for moving the shaft fibers in a section thereof, in particular in a section comprising shaft openings for tensions threads, from their longitudinal alignment or for moving them in a direction of radial extension of the implant, is lower than a second force required for effecting folding of the implant by means of the tension threads connected with the implant and which exit from the shaft openings.

31. The set according to claim 28, wherein individual shaft fibers and the implant are adapted such that, during a process of folding the implant, a first force required for moving the shaft fibers in a section thereof, in particular in a section comprising shaft openings for tensions threads, from their longitudinal alignment or for moving them in a direction of radial extension of the implant, is lower than a second force required for effecting folding of the implant by means of the tension threads connected with the implant and which exit from the shaft openings.

32. A method, comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus according to claim 17; and

altering a tension applied onto the implant by means of at least one tension thread by altering a length of the tension thread exiting from an interior of the shaft or of the shaft fiber.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step:

shifting or otherwise manipulating or engineering the at least one device for bundling individual shaft fibers.

34. A method, comprising the steps of:

providing a set according to claim 28; and

altering a tension applied onto the implant by means of at least one tension thread by altering a length of the tension thread exiting from an interior of the shaft or of the shaft fiber.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the step:

shifting or otherwise manipulating or engineering the at least one device for bundling individual shaft fibers.