APPARATUS AND SET FOR FOLDING OR UNFOLDING A MEDICAL IMPLANT COMPRISING A CLAMPING MECHANISM, IMPLANT AND METHOD

• US 20150335426A1
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcatheter Technologies Gmbh
• Inventors: LIM, Hou-Sen, GTZ, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 9,795,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by using at least one tension thread (11, 11′), wherein the apparatus (100) includes a shaft (1) including a reception area for receiving the implant (300), a tensioning device for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) by the tension thread (11, 11′), and a clamping mechanism for clamping at least one section of at least one of the tension threads (11, 11′). The present invention further relates to a set and a method.

Claims

1. An apparatus (100) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300) by using at least one tension thread (11, 11′

), wherein the apparatus (100) includes;

a shaft (1) including a reception or retaining area (55) for receiving the implant (300);

a tensioning device for altering a shape of the foldable and/or unfoldable implant (300) by at least one of the tension threads (11, 11′

) or by at least one first string (201) connected to the tension threads (11, 11′

); and

a clamping mechanism for clamping at least one section of at least one of the tension threads (11, 11′

).

2. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, comprising:

a releasing device for releasing the clamped section of the tension thread (11, 11′

) from the implant (300) or from the clamping mechanism by releasing the clamping mechanism.

3. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism is adapted for clamping the at least one section of at least one of the tension threads (11, 11′

) between a first clamping section (61) of the apparatus (100) and a second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100), or wherein the clamping mechanism consists of the such first and second clamping sections (61, 63).

4. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first clamping section (61) and the second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100) are arranged such that at least one of them may slide relatively to the other.

5. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first clamping section (61) and the second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100) are arranged such that they are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus (100), its shaft (1), and/or the reception or retaining area (55) for receiving the implant (300).

6. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the second clamping section (63) is arranged in an inner space of the first clamping section (61).

7. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein an interior of the shaft (1) is permeable or may be passed in at least sections thereof in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (1), wherein the shaft (1) has a wall (3), wherein the shaft (1) includes at least one shaft aperture (9), through which tension threads (11, 11′

) for folding and/or unfolding the implant (300) may enter and/or exit.

8. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the implant (300) is a stent or a cardiac valve assembly.

9. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1, connected with

at least one implant (300) connected with tension threads (11, 11′

) or with a set of tension threads (200) for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (200).

10. An apparatus (100) according to claim 9, wherein the set (200) of tension threads comprises at least one first string (201), at least a first tension thread (11) and at least a second tension thread (11′

), wherein

the first string (201) comprises at least a first guiding element (203) for guiding through the first tension thread (211) and a second guiding element (203′

) for guiding through the second tension thread (211′

); and

wherein

both the first tension thread (211) and the second tension thread (211′

) are attached with the first string (201).

11. An apparatus (100) according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first guiding element (203) and the second guiding element (203′

) are rings.

12. An apparatus (100) according to claim 9, wherein the first string (201) is connected to at least six tension threads (11, 14, 15, 11′

, 14′

, 15′

) of which three are guided through the first guiding element (203), wherein three of them are guided through the second guiding element (203′

).

13. An apparatus (100) according to claim 9, wherein at least the first tension thread (211) is connected to the first string (201), preferably at a first end section (12) of the first string (201), and wherein at least the second tension thread (211′

) is connected to the first string (201), preferably at a second end section (12′

) of the first string (201).

14. An apparatus (100) according to claim 9, wherein at least the first tension thread (11) is connected with its first end section (12) to the first string (201), and wherein at least the second tension thread (11′

) is connected with its first end section (12′

) to the first string (201).

15. A medical implant (200) comprising a set (200) of tension threads for folding or unfolding the medical implant (200) or being connected or provided herewith, the set being designed as set fort claim 9.

18. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the clamping mechanism is adapted for clamping the at least one section of at least one of the tension threads (11, 11′

) between a first clamping section (61) of the apparatus (100) and a second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100), or wherein the clamping mechanism consists of the such first and second clamping sections (61, 63).

19. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the first clamping section (61) and the second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100) are arranged such that at least one of them may slide relatively to the other.

20. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the first clamping section (61) and the second clamping section (63) of the apparatus (100) are arranged such that they are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus (100), its shaft (1), and/or the reception or retaining area (55) for receiving the implant (300).

21. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2, wherein the second clamping section (63) is arranged in an inner space of the first clamping section (61).

16. A set (200) of tension threads for folding or unfolding at least one medical implant (300), the set (200) comprising at least one first string (201), at least a first tension thread (11) and at least a second tension thread (11′

), wherein

the first string (201) comprises at least a first guiding element (203) for guiding through the first tension thread (11) and a second guiding element (203′

) for guiding through the second tension thread (11′

); and

wherein

both the first tension thread (11) and the second tension thread (11′

) are attached with the first string (201).

17. (canceled)