Surgery – Instruments – Internal pressure applicator
Patent
1996-12-13
1999-09-21
Buiz, Michael
Surgery
Instruments
Internal pressure applicator
623 1, 623 12, 604 96, 606200, A61M 2900
Patent
active
059547413
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a filter construction of the sort which is adapted for venous installation, generally for femoral-vein and/or for jugular-vein installation, for enhanced assurance that a blood clot of lethal size will not enter. the heart. More particularly, the invention relates to such a filter for installation in the inferior vena cava, sometimes known as a vena-cava filter, or merely as a caval filter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vena-Cava filters have been known and their use has been reported for more than twenty years, and the Review Article of Becker, et al., entitled "Inferior Vena Cava Filters--Indications, Safety, Effectiveness", Arch. Intern. Med.--Vol. 152, October 1992, acknowledges the commercial existence of at least six competitive varieties and provides an extensive bibliography of relevant papers. It suffices to indicate that these prior and current filter structures rely on guide-wire piloting techniques of installation but must be removed within 48 hours if they are not to become so trapped by tissue growth within the vein as to become potentially destructive of vein tissue should they be later removed. As a consequence, on many occasions, such filters have often had to stay in place, as a permanent fixture within the patient.
An expandable filamentary-mesh filter, made by Angiocor s.a.r.l. of Lille, France is an attempt to avoid this problem of wall-tissue growth, using mechanically actuated expansion of multiple helices, wherein the helices are of plastic filamentary material.
Other prior art vascular filter devices are disclosed in FR-A-2580504 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,885. Reference may also be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,549 and EP-A-0377749.
BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved filter structure of the character indicated.
Another object is to provide such a filter construction that will not promote vein-tissue growth therein and which therefore can be safely removed after it has served its purpose, even though the time of its installation has greatly exceeded the time within which other filters have had to be removed if tissue damage was to be avoided.
A specific object is to provide a filter construction for filtration of venous flow within a living body, wherein an inflatable balloon is adapted upon inflation to so partially occlude the inferior vena cava as to pass venous flow without clots of pulmonary-artery or heart-threatening magnitude.
It is also a specific object to provide a filter construction which involves no wire or other metal contact with vein tissues when installed in a femoral vein.
Another specific object is to provide an inflatable filter construction which is installed in deflated state and which relies on pressure-fluid inflation to establish vein-filtering action.
A further specific object is to provide, in conjunction with a vena-cava filter, an option to inject tracer or contrast fluid, or a thrombolytic agent, into the filter-protected vein at a location of proximal (i.e. upstream) offset from the filter; more specifically, it is an object to provide for such angular distribution of fluid injection as to establish circumferentially diffused introduction of thrombolytic agent which can directly act on any incipient thrombus accumulation at the filter, thereby clearing the filter of thrombi.
The invention achieves the foregoing objects and provides further advantageous features in an inflatable balloon construction at or near the distal end of an elongate flexible multiple-lumen core. The balloon is suitably configured in a preferred embodiment for femoral-vein insertional installation; and in another embodiment the balloon is suitably configured for jugular-vein insertional installation. In both embodiments, the balloon is deflated prior to insertion; it is configured so that when inflated it becomes a filter when properly positioned in the vein, and it may simply be deflated for removal purposes. Installation may proceed pursuant to guide-wire techniques commonly u
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patent: 4662885 (1987-05-01), DiPisa, Jr.
patent: 4723549 (1988-02-01), Wholey et al.
patent: 5501667 (1996-03-01), Verduin, Jr.
patent: 5556389 (1996-09-01), Liprie
Buiz Michael
Lewis William
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