Patent ID: 9474547
Filing Date: 2016-10-25
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M

Claim Text:
1. A tunneling tool for implanting an implantable medical device (IMD) in a body tissue, the tunneling tool comprising: a) a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal handle to a distal piercing tip, the shaft comprising: b) a rip cord extending from a distal rip cord end releasably secured to the shaft to a proximal rip cord end disposed adjacent to the handle, wherein the rip cord is in a movable relationship received in the first and second slots, c) wherein with the IMD contacting the shaft, the distal rip cord end is releasably secured to the shaft at a position distal to the IMD with the rip cord extending around and contacting a portion of the IMD, opposite the shaft, and then passing through the first and second slots to thereby releasably secure the IMD to the shaft, and d) wherein with the IMD secured to the shaft, the tunneling tool is movable into a body tissue and to a desired implant location, and then the proximal rip cord end is manipulatable in a proximal direction to release the distal rip cord end from the shaft so that the rip cord slides along the first and second slots and out of contact with the IMD, and e) wherein the tunneling tool is then manipulatably removable from the tissue, thereby leaving the IMD implanted therein.