Patent ID: 9649157
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61M

Claim:
1. A method of creating an AV fistula between adjacent first and second blood vessels, comprising: puncturing the first blood vessel using a first needle; inserting the first needle into the first blood vessel; inserting a first guidewire through a lumen in the first needle; withdrawing the first needle from the first blood vessel, leaving the first guidewire within the first blood vessel; advancing a vessel access catheter into the first blood vessel over the first guidewire, and advancing the vessel access catheter to a desired procedural site; extending a second needle from the vessel access catheter using the second needle to cut a hole through the adjacent walls of the first and second blood vessels; inserting a welding catheter into the first vessel, and through the hole into the second vessel, so that a distal end of the welding catheter is disposed within the second vessel; expanding a first portion of wall defining the welding catheter radially outwardly; pulling the expanded first wall portion proximally to engage the wall of the second blood vessel and to pull it toward the wall of the first blood vessel; expanding a second portion of wall proximal to the expanded first wall portion and disposed in the first blood vessel radially outwardly, capturing the walls of each of the second and first blood vessels between the expanded first and second wall portions; and energizing cutting elements on said expanded first and second wall portions to create a tissue welded elongate aperture between the first and second blood vessels.