Patent ID: 6454760
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
A tool for facilitating insertion of a vessel end of a transmyocardial implant into a coronary vessel, the transmyocardial implant having a hollow conduit for establishing a blood flow path through a heart wall between a heart chamber and a lumen of a coronary vessel residing on the heart wall, the vessel end having an external geometry for the vessel end to be received within the lumen, and the vessel end having a generally tubular external geometry and an axial opening at a leading end, the coronary vessel having a constricted size and expandable to a larger expanded size, the insertion tool comprising:an introducer including a cylindrical portion having an internal volume sized to receive the vessel end of the implant, the cylindrical portion having an external dimension sized for the introducer to be received within the lumen of the expanded size of the coronary vessel; the introducer including a tapered portion positioned at a leading end of the cylindrical portion, the tapered portion having an insertion tip sized for insertion into the constricted size of the coronary vessel, the tapered portion expanding in a smooth taper to the leading end of the cylindrical portion; and the introducer including a score at least partially a thickness of the introducer and extending an axial length of the cylindrical portion and tapered portion, and further including an extension extending from the cylindrical portion of the introducer opposite the score.