Patent ID: 7896911
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A device for holding plaque against blood vessel walls in treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease, comprising: a thin, annular band of durable, flexible material having a plurality of barbs on its outer annular periphery, said annular band being dimensioned and designed to be applied with an outward expansion force against the plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls, wherein each of said barbs is formed with a head having a sharp point integrally formed on a support body, and is made of a sufficiently rigid material so that, when the outward expansion force is applied, they pierce the plaque and maintain a locking relationship with the blood vessel walls; wherein said annular band is formed as a flexible ring of pliable material with an array of outer barbs on an outer side of the ring, and an array of inner radial fingers, wherein the array of inner radial fingers are used to displace the outer barbs to lie horizontally flat in one axial direction when the fingers are pushed in the opposite axial direction.