Patent ID: 7179274
Filing Date: 2007-02-20
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. An intravascular filter for minimally invasive deployment within a vessel so as to obstruct the passage of particles of dimensions greater than a predefined value through the vessel, the intravascular filter comprising: (a) a flexible support structure configured to assume a retention configuration for retaining and supporting the filter in a predefined orientation relative to a central axis of a surrounding vessel; and (b) a filter configuration connected to said at least one support structure, said filter configuration including a flexible wire configured to assume a predefined filter form including a plurality of lobes, said predefined filter form being circumscribed by a first virtual cylinder of a given diameter D each of said lobes being formed by a segment of said flexible wire extending from within a second virtual cylinder coaxial with said first virtual cylinder and having a diameter D/2, passing outwards towards said first virtual cylinder and passing back to within said second virtual cylinder, said plurality of lobes being deployed angularly spaced around said central axis in such a manner as to form an obstacle to passage along the vessel, in a direction parallel to said central axis, of particles having dimensions greater than the predefined value.