Abstract:
A medical implant delivery system is described. The system can be used to deliver a variety of implants including stents and/or stent grafts. The delivery system retains the implant during delivery and detaches the implant at a target location.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/220,905 filed Sep. 18, 2015 entitled Implant Retention, Detachment, and Delivery System, and of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/222,063 filed Sep. 22, 2015 entitled Implant Retention, Detachment, and Delivery System, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Medical implants such as stents are sometimes used to open blood vessels to mitigate the effects of plaque buildup, to prevent embolic material within an aneurysm from escaping, as a flow diverter to limit blood flow to certain regions, or for other reasons. These implants can be delivered via an implant delivery system in which an elongated pusher is used to push the implant through a catheter or sheath to a treatment site. 
         [0003]    Delivering implants such as stents can be a challenge since many delivery systems do not allow the implant to be repositioned after its initial deployment. Therefore, if the implant is initially deployed to an undesirable location, the physician is without recourse to adjust the implant&#39;s deployed position. Hence, there is a need for an implant delivery system that provides repositionability of an implant, as well as a reliable release structure to deploy the implant. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    An implant delivery system is described. The implant delivery system can be used for a stent, stent-graft, embolic coils, plugs, occluders, or other implants. 
         [0005]    In one embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant and a retention structure. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant and a retention structure. The retention structure is disposed on a distal portion of an elongated pusher and is composed of a mesh or a looped structure. 
         [0007]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant and a retention structure. The implant is affixed to said retention structure. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant and a retention structure. The retention structure includes elements to grip the implant. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant and a retention structure in which the retention structure separates from the implant and remains with the delivery system after the implant after the implant is detached from the delivery system. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an implant, retention structure, and one or more tethers. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment, an implant delivery system comprises an elongated pusher member having a retention structure disposed on a distal portion of the pusher member and engaged with an implant. The pusher, retention structure, and implant are disposed within a catheter or sheath and can be advanced out of a distal end of the catheter. The retention structure can be a conical mesh that is positioned around a proximal end of the implant. The retention structure can also be a plurality of loops disposed around a proximal end of the implant or positioned through loops on the implant. The implant may be further connected to the pusher via one or more tethers that can be broken via a mechanism located at least partially within the pusher. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments of the invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example embodiment of a woven stent that can be used with the delivery system of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example embodiment of a woven, dual-layer stent that can be used with the delivery system of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a delivery system with a mesh or woven retaining structure. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate side views of the delivery system of  FIG. 3  in various states of deployment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a delivery system with a mesh or woven retaining structure and a tether. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of a pusher that can be used with different embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of a delivery system with a plurality of loops that comprise the retaining structure. 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  illustrates a side view of a pusher and the looped retaining structure of  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements. 
         [0022]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,182,506, 8,192,480, 8,460,332; and U.S. Pub. Nos. US20060200192, US20090062812, US20090163780, US20100268204, US20110301686, US20150289879, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. These references disclose implant detachment systems that can be used in conjunction with the implant delivery system embodiments described herein. These references generally disclose a thermal detachment system in which a tether connects to an implant and is selectively broken by activating a heater coil to cause implant deployment. 
         [0023]    The present invention is generally directed to an implant delivery system having an implant retention structure that can improve deployment of an implant, as well as retrieve an implant that has not been fully deployed. The implant retention structures of the present invention are particularly useful for deploying and repositioning stents, such as those shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and described in greater detail below. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a stent  1  that is woven or braided together from one or more wires  2  to form a generally cylindrical shape with a plurality of loops  4  around the perimeter of both ends of the stent  1 . The ends of the wires  2  can be connected to each other via welding, bonding agents, or a similar adhesive mechanism. Once the ends are welded or bonded, the wire  2  has no “free” ends. 
         [0025]    Each of the loops  4  may contain one or more coil members  6 . Preferably, the coil members  6  are disposed around the wire  2  of the loops  4  and are composed of radiopaque material to indicate the proximal and distal ends of the stent  1 . Additionally, these coil members  6  may provide additional anchoring force within a delivery device, as described in greater detail below. 
         [0026]    In one example, a distal end of the stent  1  includes at least two loops  4  with two coil members  6  each and a proximal end of the stent  1  includes at least two loops  4  with one coil member  16  each. However, it should be understood that the stent  1  can include any number of coil members  6  on any number of loops  4 . 
         [0027]    Preferably, these coil members  6  are positioned near a center area of the loop  4 , such that when the stent  1  is in a collapsed state, the coil members  6  are positioned near the very distal or very proximal end of the stent  1 . 
         [0028]    Preferably, each coil member  6  is composed of a tantalum wire  5  wound around a portion of the loop  4 . Each coil member  6  can be composed of a discrete tantalum wire  5  or a single tantalum wire  5  can form multiple coil members  6  (as seen in  FIG. 1 ). As seen in  FIG. 1 , the wire  5  can connect to coil members  6  on each end of the stent  100  by being located within the inner portion or lumen of the stent  1 . Alternately, the wire  5  may be woven into the wires  2  of the stent  1 . 
         [0029]    One specific technique for minimizing the exposure of the distal coils  6  during retraction is to weave the stent  1  such that portions of the wire  2  overlap (i.e., are positioned at a greater outer diameter position) than the side of the loop  4  with coil  6 . Some smaller, minor loops  7  are woven to overlap a first side of the loop  4  that includes the coil  6  while other minor loops  7  are woven underneath a second side of the loop  4 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates a preferred embodiment of a dual layer stent  20  according to the present invention. Generally, the dual layer stent  20  includes an outer anchoring stent  1  that is similar to the previously described stent  1  seen in  FIG. 1 . The dual layer stent  20  also includes an inner flow-diverting layer  22  that is disposed within the inner lumen or passage of the anchoring stent  1 . The inner flow-diverting layer  22  is preferably made from a wire  24  to form a mesh type structure. 
         [0031]    The proximal end of the dual layer stent  20  includes a plurality of attachment members  26  that connect the anchoring stent  1  with the flow-diverting layer  22 . The attachment members  26  can be composed of tantalum wire (in this case is 0.001″ dia.) and can be attached to portions of wire  2  and wire  24 . In another embodiment, the proximal end of the flow-diverting layer  22  can be crimped on to the wires  2  of the anchoring stent  1 . In another embodiment, portions of the stent  1  and flow-diverting layer  22  can be woven through each other for attachment purposes. 
         [0032]    Additional details of each stent  1  and  20  can be found in U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0245745, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  illustrates one embodiment of an implant delivery system  100  having an elongated pusher  110  and a retention structure  102  that extends from a distal portion of the pusher  110 . The pusher  110 , the retention structure  102 , and the stent  1  (or alternately another implant device) are positioned within a catheter  112  such that at least a portion of the retention structure  102  overlaps a proximal portion of the stent  1 . The catheter  112  prevents the retention structure  102  and stent  1  from expanding from their radially compressed configuration prior to deployment. 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , as the pusher  110  is advanced towards a distal end of the catheter  112 , the retention structure  102  distally opens into a conical shape, thereby allowing the stent  1  to similarly open. If the location of the stent  1  inside the patient is undesirable, the pusher  110  and the attached retention structure  102  can be proximately withdrawn back into the catheter  112 , causing the stent  1  to similarly be compressed and withdrawn back into the catheter  112  for repositioning and redeployment. The retention structure  102  allows for retraction of the stent  1  even after the stent  1  is completely outside the catheter  112 . This is important because until the stent  1  is completely outside the catheter  112 , the exact position of the stent  1  and the true length of stent  1  after foreshortening is not known. The retention structure  102  allows for greater opportunity for exact placement of the stent  1 , since the physician will have a more opportunity to reset the stent  1  to the desired location if the initial deployment of the stent  1  is not ideal. 
         [0035]    In one embodiment, the retention structure  102  is a mesh tubular shape formed from one or more braided or woven wires (e.g., Nitinol wires). Alternately, the mesh can be formed from laser cutting or etching a solid tubular structure. The proximal end of the retention structure  102  is fixed or mounted to a distal portion of the pusher  110  via welding, adhesive, a mechanical fixture, or any combinations of these methods. 
         [0036]    Retention structure  102  may also include one or more engagement elements  106  fixed to its mesh  104  to assist the retention structure  102  in engaging the stent  1 . The engagement elements  106  can take the form of polymeric or metallic protrusions that are one or more of the following shapes: spherical, elliptical, oval, pyramidal, rectangular, conical, truncated cone, truncated pyramid, square, or similar shapes. These engagement elements  106  can be attached via adhesive, wire or fiber ties, or welding, such that they protrude radially inwardly from the retention structure  102 . The engagement elements  106  are sized and positioned on the mesh  104  so as to at least partially fit within gaps in the stent  1 . For example, the engagement elements  106  may align with the end loops  4 , minor loops  7 , or the gaps formed between the woven wires of the stent  1 . In this respect, when the retention structure  102  and stent  1  are radially compressed within the catheter  112  (or delivery sheath), the engagement elements  106  prevent the stent  1  from lateral or axial movement within the catheter  112 , preventing the stent  1  from escaping until the retention structure  102  is exposed and radially expanded. 
         [0037]    The retention structure  102  in  FIG. 3  is illustrated with a trumpeted or conical distal portion which may be useful to ensure the stent  1  is locked down or engaged during delivery and deployment. Prior to connection to the pusher  110 , the mesh  104  can be heat-set to form a radially-expanded tubular shape, so that once the proximal end of the mesh  104  is connected to the pusher  110 , the mesh  104  expands to the conical shape. Alternately, the mesh  104  can be heat-set to form a trumpeted/conical shape prior to its connection to the pusher  110 . In another alternate embodiment, the mesh  104  can be heat-set to form a conical shape having an abrupt inward taper at its distal end to act as a hook or circular ridge against the stent  1 . In another alternate embodiment, the mesh  104  can form an undulating shape that increases and decreases in diameter along its length. 
         [0038]    In the embodiment of the delivery system  100  of  FIGS. 2-5 , the pusher  110  can be an elongated member that is sufficiently flexible to advance through a patient&#39;s vascular system, while also maintaining sufficient pushability to push the retention structure  102  and stent  1  out of the catheter  112 . 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-5 , in operation, the distal end of the catheter  112  is advanced to a target treatment location (or adjacent that location) within a patient&#39;s vascular system. This positioning can be achieved by first advancing a guidewire so that the guidewire&#39;s distal end is located at or near the target treatment location. A delivery sheath can be advanced over the guidewire so that its distal end is located at the target treatment location, or the catheter  112  can advanced over the guidewire without the use of a delivery sheath. Several different techniques of positioning a catheter within the vasculature of a patient are known in the art and can be used with the embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0040]    Once the distal end of the catheter  112  is located at a desired location, the pusher  110  is advanced distally. As seen in  FIG. 4 , a distal portion of the stent  1  is advanced out of the catheter  112  and begins to radially expand. As the stent  1  continues to advance distally, the retention structure  102  also advances distally out of the catheter  112 , maintaining at least a portion of the proximal end of the stent  1  in a radially compressed (or partially compressed) configuration, despite being fully outside of the catheter  112 . 
         [0041]    If the distal portion of the stent  1  has not deployed to the desired target location in the vessel, the pusher  110  can be withdrawn proximally by the physician. As the retention structure  102  is withdrawn, it radially compresses, thereby compressing the proximal end of the stent  1  so as to allow it to reenter the lumen of the catheter  112 . The engagement elements  106  help the retention structure  102  to grasp and pull the stent  1 , ensuring that the stent  1  does not slip out of the retention structure  102 . Once a portion of the stent  1  has reentered the catheter  112 , the remaining portion of the stent  1  can also be withdrawn into the catheter  112 , as well. 
         [0042]    Finally, the catheter  112  is repositioned and the pusher  110  is advanced distally to deploy the stent  1  as previously described. Once the retention structure  102  has been sufficiently advanced out of the catheter  112 , as seen in  FIG. 5 , it radially expands to a sufficient size so as to disengage with the stent  1 . The pusher  110  and retention structure  102  are proximally withdrawn into the catheter  112  and the catheter  112  is withdrawn from the patient. 
         [0043]      FIG. 6  illustrates another embodiment of a delivery system  120  that is generally similar in structure and function to the delivery system  100  that has been previously described. However, the delivery system  120  further includes a tether  122  that is connected to the pusher  110  and can be selectively released from the stent  1  when fully deployed in a desired target location. The tether  122  can be a single filament that is fixed to both the pusher  110  and attached to the proximal loops of the stent  1  (e.g., via adhesive, mechanical ties, or welding). The tethering feature described in  FIG. 6  (and alternatively in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) may be used in conjunction with the retention structure  102  or in lieu of the retention structure  102 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of a pusher  110  of  FIG. 6 , that illustrates the disconnect function. As seen in  FIG. 7 , the stent  1  is connected to the pusher  110  via a tether  122  and can be selectively activated to break the tether  122  to release the stent  1 . More specifically, a resistance heater coil  130  is connected to electrical wires  131  and  132  that selectively supply power from a proximal power source. As the power is supplied, the heater coil  130  heats up, breaking the tether  122 . An insulating cover  134  and reinforcement ring  136  are disposed on the outer portion of the pusher  110  to thermally isolate and reinforce the structure of the pusher  110 . 
         [0045]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the tether  122  extends through a proximally directed coil portion  138  and coil  140  of the stent  1 , and is further adhered via adhesives  140 . However, the tether  122  may also attach at both of its ends to the pusher  110 , forming a loop around one or more of the end loops  4  of the stent  1 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of a pusher  110  having a retention structure  150  composed of a plurality of loops  152 . The loops  152  can press against an outer surface of each of the end loops  4  to help maintain the proximal portion of the stent  1  in a compressed configuration similar to that described for the retention structure  102 . Alternately, each of the loops  152  can be positioned through each of the stent loops  4  or  7 . 
         [0047]    If the loops  152  are positioned on the outside of the stent loops  4  (i.e., not through the loops  4 ), the delivery method is similar to that of the delivery system  100  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . If the loops  152  are positioned through the stent loops  4  (i.e., in a “chain-like” interlocking manner), the delivery method is similar to that of the delivery system  120  of  FIG. 6 , with regard to the detachment shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0048]    While the retention structure  150  is illustrated with three loops  152 , different numbers of loops  152  can be used, such as 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In one embodiment, the number of loops  152  is equal to the number of stent loops  4  on the end of the stent  1 . In another embodiment, one or more of the loops  152  can pass through more than one stent loop  4 . 
         [0049]    If the loops  152  are positioned on the outside of the stent loops  4  (i.e., not through the loops  4 ), they may be composed of a shape memory alloy. If the loops  152  are positioned through the stent loops  4  (i.e., in a “chain-like” interlocking manner), the loops  152  are preferably composed of a polymer that can be detached or broken by a mechanism in the pusher  110 . For example, the pusher  110  may be that shown in FIG.  7  and therefore is configured to generate heat to break at least one strand or location along the loop  152 . 
         [0050]    As seen in  FIG. 9 , the loops  152  can also each have two free ends (i.e., is initially a linear configuration) that are both fixed internally to the pusher  110  or can initially be complete loop filaments in which a single location on the loop is fixed within the pusher  110 . In the arrangement with two free ends (i.e., a linear strand), preferably only one end portion or section of each of the strand of the loops  152  passes through the heater coil  130  while a portion at the opposite end of the strand is positioned outside of the heater coil  130 . The strand may also pass through an insulating sleeve  160  positioned adjacent the heater coil  130  to thermally isolate it from heat generated by the heater coil  130 . In this respect, once the loop  152  is severed, the remaining portions of the strands of the loops  152  remain connected to the pusher  110  after breakage by the heater coil  130  and the stent loops  4  are released from the pusher  110 . 
         [0051]    Other embodiments of the pusher  110  utilize a multiple lumen structure in which the heater coil  130  and a first portion of the loop  152  are located within one inner lumen and a second portion of the loop  152  is located in a separate outer lumen. This separate lumen would prevent the second portion of loop  152  from having any contact with the heater coil  130 . 
         [0052]    Additional embodiments may utilize multiple loop structures, such as one delivery loop  152  which grasps all the stent loops  4  as well as separate, individual delivery loops  152  which grasp only one stent loop  4 . Additional variations may use fewer delivery loops  152  than the total number of stent loops  4  provided. Thus, for example, three stent-loops  4  are used with two delivery loops  152 . In another example, one delivery loop  152  engages two stent loops  4  and the other delivery loop  152  engages only one stent loop. Additional embodiments may use multiple loop structures  152  for each stent loop  4  (e.g., two delivery loops  152  to snare each stent loop  4 ) in order to further augment retention. Variations are also possible in which combinations of each of the various embodiments described are used (e.g., some stent loops  4  utilize multiple delivery loops  152 , some stent loops  4  utilize only one delivery loop  152 , and some delivery loops  152  grasp multiple stent loops  4 ). 
         [0053]    It should be understood that elements or aspects from the various embodiments presented herein can be combined in a wide array of different configurations. For example, one embodiment may utilize a combination of a mesh retention structure  102 , a delivery loop retention structure  150 , and a tether  122  to further enhance the retention capabilities of the implant delivery system. 
         [0054]    The presence of one or more tethers  122  may not necessarily prevent the expansion of the stent  1  after exiting the catheter  112 , since stents  1  generally have a strong shape memory and quickly adopt their expanded state upon delivery. However, if the tether  122  was in sufficiently high tension, the tensile force of the tether  122  may keep the proximal portion of the stent  1  from expanding, and thus keep the stent  1  connected to the retention structure  102 . A spring, coil, or tube can be used to keep the tether  122  in a tensioned state to further augment the tensile force of the tether  122 . 
         [0055]    With regard to embodiments utilizing one or more tethers  122 , delaying the tether  122  detachment until after the stent  1  has fully expanded may allow the stent  1  to be repositionable while the tether(s)  122  are attached, since the tether(s)  122  connect the stent  1  to the delivery pusher  110  (some additional variables might still impact repositionability such as the size/weight of the stent  1  and the narrowness of the vessel). Once the retention structures  102  and tethers  122  are detached, the stent  1  is detached from the pusher  110  entirely and is likely not repositionable after this point. 
         [0056]    The delivery system embodiments described can be used to deliver one or more implants such as stents, stent grafts, embolic coils, occluders, plugs, and similar devices. While the example of a stent was described in the embodiments of this specification, any of these other implants may similarly be used. For example, to deliver an embolic coil, the mesh retention structure  102  supports the proximal portion of an embolic coil for releasable delivery. The proximal part of an embolic coil may have a receiving structure to accommodate the engagement elements  106  of the retention structure  102 . Other implants may also include a loop structure  4  at a proximal region of those implants. 
         [0057]    Any figures shown and/or described are not meant to be limited exclusively to the representation of what is shown and instead are illustrative in nature. Similarly, any measurements and/or descriptions of materials are meant to be representations, approximations, and examples rather than being expressly limiting. 
         [0058]    Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.