Abstract:
A device can easily and releasably secure a medical wire such as a guidewire or a filter wire. In some instances, such a device can include a wire holding device that may be considered to be disposable. A wire holding device may include a base fixture, a clamp fixture, holding apparatus to hold the clamp fixture to the base fixture, releasing apparatus to release the clamp fixture from the base fixture, and selecting apparatus to select between the holding apparatus and the releasing apparatus.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The invention relates generally to devices configured to releasably hold a wire and more specifically to devices configured to releasably hold a medical wire such as a guidewire or a filter wire. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Heart and vascular disease are major problems in the United Sates and throughout the world. Conditions such as atherosclerosis result in blood vessels becoming blocked or narrowed. This blockage can result in lack of oxygenation of the heart, which has significant consequences since the heart muscle must be well oxygenated in order to maintain its blood pumping action. 
   Occluded, stenotic or narrowed blood vessels may be treated with a number of relatively non-invasive medical procedures including percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), and atherectomy. These procedures typically include steps of advancing various treatment devices such as balloon catheters, atherectomy catheters, stent delivery catheters and the like over a wire such as a guidewire. In some instances, these devices are deployed over a filter wire, which can be considered to be a guidewire having a filter secured to the distal end thereof. 
   Often times when treating occluded, stenotic or narrowed blood vessels, one or more medical devices such as those noted above are advanced over a guidewire or filter wire that has previously been advanced to or even beyond a treatment site. One of the challenges faced by the physician or other health care professional in advancing devices over the wire is limiting or even preventing undesirable movement of the wire once the wire has been deployed. In some cases, the user will attempt to hold the wire immobile with one hand while advancing a device over the wire with the other hand. 
   Therefore, a need remains for a device that will easily and releasably secure a guidewire or filter wire once deployed, thereby freeing the physician or other health care professional to concentrate instead on advancing devices over the guidewire or filter wire. 
   SUMMARY 
   The present invention pertains to a device that easily and releasably secures a medical wire such as a guidewire or a filter wire. In some instances, the present invention pertains to a wire holding device that may be considered to be disposable. 
   Accordingly, an example embodiment of the present invention may be found in a disposable wire holder that is configured to releasable secure a medical wire. The disposable wire holder includes a base assembly and a top assembly. The base assembly includes a first magnet having a first polarity and a second magnet having a second polarity. The top assembly includes a magnet track that is disposed within the top assembly and a third magnet that is disposed within the magnet track. The third magnet is translatable between an open position in which the third magnet overlies the first magnet and a closed position in which the third magnet overlies the second magnet. 
   Another example embodiment of the present invention may be found in a medical wire clamp that includes a base fixture and a clamp fixture. The medical wire clamp can include holding apparatus to hold the clamp fixture against the base fixture, releasing apparatus to release the clamp fixture from the base fixture, and selecting apparatus to select between the holding apparatus and the releasing apparatus. 
   Another example embodiment of the present invention may be found in a method of using a medical wire clamp. The medical wire clamp may include a base fixture, a clamp fixture, holding apparatus to hold the clamp fixture against the base fixture, and releasing apparatus to release the clamp fixture from the base fixture. A medical wire having a proximal portion and a distal portion may be advanced to a treatment site. The distal portion of the medical wire may be positioned within the medical wire clamp, and the holding structure can be activated to hold the clamp fixture to the base fixture, thereby securing the medical wire. 
   The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The Figures, Detailed Description and Examples which follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical wire holder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a partially phantom view of the medical wire holder of  FIG. 1 , shown in an open configuration; 
       FIG. 3  is a view of the medical wire holder of  FIG. 1 , shown in an open configuration including wire gripping surfaces; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the top portion of the medical wire holder of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the bottom portion of the medical wire holder of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic illustration of the medical wire holder of  FIG. 1 , in use. 
   

   While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. 
   All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about”, whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value, i.e., having the same function or result. In many instances, the term “about” may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. 
   The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range. For example, a range of 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4 and 5. 
   As used in this specification and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and in the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
   The following description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in like fashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Although examples of construction, dimensions, and materials are illustrated for the various elements, those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternatives that may be utilized. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical wire holder  10 . The medical wire holder  10  includes a top portion  12  and a bottom portion  14 . The top portion  12  may include a handle  16  that is disposed within a handle track  18 . The handle  16  can be secured to a magnet  20  that is partially visible within the handle track  18 . The handle  16  may be used to slide magnet  20  within a magnet track (not visible in this Figure) in order to either open or close the medical wire holder  10  as will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. The handle  16  may be formed of any suitable metallic or polymeric material. In some instances, the handle  16  may be a cylindrical magnet that is secured to the magnet  20 . 
   The top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  may each be formed of any suitable material. For ease of manufacturing and expense, the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  may be formed of any suitable polymeric material that is sufficiently strong and that is easily machineable. In some embodiments, the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  may be formed of a polycarbonate such as lexane. In some instances, the top portion  12  may be formed of a single block of lexane, and the features such as the handle track  18  and the magnet track may be drilled or otherwise formed within the single block of lexane. In other cases, such as illustrated in  FIG. 4  (discussed later), the top portion  12  may be formed of several distinct layers of lexane. Similarly, the bottom portion  14  may be formed of a single block of a material such as lexane, or, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the bottom portion  14  may be formed of several distinct layers of lexane. 
   The medical wire holder  10  may be constructed to any suitable dimensions. In some instances, the medical wire holder  10  may have an overall length that is in the range of about 2″ to about 6″, an overall width that is in the range of about 1″ to about 4″, and an overall height (excluding the handle  18 ) that is in the range of about ½″ to about 1⅝″. In particular embodiments, the medical wire holder  10  can have an overall length of about three inches, an overall width of about one and one half inches, and a height (excluding the handle  18 ) that is about one inch or less. The handle  18  may have a height of about ½″ and a diameter of about ⅛″. 
   In  FIG. 2 , the medical wire holder  10  has been opened to expose some of the internal structure of the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14 . In this embodiment, the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  are secured together along using two hinges  22 . While two hinges  22  are illustrated, it should be noted that a single hinge (not shown) spanning substantially the length of the common edge of top and bottom portion  12  and  14  could be used. In some cases, common metallic hinges such as brass hinges may be used as hinges  22 . In other cases, it is contemplated that a resilient material such as rubber could be used to join the top portion  12  to the bottom portion  14 . 
   The top portion  12  can be seen to include, in phantom, the handle track  18  and a magnet track  24 . Magnet  20  may be translated along the magnet track  24  by moving the handle  16 . The bottom portion  14  can be seen to include, in phantom, an aperture  26  formed within the bottom portion  14  and a first magnet  28  disposed within the aperture  26 . The bottom portion  14  also includes an aperture  30  formed within the bottom portion  14  and a second magnet  32  disposed within the aperture  30 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the magnet  20  can be translated along the magnet track  24  from a position in which the magnet  20  overlies the first magnet  28  to a position in which the magnet  20  overlies the second magnet  32 . This refers, of course, to when the top portion  12  is disposed over the bottom portion  14 , as seen for example in  FIG. 1 . For convenience, the magnet  20  will hereinafter be referred to as the third magnet  20 . 
   The first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32  may be any suitable magnetic material. In some embodiments, the first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32  are each neodymium disc magnets and can be sized as appropriate. In particular embodiments, the first magnet  28  may be a neodymium disc magnet having a diameter of about ⅝ inches and a thickness of about ⅛ inches while the second magnet  32  may be a neodymium disc magnet having a diameter of about 9/16 inches and a thickness of about 3/16 inches. In some instances, the aperture  26  and the aperture  30  may be sized to accommodate the dimensions of the first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32 , respectively. 
   A magnet such as a disc magnet can have one of two distinct and opposite polarities, depending on orientation. The top of a disc magnet may, to illustrate, have a North polarity while the bottom of a disc magnet would correspondingly have a South polarity. In some embodiments, the first magnet  28  can have a first polarity and the second magnet  32  can have a second polarity that is opposite the first polarity. The third magnet  20  may have a polarity equal to that of the first magnet  28 . As a non-limiting example, the first magnet  28  may be installed within the aperture  26  having an orientation that provides a North polarity and the second magnet  32  may be installed within the aperture  30  having an orientation that provides a South polarity. In this particular example, the third magnet  20  would be oriented to have a North polarity. 
   When the third magnet  20  is positioned to overlie the first magnet  28 , there will be a repulsive force between the first magnet  28  and the third magnet  20  due to both magnets being oriented to have a common polarity. When the third magnet  20  is positioned to overlie the second magnet  32 , there will be an attractive force between the second magnet  32  and the third magnet  20  due to the magnets being oriented to have opposite polarities. Therefore, the medical wire holder  10  can be considered as having a closed position when the third magnet  20  overlies the second magnet  32  and an open position when the third magnet  20  overlies the first magnet  28 . 
   When a medical wire such as a guidewire or a filter wire is placed between the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14 , the third magnet  20  may be translated along the magnet track  24  between the closed position and the open position. When the medical wire holder  10  is in the open position, the medical wire may easily be disposed within the medical wire holder  10 . By moving the handle  16  (and hence the third magnet  20 ) along the magnet track  24  to a position in which the third magnet  20  overlies the second magnet  32 , the medical wire holder  10  attains its closed position and the medical wire is securely held against movement. 
   In some embodiments, a medical wire may be held in place by compressive forces between the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14 . In some embodiments, it may be useful to include a thin layer of a material on at least one of the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  to provide additional grip on a medical wire. In  FIG. 3 , for example, a thin layer  34  has been disposed over the top portion  12  while a thin layer  36  has been disposed over the bottom portion  14 . Any suitable material may be used for thin layer  34  and for thin layer  36 . In particular embodiments, rubber may be used. 
   In some embodiments, the thin layer  34  may be a thin layer of rubber that is glued or otherwise adhered to the top portion  12 . The thin layer  36  may be a thin layer of rubber that is glued or otherwise adhered to the bottom portion  14 . The thin layer  34  and the thin layer  36  may be distinct pieces of rubber. In some embodiments, however, the thin layer  34  and the thin layer  36  may be formed from a single thin piece of rubber that is secured to both top portion  12  and bottom portion  14 . In this case, the rubber can provide a resilient material between the top portion  12  and the bottom portion  14  that may function as a hinge therebetween. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 4 , the construction of the top portion  12  is illustrated. In this embodiment, the top portion  12  is formed from a top piece  38 , a middle piece  40 , and a bottom piece  42 . The top piece  38  can be formed of any suitable material such as lexane and can be drilled or otherwise machined to form the handle track  18 . The handle track  18  may extend vertically the entire thickness of the top piece  38 . 
   The middle piece  40  can be formed of any suitable material such as lexane and can be drilled or otherwise machined to form the magnet track  24 . In some cases, the magnet track  24  extends vertically the entire thickness of the middle piece  40 . In other cases, the magnet track  24  extends downwardly from an upper surface of the middle piece  40  to an internal point within the middle piece  40 . 
   It will be appreciated that there are particular manufacturing advantages to forming the top portion  12  from three distinct pieces, as illustrated. Moreover, it can be seen that third magnet  20  can be positioned within and held captive within the magnet track  24 . 
   Each of the top piece  38 , the middle piece  40  and the bottom piece  42  may be constructed to any suitable dimensions. The overall length and width of each of the top piece  38 , the middle piece  40  and the bottom piece  42  may be set according to the overall dimensions desired for medical wire holder  10 , as discussed previously with respect to  FIG. 1 . 
   In some embodiments, the top piece  38  and the bottom piece  42  are relatively thinner, having a thickness that is in the range of about 1/32″ to about ⅛″. In particular embodiments, the top piece  38  and the bottom piece  42  are each about 1/16 inches thick. In some embodiments, the middle piece  40  can have a thickness that is in the range of about 3/16″ to about ⅝″. In particular embodiments, the middle piece  40  can have a thickness that is about ⅜ inches thick. 
   To assemble the top portion  12 , the middle piece  40  may be glued or otherwise secured onto the bottom piece  42 . An assembly including the third magnet  20  and the handle  16  may be positioned within the magnet track  24 . The top piece  38  may then be glued or otherwise secured to the middle piece  40 . Any suitable adhesive may be used. An example of an adhesive suitable for gluing polycarbonate materials together is Loctite® Plastix® Advanced Plalstic Bonder or Loctite® 4014 glue. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the construction of the bottom portion  16  is illustrated. In this embodiment, the bottom portion  14  is formed from an upper piece  44  and a lower piece  46 . The lower piece  46  may be drilled or otherwise machined to form the aperture  26  and the aperture  30 . In some cases, the aperture  26  and the aperture  30  are formed having a depth sufficient to accommodate the first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32 , respectively, but do not extend all the way through the lower piece  46 . 
   The upper piece  44  and the lower piece  46  may be formed of any suitable material such as lexane and can have any suitable dimensions. In some embodiments, the overall length and width of the upper piece  44  and the lower piece  46  are set according to the overall dimensions of the medical wire holder  10 , as discussed previously with respect to  FIG. 1 . 
   In some embodiments, the upper piece  44  is relatively thinner and has a thickness that is in the range of about 1/32″ to about ⅛″. In particular embodiments, the upper piece  44  has a thickness that is about 1/16 inches thick. In some embodiments, the lower piece  46  is relatively thicker and has a thickness that is in the range of about ⅛″ to about ½″. In particular embodiments, the lower piece  46  has a thickness that is about ¼ inches thick. 
   To assemble the bottom portion  14 , the first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32  may be disposed within aperture  26  and aperture  30 , respectively, of lower piece  46 . The upper piece  44  may be glued or otherwise secured to the lower piece  46  using any suitable adhesive. An example of an adhesive suitable for gluing polycarbonate materials together is Loctite Plastix® Advanced Plalstic Bonder or Loctite® 4014 glue. 
   In an alternate embodiment, the bottom portion  14  may be formed of a single block of a suitable material such as lexane. In such an embodiment, the first magnet  28  may be glued or otherwise adhered in the aperture  26  while the second magnet  32  may be glued or otherwise adhered in the aperture  30 . Inclusion of the thin layer  36  ( FIG. 3 ) can also assist in holding the first magnet  28  and the second magnet  32  in position. 
   Use of the medical wire holder  10  is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In  FIG. 6 , the medical wire holder  10  has been fastened to a table  48 . In this, the table  48  generically represents any suitable structure that may be present within a catheter lab or an operating room. The medical wire holder  10  may be fastened to the table  48  using double-face adhesive tape, hook and look fasteners, a pressure-sensitive adhesive placed on the bottom surface of the medical wire holder  10  and exposed by removing a protective layer, or any other suitable attachment mechanism. 
   A patient  50  is generically represented. Once the medical wire holder  10  has been secured to the table  48 , a medical wire  52  may be advanced into and through the patient  50  as is known. The medical wire  52  may be a guidewire or a filter wire. Once the medical wire  52  has been properly positioned within the patient  50 , the medical wire  52  may be positioned within the medical wire holder  10 . The medical wire  52  can be secured by moving the medical wire holder  10  from its open position to its closed position. Any desired device may now be advanced over the medical wire  52 . 
   The invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as set out in the attached claims. Various modifications, equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures to which the invention can be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of the instant specification.