Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6776754?dq=5579430
Timestamp: 2014-10-25 03:16:22
Document Index: 149413203

Matched Legal Cases: ['art. 2', 'art.\n5', 'art. 11', 'art.\n18', 'art. 19', 'art.\n21', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24', 'art 24']

Patent US6776754 - Method for closing off lower portion of heart ventricle - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA cardiac insert or implant is deployed in a patient's heart so as to reduce ventricular volume, thereby improving cardiac function. The insert or implant may be a compressive device such as a tensile member inserted into the patient's heart, and thereafter operated or deployed to bring opposite walls...http://www.google.com/patents/US6776754?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6776754 - Method for closing off lower portion of heart ventricleAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6776754 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/678,134Publication dateAug 17, 2004Filing dateOct 4, 2000Priority dateOct 4, 2000Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS7431691Publication number09678134, 678134, US 6776754 B1, US 6776754B1, US-B1-6776754, US6776754 B1, US6776754B1InventorsPeter J. WilkOriginal AssigneeWilk Patent Development CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (17), Referenced by (18), Classifications (16), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMethod for closing off lower portion of heart ventricleUS 6776754 B1Abstract A cardiac insert or implant is deployed in a patient's heart so as to reduce ventricular volume, thereby improving cardiac function. The insert or implant may be a compressive device such as a tensile member inserted into the patient's heart, and thereafter operated or deployed to bring opposite walls of a ventricle of the patient's heart into at least approximate contact with one another to thereby constrict and close off a lower portion of that ventricle. The compressive device or tensile member is insertable into the patient heart via a catheter threaded through the patient's vascular system and into the patient's heart.
What is claimed is: 1. A method for improving cardiac function, comprising:
inserting a compressive device into a patient in a region including the patient's heart; and after the inserting of said compressive device into the patient, operating said compressive device to bring opposite walls of only one ventricle of the patient's heart into contact with one another to thereby constrict and close off a lower portion of said one ventricle of the patient's heart. 2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the operating of said compressive device includes applying said compressive device to close off only said lower portion of said one ventricle of the patient's heart.
5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein said compressive device includes a tensile member, the inserting of said tensile member including introducing said tensile member through a catheter.
6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein the introducing of said tensile member includes passing a leading end portion of said catheter into a pericardial space about the patient's heart, the operating of said compressive device including ejecting said tensile member from said leading end portion of said catheter through a myocardial wall, a left ventricle of the patient's heart and a septum of the patient's heart, the operating of said compressive device further including exerting a tension force on said tensile member to draw the septum and the myocardial wall of said left ventricle together.
7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said compressive device includes a tensile member, the inserting of said tensile member including introducing said tensile member through a catheter.
8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein the introducing of said tensile member includes passing a leading end portion of said catheter into a right ventricle of the patient's heart, the operating of said compressive device including ejecting said tensile member from said leading end portion of said catheter through a septum and a left ventricle and a myocardial wall of the patient's heart, the operating of said compressive device further including exerting a tension force on said tensile member to draw said septum and said myocardial wall together.
9. The method defined in claim 7 wherein said tensile member includes a first segment and a second segment, the introducing of said tensile member includes passing a leading end portion of said catheter into a left ventricle of the patient's heart, the operating of said compressive device including ejecting said first segment from said leading end portion of said catheter through a septum of the patient's heart and additionally including ejecting said second segment through an outer wall of said left ventricle, the operating of said compressive device further including twisting said first segment and said second segment about one another to draw opposing walls of said left ventricle together.
10. A method for improving cardiac function, comprising:
inserting a tensile member into a patient; and deploying said tensile member in the patient's heart so as to constrict and close off a lower or apical portion only of only a left ventricle of the patient's heart, thereby reducing the volume of the left ventricle and only the left ventricle of the patient's heart. 11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the deploying of said tensile member includes anchoring one end of said tensile member to a septum of the patient's heart and an opposite end of said tensile member to a myocardial sidewall of said left ventricle.
12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein the anchoring of said tensile member includes placing a flanged element of said tensile member in contact with heart tissues.
13. The method defined in claim 11 wherein the anchoring of said tensile member includes placing a barbed element of said tensile member in contact with heart tissues.
14. The method defined in claim 10 wherein said tensile member is a tack, the deploying of said tensile member including ejecting said tack from a tubular member.
15. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the deploying of said tensile member includes passing said tensile member through a trocar sleeve or cannula.
16. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the deploying of said tensile member includes:
inserting a leading end portion of a catheter into a vascular system of the patient and into a ventricle of the patient's heart; ejecting said tensile member from said leading end portion of said catheter into heart tissue so that said tensile member is anchored to the patient's heart tissue; and exerting tension on said tensile member to pull a septum and a myocardial sidewall of the left ventricle of the patient's heart towards one another so as to constrict and substantially close off only the lower or apical portion of only the patient's left ventricle. 17. The method defined in claim 10 wherein the deploying of said tensile member includes placing sufficient tension on said tensile member in the patient's heart so as to bring opposing inner surface of said left ventricle into substantial contact with one another to thereby effectively constrict and substantially close off the lower or apical portion of the left ventricle of the patient's heart.
18. A method for reducing ventricular volume, comprising:
inserting a leading end portion of a catheter through part of a patient's vascular system and into a ventricle of the patient's heart; deploying a cardiac insert or implant from said leading end portion of said catheter; and disposing said cardiac insert or implant in the patient's heart to close off a lower portion of and thereby reduce the volume of only a left ventricle of the patient's heart. 19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein said cardiac insert or implant is a tensile member, further comprising attaching said tensile member to the patient's heart, and exerting tension on said tensile member to draw a septum of the patient's heart and a myocardial sidewall of the patient's left ventricle towards one another at a lower end of the left ventricle.
20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said tensile member is provided with at least one barb at a leading end, the attaching of said tensile member to the patient's heart including embedding said barb in the patient's heart.
21. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said tensile member is one of two tensile members, further comprising attaching the other tensile member to the patient's heart, the exerting of tension on said one of said tensile members including twisting the tensile members about one another.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and device for improving cardiac function, particularly where there is congestive heart failure.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a surgical method for treating congestive heart failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to the disposition of a cardiac insert or implant in a patient's heart so as to reduce ventricular volume, thereby improving cardiac function.
In a more particular implementation of the present invention, the compressive device is inserted through a trocar sleeve or cannula which extends through a chest wall of the patient. In another particular implementation, the compressive device includes a tensile member which is inserted or introduced into the patient through a catheter with a leading end portion guided to a region of the patient's heart. More particularly, a leading end portion of the catheter is inserted into the patient's heart, the tensile member being ejected from the leading end portion of the catheter into cardiac tissues. Where the leading end portion of the catheter is inserted into the right ventricle, the tensile member is ejected through the septum of the patient's heart and the left ventricle and into a myocardial wall of the heart. Where the leading end portion of the catheter is inserted into the left ventricle, the tensile member includes a first segment ejected into or through the septum of the patient's heart and a second segment ejected through or into the myocardial wall of the left ventricle. In either case, operating of the compressive device includes exerting a tension force on the tensile member to draw the septum and the myocardial wall together. In the latter case, the two segments of the tensile member are twisted about one another to draw the septum and the myocardial wall towards one another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A through 1D are partial schematic cross-sectional views of a human heart, showing successive steps in a method for reducing ventricular volume, pursuant to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a method for reducing ventricular volume to improve cardiac functioning includes a step of inserting a distal or leading end portion of a catheter 20 through the vascular system of a patient, and particularly through the vena cava, into the right ventricle 22 of the patient's heart 24. The deployment of catheter 20 is carried out according to procedures that are well known in the art. For example, the catheter 20 may be introduced over a guide wire (not shown) which has been previously threaded through the venous system to the right ventricle 22.
After the distal end portion of catheter 20 has been inserted through the right auricle (not shown) into the right ventricle 22, the catheter is manipulated to place a leading end or tip 26 of catheter 20 into engagement with a lower part of a septum 28 of the patient's heart 24, as shown in FIG. 1B. A compressive cardiac implant or insert in the form of a tensile member 30 such as a wire or a stiff suture is then forcibly ejected from the catheter 20 through septum 28, a lower part of the patient's left ventricle 32, and a generally left wall or myocardium region 34 of the patient's heart 24.
After the limited retraction of tensile member 30 and the consequent closure of the lower or apical portion of heart 24, tensile member 30 is provided with a second anchor 38, as shown in FIG. 1D, and severed on a side of septum 28 inside right ventricle 22. Anchor 38 may be similar in structure to anchor 36 (but oppositely biased;) and permanently attached thereto. In that case, tensile member 30 with anchors 36 and 38 is preselected, prior to insertion in catheter 20, to match the particular heart 24 and deployment location. More specifically, tensile member 30 and anchors 36 and 38 together define a preformed compressive cardiac implant having an interanchor spacing equal to the combined thickness of septum 28 and heart wall 34 at the intended point of deployment of the cardiac implant. The thicknesses of septum 28 and heart wall 34 may be premeasured by a CAT scan or magnetic resonance imaging or through radiographic investigation. Anchor 38 is held in a collapsed configuration by a sleeve (not shown) inside catheter 20, thus enabling a relative motion of anchor 38 in a distal direction (relative to the operator or surgeon) during an implantation operation.
In an alternative structure and method of deployment, anchor 38 is permanently fixed to tensile member 30 only after the ejection of tensile member 30 through septum 28, left ventricle 32, and heart wall 34. Prior to the ejection operation, anchor 38 is housed inside catheter 30 and surrounds tensile member 30. After ejection of tensile member 30, anchor 38 is pushed by an ancillary tubular member (not shown) into contact with the right-ventricle side of septum 28. Anchor 38 is then secured to tensile member 30 by any suitable means. For instance, where tensile member 30 and anchor 38 are made of thermosetting resin or polymeric material, a piezoelectric crystal may be inserted into right ventricle 22 through catheter 20 to ultrasonically weld anchor 38 to tensile member 30. Alternatively, tensile member 30 may be formed with a series of spaced beads and anchor 38 made of an elastic bio-compatible material, so that anchor 38 may be pushed over one or more of the beads and locked to tensile member in a snap-lock fit.
As illustrated in FIG. 2A, another method for reducing ventricular volume to improve cardiac functioning of the patient's heart 24 includes a step of inserting a distal or leading end portion of a catheter 40 through the vascular system of the patient, and particularly through the aorta (not shown), into the left ventricle 32 of the heart 24. Again, the particulars of deploying deployment catheter 40 are well known in the art.
After the distal end portion of catheter 40 has been inserted through the left auricle (not shown) into the left ventricle 32, the catheter is manipulated to place a leading end or tip 42 of catheter 40 into engagement with a lower part of a septum 28 of the patient's heart 24, as shown in FIG. 2A. A compressive cardiac implant or insert segment in the form of a tensile member or wire 44 is then forcibly ejected from the catheter 40 through septum 28, as depicted in FIG. 2B. Tensile member 44 is formed at a leading end with an anchor 46 in the form of a barb or flange. As discussed above with reference to anchor 36, anchor 46 has a structure which permits movement of the anchor in one direction through cardiac tissue and prohibits movement of the anchor in the opposite direction through the tissue. Again, anchor 46 may be hinged to the leading end of tensile member 44 and formed with a stop for arresting rotational motion beyond a predetermined orientation relative to tensile member 44. Prior to the ejection of tensile member 44 from catheter 40, anchor 46 is disposed in a collapsed configuration inside catheter 40. Anchor 46 essentially maintains this collapsed configuration during the ejection process.
After the piercing of septum 28 by tensile member 44, catheter 40 is withdrawn slightly, as shown in FIG. 2B. Then, catheter 40 is manipulated to place end or tip 42 into engagement with a lower part of heart wall 34, as shown in FIG. 2C. A second compressive cardiac implant or insert segment in the form of a tensile member or wire. 48 is then forcibly ejected from the catheter 40 through heart wall 34, as depicted in FIG. 2C. Tensile member 48 is also formed at a leading end with an anchor 50 in the form of a barb or flange.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5766216May 30, 1996Jun 16, 1998Gangal; Hanamraddi T.Band applicator for appendicular and meso-appendicular stumpsUS5800528Dec 29, 1995Sep 1, 1998Abiomed R & D, Inc.Passive girdle for heart ventricle for therapeutic aid to patients having ventricular dilatationUS5853422 *Sep 23, 1997Dec 29, 1998Scimed Life Systems, Inc.Apparatus and method for closing a septal defectUS5865791Jun 23, 1997Feb 2, 1999E.P. Technologies Inc.Atrial appendage stasis reduction procedure and devicesUS5879366 *Dec 20, 1996Mar 9, 1999W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.Self-expanding defect closure device and method of making and usingUS5928250Jan 30, 1998Jul 27, 1999Nissho CorporationCatheter assembly for intracardiac sutureUS5961440Sep 18, 1997Oct 5, 1999Myocor, Inc.For the treatment of a failing heartUS6155968Jul 23, 1998Dec 5, 2000Wilk; Peter J.Method and device for improving cardiac functionUS6171329 *Aug 28, 1998Jan 9, 2001Gore Enterprise Holdings, Inc.Self-expanding defect closure device and method of making and usingUS6258021 *Oct 25, 1999Jul 10, 2001Peter J. WilkIntrapericardial assist methodUS6260552 *Jul 29, 1998Jul 17, 2001Myocor, Inc.Transventricular implant tools and devicesUS6537198 *Mar 21, 2000Mar 25, 2003Myocor, Inc.Splint assembly for improving cardiac function in hearts, and method for implanting the splint assemblyUS6572529 *Jul 6, 2001Jun 3, 2003Wilk Patent Development CorporationIntrapericardial assist methodUS6616684 *Oct 6, 2000Sep 9, 2003Myocor, Inc.Endovascular splinting devices and methodsUS6629921 *Oct 27, 2000Oct 7, 2003Myocor, Inc.Heart wall tension reduction apparatus and methodUS20010041821 *Jul 6, 2001Nov 15, 2001Wilk Peter J.Intrapericardial assist methodUS20030102000 *Mar 24, 2000Jun 5, 2003Stevens John H.Minimally-invasive devices and methods for treatment of congestive heart failure* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7316706Jun 14, 2004Jan 8, 2008Medtronic Vascular, Inc.Tensioning device, system, and method for treating mitral valve regurgitationUS7431691Jul 7, 2004Oct 7, 2008Wilk Peter JMethod and device for improving cardiac functionUS7762943Mar 3, 2004Jul 27, 2010Cardiokinetix, Inc.Inflatable ventricular partitioning deviceUS7766816Jun 8, 2006Aug 3, 2010Chf Technologies, Inc.Method and apparatus for closing off a portion of a heart ventricleUS7798953 *Jan 3, 2007Sep 21, 2010Wilk Patent, LlcMethod and device for improving cardiac functionUS7862500Jun 10, 2005Jan 4, 2011Cardiokinetix, Inc.Multiple partitioning devices for heart treatmentUS7887477Nov 22, 2002Feb 15, 2011Cardiokinetix, Inc.Method of improving cardiac function using a porous membraneUS7897086Sep 24, 2007Mar 1, 2011Cardiokinetix, Inc.Method of making a laminar ventricular partitioning deviceUS7976564 *May 6, 2002Jul 12, 2011St. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.PFO closure devices and related methods of useUS8123668Sep 28, 2006Feb 28, 2012Bioventrix (A Chf Technologies' Company)Signal transmitting and lesion excluding heart implants for pacing defibrillating and/or sensing of heart beatUS8394008Jul 29, 2010Mar 12, 2013Bioventrix, Inc.Steerable lesion excluding heart implants for congestive heart failureUS8425402Jul 21, 2009Apr 23, 2013Bioventrix, Inc.Cardiac anchor structures, methods, and systems for treatment of congestive heart failure and other conditionsUS8449442Dec 20, 2007May 28, 2013Bioventrix, Inc.Method and device for percutaneous left ventricular reconstructionUS8491455Oct 3, 2008Jul 23, 2013Bioventrix, Inc.Treating dysfunctional cardiac tissueUS8506474Aug 21, 2006Aug 13, 2013Bioventrix, Inc.Method and device for treating dysfunctional cardiac tissueUS8636639Jan 24, 2012Jan 28, 2014Bioventrix, Inc.Signal transmitting and lesion excluding heart implants for pacing, defibrillating, and/or sensing of heart beatWO2007022519A2Aug 21, 2006Feb 22, 2007Chf Technologies IncSteerable heart implants for congestive heart failureWO2009046343A1 *Oct 3, 2008Apr 9, 2009Bioventrix A Chf TechnologiesTreating dysfunctional cardiac tissue* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification600/16, 128/898International ClassificationA61B17/30, A61B17/00, A61B19/00, A61M1/10, A61B17/22, A61B17/12Cooperative ClassificationA61B17/00234, A61B2017/0461, A61F2/2487, A61B2017/048, A61B2019/4878, A61B2017/00243, A61B17/221European ClassificationA61B17/00ELegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 27, 2012ASAssignmentEffective date: 20120615Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:CHF TECHNOLOGIES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:028857/0413Owner name: BIOVENTRIX, INC., CALIFORNIAJan 18, 2012FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Aug 5, 2008SULPSurcharge for late paymentAug 5, 2008FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Feb 25, 2008REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedFeb 20, 2004ASAssignmentOwner name: WILK PATENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, NEW YORKFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WILK, PETER J.;REEL/FRAME:014359/0721Effective date: 20040218Owner name: WILK PATENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 160 THIRD AVENFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WILK, PETER J. /AR;REEL/FRAME:014359/0721RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google