Patent ID: 8109946

Claim:
A collapsible medical device for occluding an aperture in a body, the medical device having a first configuration with a reduced profile and a second configuration with an expanded profile, the medical device being adapted to be delivered through a delivery system into a desired delivery location, the medical device comprising: an occluder having a proximal side, a distal side, an adjustable-length center joint between the proximal side and the distal side, and an axial passage along the length of the occluder, wherein the adjustable-length center joint is configured to allow expansion of the medical device in an axial direction after deployment of the medical device in the second configuration within the aperture; and a catch system for holding the collapsible medical device in the second configuration, the catch system including an adjustable-length catch member adapted to be disposed in the axial passage of the occluder such that the collapsible medical device can move from the first configuration to the second configuration, the catch member including a catch body having a resiliently deformable distal element for engaging the distal end of the collapsible medical device and having a dimension after deployment that is larger than a diameter of the axial passage at the distal end of the collapsible medical device and a catch element at its proximal end that has a dimension that is larger than a diameter of the axial passage at the proximal end of the collapsible medical device, wherein the catch body comprises a stretchable configuration that allows expansion of the catch member in an axial direction after deployment of the medical device within the aperture.