Patent ID: 8323312

Claim:
A method, comprising: deploying a closure element from a pre-deployed configuration to a deployed configuration and into tissue adjacent a tissue opening to substantially close the opening following a first procedure, the deployed configuration defining a plane generally parallel to the tissue adjacent the tissue opening, the closure element comprising: a body having a plurality of expandable elements, the expandable elements moving resiliently between the pre-deployed configuration where the body is disposed out of the plane and the deployed configuration where the body is disposed about a central axis extending substantially normal to the plane and lying in the plane of the body; a plurality of tissue-engaging portions extending from the body, at least two of the tissue-engaging portions being separated by a first distance in the deployed configuration and a second distance in the pre-deployed configuration, wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance, and wherein the tissue-engaging portions are oriented generally towards the central axis in the deployed configuration and generally parallel to the central axis in the pre-deployed configuration, and a plurality of device capture features operatively associated with the expandable elements, the plurality of device capture features being substantially parallel to the tissue engaging portions in the pre-deployed and deployed configurations and lying in the plane with the body in the deployed configuration; locating the deployed closure element; engaging the device-capture features; and moving the device-capture features generally within the plane and in a direction opposite from that of the tissue engaging portions and radially outwardly and away from each other to increase a diameter of the body to withdraw the tissue-engaging portions from engagement with the tissue adjacent the tissue opening.