Patent ID: 8460312

Claim:
A method for removing a thromboembolism from a blood vessel, said method comprising: providing a device comprising a catheter having an axial lumen, a pusher element slidably disposed in the lumen of the catheter, and a thromboembolic receiver on a distal end of the pusher element, the receiver formed of a plurality of structural members arranged to form a sleeve having a central lumen, a first plurality of structural members comprising longitudinally extending struts, a second plurality of the structural members comprising v-shaped engaging elements, and a third set of structural members comprising a plurality of axially spaced-apart circumferential rings attached to the longitudinal struts, each of said v-shaped engaging elements being disposed between adjacent ones of the longitudinal struts and including a first leg extending into the central lumen from a first longitudinal strut and a second leg extending into the central lumen from a second, adjacent longitudinal strut, said first and second legs attached to one another within the central lumen to define a plurality of longitudinally oriented apexes extending into the central lumen, wherein at least a distal row and a proximal row of the v-shaped engaging elements are disposed between a distal circumferential ring and a proximal circumferential ring and each apex is unattached to any other structure within the central lumen; positioning a distal end of the catheter adjacent to the thromboembolism in the blood vessel; retracting the catheter relative to the pusher element to release the thromboembolic receiver from constraint so that the receiver expands to a cylindrical shape with a fully open end, wherein the open end of the expanded cylindrical thromboembolic receiver engages the thromboembolism; and retracting the pusher element to remove the thromboembolism from the blood vessel.