Patent ID: 7620457

Claim:
A kit for penetrating a cardiac septum and placing a trans-septal device in a left cardiac cavity, comprising: a penetration guide having: a probe-body including a flexible hollow sheath having an internal lumen, a proximal extremity, and a distal extremity, wherein said proximal extremity is able to receive, separately, a handling stylet, a piercing stylet, and a guiding stylet introduced at said proximal extremity; and a probe-head positioned at the distal extremity of the sheath having an axial bore in communication with the internal lumen of the sheath, a distal end including a frontal face, and means for anchoring the probe-head to the septum wall, wherein the axial bore contains a shrinkage; a handling stylet having a distal extremity able to be introduced into the lumen of the sheath and the axial bore of the probe-head, and movable in translation relative to the penetration guide from said sheath proximal extremity to the shrinkage, beyond which said handling stylet does not advance; a piercing stylet capable of penetrating through the septum wall, comprising a sharp distal extremity, able to be introduced into the lumen of the sheath and the axial bore of the probe-head, and movable in translation relative to the penetration guide from said sheath proximal extremity to a first axial stop position in said probe-head axial bore, beyond which said piercing stylet does not advance without an applied additional force, and a second axial stop position distal to said first axial stop position, in response to said applied additional force, to provide a controlled additional axial translation moving said piercing stylet from said first axial stop position to said second axial stop position to cause the sharp distal extremity to emerge from the frontal face of said probe-head to traverse said septum, wherein said first and second axial stop positions are separated by distance at least equal to the local thickness of the septum; and a guiding stylet having a flexible distal extremity able to be introduced into the lumen of the sheath and the axial bore of the probe-body, and movable in translation relative to the penetration guide from the sheath proximal extremity to an axial stop position where said guiding stylet emerges from the frontal face of the probe-head over a length at least equal to the local thickness of the septum, so as to form, after withdrawal of the penetration guide, an axial pathway through said septum, through which a trans-septal device may be guided by the guiding stylet.