Patent ID: 7998166

Claim:
A vascular protection device for use in the vasculature of a patient comprising: a hostwire having a distal portion, the hostwire interposable in the vasculature of the patient; an expandable filter attached to a distal portion of the hostwire, the filter being expandable from a collapsed delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration, the filter having a proximal end, a distal end and a filtering surface for allowing passage of blood therethrough, the filtering surface not carrying a drug in the collapsed delivery configuration; and a drug delivery mechanism carried by the hostwire adjacent the distal portion of the hostwire, the drug delivery mechanism being positioned proximal to the distal end of the filter and being spaced apart from the filtering surface of the filter when the filter is in the expanded deployed configuration in the patient's vasculature, the drug delivery mechanism including a drug, the drug delivery mechanism being configured to release an amount of the drug into blood flowing in the vasculature sufficient to facilitate maintaining patency of the filter during use of the filter in the patient's vasculature, the drug comprising an agent formulated to prevent blood clotting.