Patent ID: 8216270

Claim:
An embolic protection device comprising: a support element for delivery through a vascular system of a patient; a self-expanding foam filter element associated with the support element, the foam filter element being movable between a collapsed stored position for movement through the vascular system and an expanded position for occluding a blood vessel such that blood passing through the blood vessel is delivered through the foam filter element but embolic material in the blood is retained in the foam filter element; the foam filter element comprising an open cell structure, the open cell structure comprising pores that provide at least one path for blood to flow from a proximal end of the filter to a distal end of the filter but restricts the embolic material from passing through, wherein the foam filter element further comprises at least one channel, each channel defining a pathway extending from the proximal end of the filter to the distal end of the filter for blood to flow through.