Patent ID: 7303571

Claim:
A device which is implantable in a body lumen surrounded by a lumen wall to block the flow of fluid in at least one direction through that body lumen, said device comprising: a) a frame which is initially disposable in a collapsed configuration such that said device may be passed into the body lumen and subsequently expandable to an operative configuration wherein the frame assumes a generally cylindrical shape and exerts outwardly directed pressure against the lumen wall to hold the device in a desired position within said body lumen; and, b) a lumen blocking portion which is affixed to said frame, said lumen blocking portion being configured to form a continuous barrier that fully blocks the lumen of the blood vessel when the frame is in its operative configuration and the device is in the desired position within the body lumen, said lumen blocking portion being penetrable in situ by advancement of a catheter through the lumen blocking portion while the device is implanted within the body lumen.