Patent ID: 8262691

Claim:
A distal protection device comprising a catheter having a longitudinal axis, an actuating member, a first strut having a first length and a first buckling force and movable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration upon movement of the actuatina member and a second strut having a second length greater than the first length and a second buckling force greater than the first buckling force, the second strut axially spaced from the first strut and movable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration upon movement of the actuating member, wherein movement of the actuating member initially deploys the first strut and subsequently deploys the second strut, the first strut having a first dimension and the second strut having a second dimension larger than the first dimension, the first and second struts being separately deployable, wherein movement of the first strut deploys filtering material to a first position having a first deployed dimension and movement of the second strut deploys filtering material to a second deployed dimension larger than the first deployed dimension, wherein in the deployed position the first and second struts each form a loop, the loops being axially spaced from one another and positioned so a long axis passes through the opening in both loops and are substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter and substantially transverse to a direction of blood flow, and the opening in both loops lies in a plane substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis and is adapted to be in line with a direction of blood flow.