Patent ID: 7850709

Claim:
A device for closing a puncture hole in a blood vessel, comprising: an elongated body having a front end for insertion through the hole into the blood vessel; a clip expander positioned on the body rearwardly of the front end, the clip expander comprises a sleeve surrounding the body which has one end fixed relative to the body, a section of the sleeve intermediate its ends being slit longitudinally to form a plurality of splines which can be forced mutually outwardly by sliding the other end of the sleeve along the body towards the fixed end of the sleeve; a clip having a ring disposed around the expander and prongs projecting towards the front end of the body, the clip being mounted on the splined section of the sleeve; and wherein the clip expander is actuable to resiliently expand the circumference of the ring, the clip being movable forwardly in its expanded state so that the prongs pierce the tissue around the hole, and the clip expander thereafter being actuable to release the clip so that the body and clip expander can be withdrawn from the ring.