Patent ID: 7686815

Claim:
A method of protecting a patient from embolization during a percutaneous procedure at a site of stenosis within a vessel, comprising: providing a guidewire having proximal and distal ends, a proximal and a distal region, an expandable filter associated with the distal region, and an elongate tubular member which covers the expandable filter and is slidable over the guidewire; introducing the distal end of the guidewire into the patient's vessel with the elongate tubular member covering the expandable filter, and positioning the filter downstream of the stenosis, wherein the elongate tubular member and guidewire cross the stenosis; expanding the expandable filter; removing the elongate tubular member from the vessel; introducing the distal end of a treatment catheter into the vessel; advancing the treatment catheter over the guidewire to position the treatment catheter at the site of stenosis within the vessel; urging the stenosis radially outwardly wherein embolic material is generated and captured before the expandable filter is removed from the patient's vessel; removing the treatment catheter from the patient's vessel; providing a retrieval catheter having proximal and distal ends; introducing the distal end of the retrieval catheter into the patient's vessel after the treatment catheter has been removed from the patient's vessel; advancing the retrieval catheter over the guidewire to retrieve the filter; and removing the retrieval catheter, guidewire and filter from the vessel.