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  Device and method for modifying the shape of a body organUSPTO Application #: 20050272969Title: Device and method for modifying the shape of a body organ Abstract: An intravascular support device includes a support or reshaper wire, a proximal anchor and a distal anchor. The support wire engages a vessel wall to change the shape of tissue adjacent the vessel in which the intravascular support is placed. The anchors and support wire are designed such that the vessel in which the support is placed remains open and can be accessed by other devices if necessary. The device provides a minimal metal surface area to blood flowing within the vessel to limit the creation of thrombosis. The anchors can be locked in place to secure the support within the vessel. (end of abstract)
Agent: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati - Palo Alto, CA, US Inventors: Clifton A. Alferness, John M. Adams, Mark L. Mathis, David G. Reuter, Cruz Beeson, Leonard Kowalsky USPTO Applicaton #: 20050272969 - Class: 600037000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Surgery, Internal Organ Support Or Sling The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050272969. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/429,171, filed May 2, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/331,343, filed Dec. 26, 2002; U.S. application Ser. No. 10/142,637, filed May 8, 2002; U.S. application Ser. No. 10/066,426, filed Jan. 30, 2002; and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/011,867, filed Dec. 5, 2001, the benefit of the filing dates being claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120, and the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to medical devices in general, and in particular to devices for supporting internal body organs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The mitral valve is a portion of the heart that is located between the chambers of the left atrium and the left ventricle. When the left ventricle contracts to pump blood throughout the body, the mitral valve closes to prevent the blood being pumped back into the left atrium. In some patients, whether due to genetic malformation, disease or injury, the mitral valve fails to close properly causing a condition known as regurgitation, whereby blood is pumped into the atrium upon each contraction of the heart muscle. Regurgitation is a serious, often rapidly deteriorating, condition that reduces circulatory efficiency and must be corrected. [0004] Two of the more common techniques for restoring the function of a damaged mitral valve are to surgically replace the valve with a mechanical valve or to suture a flexible ring around the valve to support it. Each of these procedures is highly invasive because access to the heart is obtained through an opening in the patient's chest. Patients with mitral valve regurgitation are often relatively frail thereby increasing the risks associated with such an operation. [0005] One less invasive approach for aiding the closure of the mitral valve involves the placement of a support structure in the cardiac sinus and vessel that passes adjacent the mitral valve. The support structure is designed to push the vessel and surrounding tissue against the valve to aid its closure. This technique has the advantage over other methods of mitral valve repair because it can be performed percutaneously without opening the chest wall. While this technique appears promising, some proposed supports appear to limit the amount of blood that can flow through the coronary sinus and may contribute to the formation of thrombosis in the vessel. Therefore, there is a need for a tissue support structure that does not inhibit the flow of blood in the vessel in which it is placed and reduces the likelihood of thrombosis formation. Furthermore, the device should be flexible and securely anchored such that it moves with the body and can adapt to changes in the shape of the vessel over time. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention is an intravascular support that is designed to change the shape of a body organ that is adjacent to a vessel in which the support is placed. In one embodiment of the invention, the support is designed to aid the closure of a mitral valve. The support is placed in a coronary sinus and vessel that are located adjacent the mitral valve and urges the vessel wall against the valve to aid its closure. [0007] The intravascular support of the present invention includes a proximal and distal anchor and a support wire or reshaper disposed therebetween. The proximal and distal anchors circumferentially engage a vessel in which the support is placed. A support wire is urged against the vessel by the proximal and distal anchors to support the tissue adjacent the vessel. [0008] In one embodiment of the invention, the proximal and distal supports are made from a wire hoop that presents a low metal coverage area to blood flowing within the vessel. The wire hoops may allow tissue to grow over the anchors to reduce the chance of thrombosis formation. The wire hoops have a figure eight configuration and can expand to maintain contact with the vessel walls if no vessel expands or changes shape. [0009] In another embodiment of the invention, the proximal and distal anchors of the intravascular support are rotationally offset from each other. Locks on the support wire allow a physician to ensure that the anchors have been successfully deployed and prevent the support wire from collapsing within a vessel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an intravascular support for changing the shape of an internal body organ in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; [0012] FIG. 2 illustrates one method of deploying an intravascular support in accordance with the present invention; [0013] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the intravascular support in accordance with the present invention; [0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a distal anchor of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3; [0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a proximal anchor of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3; [0016] FIGS. 6A-6C are cross-sectional views of crimp tubes for use with one embodiment of the present invention; [0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a proximal lock at the proximal end of the intravascular support as shown in FIG. 3; [0018] FIG. 8 illustrates how the embodiment of the intravascular support shown in FIG. 3 is deployed from a catheter; [0019] FIG. 9 illustrates an intravascular support in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; Continue reading... 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