Inferior vena cava filter retrieval device and method of retrieving same

Abstract

A medical device for retrieving an inferior vena cava filter from an inferior vena cava having a handle having a distal end, wherein a longitudinal axis is defined thereby; a grasping assembly coupled to the handle, wherein the grasping assembly comprises a grasper for grasping the inferior vena cava filter positioned within the inferior vena cava, and an articulation assembly coupled to the grasping assembly for causing the grasping assembly to move laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle. Methods of retrieving an inferior vena cava filter from an inferior vena cava are also disclosed.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of and priority to provisional application Ser. No. 62 / 046,413, filed Sep. 5, 2014, the subject matter of which is also incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are small, expanding filters commonly inserted into the inferior vena cava to prevent pulmonary embolism. Fibrosis and skewed deployment can make retrieval using traditional methods difficult or impossible. The present invention is directed to improved devices for retrieving retrievable and non-retrievable IVC filters and to methodologies therefor.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are small, expanding filters commonly inserted into the inferior vena cava to prevent pulmonary embolism (see FIG. 1). Retrievable filters may feature a hook on the apex to allow for removal, though non-retrievable filters are sometimes used. Because the risk of embolism is often short-term, removal of the filters ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]Still further it is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved IVC retrieval device that facilitates the removal of an IVC filter that has become lodged in the vessel wall, for example because of the struts or hook thereof having become ensnared in the vessel walls and / or embedded in the fibrotic tissue of the walls.

[0010]It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an improved IVC retrieval device that facilitates the removal of an IVC filter that has otherwise simply become tilted therefore making the hook thereof more difficult to grasp.

[0011]Another objective of the present invention to provide an improved IVC retrieval device that facilitates the removal of an IVC filter in which scarring of the struts and penetration into adjacent structures prevent the IVC filter from collapsing.

[0012]And it is still a further objective of the present invention to provide an improved IVC retrieval device that facilitates the removal of an IVC filter by dissecting the tissue surrounding the embedded struts of the IVC filter to release the struts from the tissue without excessive penetration into the vessel wall and with a reduction of the risk of perforation.

[0014]Still further, another objective of the present invention is to facilitate the ability of surgeons to perform the improved methodologies as disclosed herein.

[0019]For example, in a first preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed to a medical device for retrieving an inferior vena cava filter from an inferior vena cava, comprising a handle; a first shaft section coupled to the handle, the first shaft section having a longitudinal axis; a grasping assembly coupled to the first shaft section, wherein the grasping assembly comprises a tube section having a distal end; and a grasper displaceable out of the distal end of the tube section, the grasper for grasping the inferior vena cava filter positioned within the inferior vena cave; a grasper retractor assembly for displacing the grasper out of the tube section and for retracting the grasper into the tube section; and an articulation assembly coupled to the grasping assembly for causing the grasping assembly to move laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the first shaft section.

Problems solved by technology

However, while placement rates have been steadily increasing, retrieval rates remain low.

However, many IVC filters are not retrieved.

On the other hand, there are increasing number of case reports of long-term complications of leaving indwelling IVC filters, including IVC thrombosis, filter migration, fracture, and penetration into adjacent structures.

These complications require additional endovascular and sometimes open surgeries and are a source of significant morbidity and mortality for the patients and costs on the health care system.

However, this procedure can become very challenging when it is attempted after a long duration from the time the IVC filter was inserted.

The struts become incorporated and scarred and are hard to pull out.

As fibrous tissue builds around this, snare-based retrieval can become difficult or impossible.

Even though there is literature reporting success in using those instruments, the safety and effectiveness are not established especially in that they were not designed to retrieve IVC filters.

However, such devices are only able to move longitudinally relative to the device (e.g. the handle) itself and / or the vessel in which it is positioned as neither describe or suggest any type of articulation (i.e. side to side movement) as disclosed and claimed herein.

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