Clips for implantation in the heart and great vessels allowing their complete or partial removal, kits and methods for performing such removal - Patents.com

Abstract

Devices implanted in the heart and great vessels, such as valve clips, include built-in features that allow for partial or complete removal of the device at a later date. The built-in features include one or more conductors configured to conduct energy. The energy is used to separate the clip or a portion of the clip from the surrounding tissue. A system or kit for facilitating this removal includes an inner catheter having a distal end configured to engage and couple with the clip, and conductors configured to conduct energy between an energy source and the distal end of the inner catheter. A method for facilitating this removal includes transmitting energy to the clip to detach and separate at least a portion of the clip from the surrounding tissue, and retracting at least a portion of the clip into an outer catheter.

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