Medical Devices and Methods

Abstract

Medical devices include a catheter, a catheter/dilator assembly, an occluder, a rapid exchange dilator assembly, a funnel catheter, an anastomotic medical device, and associated methods.

1 . A vessel-occluding medical device for the use in diagnosis and/or treatment of cardiovascular disease in the human body comprising:
 a catheter having a proximal catheter end and a distal catheter end and defining a lumen extending from the distal catheter end towards the proximal catheter end, the catheter adapted for use in diagnosis and/or treatment of cardiovascular disease in the human body;   an expandable and contractible, vessel-occluding element positionable near the distal catheter end and placeable in radially expanded and contracted states;   the expandable and contractible, vessel-occluding element comprising a braided element and a membrane contacting the braided element so that the braided element is substantially impermeable when in the radially expanded state;   the expandable and contractible element having a funnel-shaped surface, when in the radially expanded state, and having a longitudinally-extending opening to permit material to pass therethrough for receipt of material; and   a vessel-occluding assembly housed at least partially within and axially slidable through the lumen, the vessel-occluding assembly comprising an elongate support element, having a distal end portion, and a second expandable and contractible, fully-vessel-occluding element at the distal end portion, the second expandable and contractible, fully-vessel-occluding element positionable at and extendable from the catheter distal end and placeable in a collapsed state and in an expanded, fully-vessel-occluding state.   
   
   
       2 . The method of deploying an occluder in a body passageway comprising:
 inserting a catheter into a body passageway, said catheter having a balloon-less blood flow blocking element affixed to the catheter, the balloon-less blood flow blocking element comprising a blood flow blocking surface with structural members which define openings therebetween,   providing said blood flow blocking element in a radially compressed state during said step of inserting,   radially expanding said blood flow blocking element into a radially expanded, passageway sealing state extending to the wall of the body passageway after said step of inserting,   said step of radially expanding being carried out without inflating a balloon using a fluid;   said step of radially expanding including providing said blood flow blocking element in said radially expanded, passageway sealing state with an outer, distally facing, generally funnel surface extending out from said distal end of said catheter, the generally funnel surface being the blood flow blocking surface; and   using said radially expanded, passageway sealing state of said blood flow blocking element for completely blocking passage of material around the outside of said catheter.   
   
   
       3 . A catheter/dilator assembly comprising:
 a catheter assembly comprising:
 a catheter having a proximal catheter end, a distal catheter end, a lumen, and an outer catheter surface; and 
 a material-directing element, movable between radially expanded and radially collapsed states, secured to and extending past the distal catheter end, the material-directing element having an axial length when in the radially collapsed state; 
   a dilator comprising a hollow shaft within the lumen of the catheter, the hollow shaft having an outer shaft surface, a proximal shaft end, a distal shaft end and a recessed region in the outer shaft surface at the distal shaft end;   the recessed region and the material-directing element being generally aligned with one another; a compression element covering the material-directing element to temporarily retain the material-directing element in a radially collapsed state; and   the recessed region sized for receipt of at least substantially the entire axial length of the material-directing element so to reduce the radial cross-sectional dimension of the assembly at the material-directing element.