Intravascular guidewire filter system for pulmonary embolism protection and embolism removal or maceration

Abstract

An intravascular emboli capture and retrieval system for intravascular embolism protection and embolism removal or maceration. Guidewire mounted proximally and distally located multiple opening filters are deployed within the vasculature and used to part, divide and macerate embolic debris and to capture such embolic debris within the confines thereof. A deployable flexible preformed memory shaped capture sleeve is alternatively used to collapse one or more filters and embolic debris therein for subsequent proximal withdrawal from the vasculature.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A vascular filter system comprising:
 a capture sleeve having an expanded sleeve configuration and a contracted sleeve configuration;   a guidewire slidably received in the capture sleeve;   a filter assembly coupled with the guidewire and longitudinally movable relative to the capture sleeve, the filter assembly includes:
 at least one filter; 
 a proximal end coupled with the at least one filter; 
 a distal end coupled with the at least one filter; 
 wherein at least one of the proximal end or the distal end of the filter assembly is longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire; and 
 wherein the at least one filter includes first filter strands having first openings proximate to the proximal end and second filter strands having second openings proximate to the distal end, and the first openings are larger than the second openings; and 
   wherein the filter assembly is configured to transition from an entrapment configuration to a capture configuration:
 in the entrapment configuration the at least one filter has a filter perimeter spaced from the guidewire and the at least one filter is distally spaced from the capture sleeve in the expanded sleeve configuration; and 
 in the capture configuration the at least, one filter is proximally moved into the capture sleeve with the guidewire, and at least one of the proximal end or the distal end of the filter assembly is longitudinally moved along the guidewire. 
   
     
     
         3 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 2 , wherein in the entrapment configuration the at least one filter is configured to receive debris through at least the first openings; and
 in the capture configuration the at least one filter and the debris therein are within the capture sleeve.   
     
     
         4 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 2 , wherein in a transition from the entrapment configuration to the capture configuration debris passes through the first openings of the first filter strands and is captured with the second filter strands according to the proximal movement of the at least one filter. 
     
     
         5 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one filter is expanded from the guidewire in the entrapment configuration. 
     
     
         6 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the distal end of the filter assembly is longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire. 
     
     
         7 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the proximal end of the filter assembly is anchored to the guidewire. 
     
     
         8 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 2 , wherein first openings are proximate to the capture sleeve and the second openings are remote relative to the capture sleeve in the entrapment configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The vascular filter system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one filter includes a mesh of the first and second strands. 
     
     
         10 . The vascular filter system of  claim 2 , wherein the capture sleeve is configured to transition the filter assembly from an expanded filter configuration to a contracted filter configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The vascular filter system of  claim 10 , wherein in the contracted sleeve configuration the capture sleeve collapses the at least one filter to the guidewire in the contracted filter configuration. 
     
     
         12 . The vascular filter system of  claim 2 , wherein the capture sleeve tapers from a distal open sleeve edge toward a proximal sleeve end. 
     
     
         13 . A vascular filter system comprising:
 a capture sleeve having an expanded sleeve configuration and a contracted sleeve configuration;   a guidewire slidably received in the capture sleeve;   a filter assembly coupled with the guidewire and longitudinally movable relative to the capture sleeve, the filter assembly includes:
 at least one filter having a proximal end and a distal end; 
 wherein at least one of the proximal end or the distal end of the filter assembly is longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire; and 
 wherein the at least one filter includes first filter strands having first openings proximate to the proximal end and second filter strands having second openings proximate to the distal end, and the first openings are larger than the second openings; and 
   wherein the vascular filter system is configured to transition from an entrapment configuration to a capture configuration:
 in the entrapment configuration the at least one filter is in an expanded filter configuration having a filter perimeter spaced from the guidewire, and the at least one filter is distally spaced from the capture sleeve; and 
 in the capture configuration the at least one filter in the expanded filter configuration is proximally moved into the capture sleeve, and the capture sleeve in the expanded sleeve configuration covers at least the first openings of the first filter strands. 
   
     
     
         14 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one filter has a concave basket profile with the first openings facing in a proximal direction toward the capture sleeve in the entrapment configuration. 
     
     
         15 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein in the entrapment configuration the at least one filter is configured to receive debris through at least the first openings; and
 in the capture configuration the at least one filter and the debris therein are within the capture sleeve.   
     
     
         16 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein in a transition from the entrapment configuration to the capture configuration debris passes through the first openings of the first filter strands and is retained with the second filter strands according to proximal movement of the at least one filter toward the capture sleeve. 
     
     
         17 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one filter is expanded from the guidewire in the entrapment configuration. 
     
     
         18 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the distal end of the filter assembly is longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire. 
     
     
         19 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the proximal end of the filter assembly is anchored to the guidewire. 
     
     
         20 . The vascular filter assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first openings of the first filter strands are proximate to the capture sleeve and the second openings of the second filter strands are remote relative to the capture sleeve in the entrapment configuration. 
     
     
         21 . The vascular filter system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one filter includes a mesh of the first and second strands. 
     
     
         22 . The vascular filter system of  claim 13 , wherein the capture sleeve is configured to transition the filter assembly from an expanded filter configuration to a contracted filter configuration. 
     
     
         23 . The vascular filter system of  claim 22 , wherein in the contracted configuration the capture sleeve collapses the at least one filter to the guidewire in the contracted filter configuration. 
     
     
         24 . The vascular filter system of  claim 13 , wherein the capture sleeve tapers from a distal open sleeve edge toward a proximal sleeve end. 
     
     
         25 . A method for capturing for debris in a vessel comprising:
 delivering at least one filter to a vessel location having debris with a guidewire, the filter having proximal and distal ends, wherein at least one of the proximal end or the distal end is longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire;   deploying the at least one filter at the vessel location with a filter perimeter spaced from the guidewire, wherein the at least one filter includes first filter strands with first openings proximate the proximal end and second filter strands with second openings proximate to the distal end, and the first openings are larger than the second openings;   entrapping debris within the deployed at least one filter, entrapping debris includes:
 proximally moving the at least one filter toward a capture sleeve, the first openings facing toward the capture sleeve; 
 permitting the passage of debris through the first openings of the first filter strands into the filter; and 
 retaining the debris in the at least one filter with the second filter strands; and 
   capturing the at least one filter and the retained debris in the capture sleeve in the expanded configuration, wherein the capture sleeve covers the first openings of the first filter strands.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein delivering the at least one filter to the vessel location includes distally moving the at least one filter with the guide wire. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein deploying the at least one filter at the vessel location includes:
 longitudinally moving the at least one filter distally with the guidewire, the guidewire statically coupled to one of the proximal end or the distal end; and   expanding the at least one filter from the guidewire with the other of the distal end or the proximal end of the at least one filter longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein expanding the at least one filter from the guidewire with the other of the distal end or the proximal end includes expanding the at least one filter from the guidewire with the distal end longitudinally movable relative to the guidewire. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein proximally moving the at least one filter toward the capture sleeve includes proximally moving the guidewire statically coupled to one of the proximal end or the distal end. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein capturing the at least one filter and the retained debris in the capture sleeve includes receiving the proximal and distal ends of the at least one filter in the capture sleeve. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  comprising compressing the at least one filter with the capture sleeve after receiving the proximal and distal ends of the at least one filter in the capture sleeve.