Boston Scientific Corporation

Texas Instruments Corporation

Scimed Life Systems, Inc.

Haemonetics Corporation

Texas Petrodet, Inc.

Sepideh H Nott

Hannah S Kim

Carleton M Cobb, Iii

David L Sandock

George T Roberts

Kalpana Kamath

Kathleen L Hess

Yem Chin

Naroun Suon

Keith W Kawate

Richard L Jenne

Hans G Hirsbrunner

Edward M Gonsalves

Michael S H Chu

Leonard Pinchuk

James J Barry

Marlene C Schwarz

Thomas Richard Maher

Stephen J Strobel

Norman E LeComte

Norman E Lecomte

Robert C Thistle

Michael S Chu

Edward W Kaleskas

Douglas B Strott

Timothy White

Thomas Wiecek

David L Sandock, Deceased

Thaddeus G Minior, Jr

Iiya Yampolsky

Naroun Soun

A prosthesis delivery system having a balloon catheter with an inflatable balloon on its exterior. The balloon is inflatable by injection of fluid through a lumen in the catheter and the balloon is initially partially constrained against inflation by a constraint. A tubular prosthesis is disposed on the catheter over at least a portion of the balloon and a portion of the constraint. The tubular prosthesis has a contracted condition and an expanded condition. The tubular prosthesis is initially disposed on the catheter in the contracted condition. Further, a balloon catheter includes a constraint so that the balloon may be sequentially inflated for dilatation purposes such as in a valvuloplasty operation.

Controlled deployment of a medical device

A composition for delivery of a therapeutic agent is provided. The composition comprises: (a) a biocompatible block copolymer comprising one or more elastomeric blocks and one or more thermoplastic blocks and (b) a therapeutic agent, wherein the block copolymer is loaded with the therapeutic agent. The block copolymer is preferably of the formula X&#x2014;(AB), where A is an elastomeric block, B is a thermoplastic block, n is a positive whole number and X is a seed molecule. The elastomeric blocks are preferably polyolefin blocks, and the thermoplastic blocks are preferably selected from vinyl aromatic blocks and methacrylate blocks. According to another aspect of the invention, a medical device is provided, at least a portion of which is insertable or implantable into the body of a patient. The medical device comprises (a) the above biocompatible block copolymer and (b) a therapeutic agent, wherein the block copolymer is loaded with the therapeutic agent. According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of treatment is provided in which the above device is implanted or inserted into a patient, resulting in the release of therapeutic agent in the patient over an extended period. According to yet another aspect of the invention, a coated medical device is provided which comprises: (a) an intravascular or intervascular medical device and (b) a coating over at least a portion of the intravascular or intervascular a medical device, wherein the coating comprises the above biocompatible block copolymer.

Drug delivery compositions and medical devices containing block copolymer

Implantable medical device having a structure adapted for introduction into a patient wherein the structure is composed of a base material positioned over the structure. The implantable medical device further includes at least one composite layer of a bioactive agent and a polymer material and at least a barrier layer positioned over the composite layer and being of thickness adequate to provide a controlled release of the bioactive agent. The barrier layer being applied by a low energy plasma polymerization process which includes placing the device with the at least one composite layer in a plasma chamber and introducing at least one monomer gas.

Polymeric coatings for controlled delivery of active agents

A composition for delivery of a therapeutic agent is provided. The composition comprises: (a) a biocompatible block copolymer comprising one or more elastomeric blocks and one or more thermoplastic blocks and (b) a therapeutic agent, wherein the block copolymer is loaded with the therapeutic agent. The block copolymer is preferably of the formula X&mdash;(AB) , where A is an elastomeric block, B is a thermoplastic block, n is a positive whole number and X is a seed molecule. The elastomeric blocks are preferably polyolefin blocks, and the thermoplastic blocks are preferably selected from vinyl aromatic blocks and methacrylate blocks. According to another aspect of the invention, a medical device is provided, at least a portion of which is insertable or implantable into the body of a patient. The medical device comprises (a) the above biocompatible block copolymer and (b) a therapeutic agent, wherein the block copolymer is loaded with the therapeutic agent. According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of treatment is provided in which the above device is implanted or inserted into a patient, resulting in the release of therapeutic agent in the patient over an extended period. According to yet another aspect of the invention, a coated medical device is provided which comprises: (a) an intravascular or intervascular medical device and (b) a coating over at least a portion of the intravascular or intervascular a medical device, wherein the coating comprises the above biocompatible block copolymer.

A vascular filter comprises an emboli-capturing portion having a set of helical filter-wires joined at a central region and extending in a given direction along the blood vessel in a diverging relationship to the axis of the filter, the wires terminating in free ends constructed to engage the walls of said vessel. A major mid-portion of the length of the free ended wires are of generally helical form, cooperatively related to form an effective emboli capturing array. Anchoring is accomplished by a separate assembly formed of struts and anchoring devices. A parallelogram supporting strut assembly and other means for providing linear engagement with the wall of the vena cava are shown. The parallelogram structure is shown to have filter capability by itself as well.

Vena cava filter

A blood clot filter comprising: an anchoring portion comprising a generally cylindrical self-expanding body formed from resilient material, the generally cylindrical body having proximal and distal ends and defining an axial direction and having a structure of variable size diameter expandable from a low-profile compressed condition to a larger profile expanded condition, wherein the resilient material urges the generally cylindrical body to radially expand and to thereby apply anchoring radial force against the inner wall surface of the blood vessel; and a generally conical filtering portion axially aligned with the generally cylindrical body having an open proximal end coupled to the distal end of the anchoring portion and having an apical distal end. Also disclosed is a blood clot filter having one or more hooks fixedly coupled to the anchoring portion and formed from compliant material having an original shape that bends under stress yet returns to its original shape when unstressed. The hooks respectively tend to project from the anchoring portion at an acute angle with respect to the axial direction for engagement with a vessel wall. Also, the hooks are deflectable toward the anchoring portion for achieving a low-profile.

Blood clot filtering

A self-centering blood clot filter is provided. The filter includes an anchoring portion including a generally cylindrical radially expandable body including an axial lumen extending therethrough. The filter further includes a filtering portion including a conical body concentrically aligned within the axial lumen of the anchoring portion. The conical body of the filtering portion is tapered to form a distal tip. As such, the blood clot filter can be properly centered within the lumen of a vessel for effective lysing of blood clots.

Self-centering, self-expanding and retrievable vena cava filter

A vascular filter-comprises an emboli-capturing portion having a set of helical filter-wires joined at a central region and extending in a given direction along the blood vessel in a diverging relationship to the axis of the filter, the wires terminating in free ends constructed to engage the walls of said vessel. A major mid-portion of the length of the free ended wires are of generally helical form, cooperatively related to form an effective emboli capturing array. Anchoring is accomplished by a separate assembly formed of struts and anchoring devices. A parallelogram supporting strut assembly and other members for providing linear engagement with the wall of the vena cava are shown. The parallelogram structure is shown to have filter capability by itself as well.

A blood clot filter including an anchoring portion including a generally cylindrical self-expanding body formed from resilient material, the generally cylindrical body having proximal and distal ends and defining an axial direction and having a structure of variable size diameter expandable from a low-profile compressed condition to a larger profile expanded condition, wherein the resilient material urges the generally cylindrical body to radially expand and to thereby apply anchoring radial force against the inner wall surface of the blood vessel; and a generally conical filtering portion axially aligned with the generally cylindrical body having an open proximal end coupled to the distal end of the anchoring portion and having an apical distal end. Also disclosed is a blood clot filter having one or more hooks fixedly coupled to the anchoring portion and formed from compliant material having an original shape that bends under stress yet returns to its original shape when unstressed. The hooks respectively tend to project from the anchoring portion at an acute angle with respect to the axial direction for engagement with a vessel wall. Also, the hooks are deflectable toward the anchoring portion for achieving a low-profile.

Growing community of inventors

Fall River, MA, United States of America

Sepideh H Nott