Vessel position locating device

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

0001This invention relates generally to medical devices, and more particularly to devices for determining the location of a blood vessel via a percutaneous incision or puncture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

0002In a United States Patent Application Serial No. 07/846,322, filed on March 5, 1992, entitled Hemostatic Puncture Closure System and Method of use, which has been assigned to the same assignee as this invention, there is disclosed a system including a closure device and method of use for sealing a small incision or puncture in tissue separating one portion of the body of a living being from another portion thereof, e.g., a percutaneous puncture in a artery, to prevent the flow of a body fluid, e.g., blood, through the puncture. The closure device comprises three components, namely, an anchor member, a sealing member, and a filament, e.g., suture. The sealing member is formed of a hemostatic material, e.g., compressed collagen foam. The anchor member includes a tissue engaging portion configured to pass through the puncture in one direction but resistant to passage therethrough in the opposite direction. The sealing member includes a tissue engaging portion. The filament is connected between the anchor member and the sealing member in a pulley-like arrangement so that they may be moved relative to each other by the application of a pulling force on the filament.

0003The means for introducing the closure into the percutaneous incision or puncture comprises a tubular member having a distal free end arranged to be inserted into the puncture tract and through the puncture in the vessel. A closure carrier is arranged to be inserted through the tubular introducer member to expel the anchor member of the closure therefrom and to draw it into engagement with the distal free end of the tubular introducer member. The introducer member and the closure carrier are arranged to be moved together to draw the closure anchor into engagement with the interior tissue of the blood vessel contiguous with the puncture. The filament is arranged to be pulled to pull the closure's anchor and its sealing member relative to each other to cause the sealing member to engage tissue contiguous with the puncture outside of the vessel.

0004The system disclosed and claimed in that application includes various types of position detecting devices and a method of use to enable one to readily determine the location of the wall of the vessel or lumen by the percutaneous introduction of the device into the vessel or lumen. Those devices are disclosed as suitable for use as part of a system or method to seal a percutaneous puncture or incision in a vessel or lumen or may be used for other purposes, e.g., they may be used for any application wherein it is desirable to determine the location of a vessel or lumen wall via a percutaneous incision or puncture.

0005While the position indicating devices disclosed and claimed in the foregoing patent application are suitable for their intended purposes, they nevertheless leave something to be desired from the standpoint of simplicity of construction and ease of use.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

0006Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide an assembly which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

0007It is a further object of this invention to provide an assembly for enabling one to determine the location of a the wall of a blood vessel or other lumen through a percutaneous incision or puncture.

0008It is a still of object of this invention to provide an assembly which is simple in construction and easy to use to enabling one to determine the location of a the wall of a blood vessel or other lumen through a percutaneous incision or puncture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0009These and other objects of this invention are achieved by providing an assembly according to Claim 1.

0010The assembly comprises an elongated tubular member having a distal end portion, a proximal end portion and a passageway extending therethrough for receipt of a guide wire. The tubular member is arranged to be inserted through an introducer sheath having an open distal end into the percutaneous incision or puncture over the guide wire so that the proximal end portion of the member is located within the vessel or lumen and the distal end portion is located outside of the body of the being.

0011The elongated tubular member has at least one liquid entrance port located adjacent the distal end portion and a liquid outlet port located adjacent the proximal end portion. The liquid entrance port(s) is(are) in fluid communication with the passageway, while the outlet port is also in fluid communication with the passageway.

0012When the assembly positioned within the introducer sheath and the entrance port is located beyond the open distal end of the introducer sheath and within the vessel or lumen liquid within the vessel or lumen may flow into the entrance port through the passageway and out through the outlet port.

0013In accordance with the invention once the assembly and the introducer sheath are in the position at which the liquid flows out of the outlet port the tubular member and the introducer sheath are then moved together outward with respect to the vessel or lumen until the entrance port is located outside the vessel or lumen at which time the flow of liquid through the outlet part ceases, thereby indicating the location of the vessel or lumen wall.

0014If the assenbly is to be used for inserting a closure in the incision or puncture to seal it the tubular member and introducer sheath are then moved together inward a slight distance, e.g., 1 cm., to ensure that the open distal end of introducer sheath is again located within the vessel or lumen, at which time the assembly may be removed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0015Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily be appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li>Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blood vessel wall locator constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention shown extending through a conventional introducer sheath and with a guide wire extending through the locator;</li><li>Fig. 2 is a enlarged sectional view taken along line 2 - 2 of Fig. 1;</li><li>Fig. 3 is a enlarged sectional view taken along line 3 - 3 of Fig. 1;</li><li>Fig. 4 is a enlarged sectional view taken along line 4 - 4 of Fig. 1;</li><li>Fig. 5 is a enlarged sectional view taken along line 5 - 5 of Fig. 1; and</li><li>Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are illustrations showing the sequential steps in the use of the blood vessel locator of the subject invention.</li></ul>

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

0016Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 a device for detecting the location of the wall 22 (Figs. 6 - 8) of a blood vessel, in a living being via a percutaneous incision or puncture 24 extending into the vessel or lumen. The puncture 24 includes not only the opening in the wall of the vessel but also the tract 24A, i.e., the passageway in the tissue located between the vessel and the skin of the being formed when the vessel is punctured.

0017The device 20 has particular utility when used in connection with closure devices for sealing percutaneous incisions or punctures in arteries, such as those disclosed and claimed in the aforementioned patent application, after intravascular procedures, such as angiographic dye injection, cardiac catheterizations, balloon angioplasty and other types of recanalizing of atherosclerotic arteries, etc., have be accomplished. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the device 20 can be used anytime it is necessary to detect the location of a blood vessel in the patient's body. In fact, the subject invention can be configured for use to detect the location of any lumen or duct carrying a liquid in the patient's body.

0018When used in blood vessel puncture sealing applications a conventional introducer sheath 26, like that shown in Figs. 1 and 6 - 8, is located within the percutaneous incision or puncture 24 and 24A to a desired position with respect to the artery wall 22 so that the closure (not shown) can be introduced through that introducer into the puncture or incision to seal the puncture or incision. The device 20 of this invention facilitates the location of the sheath 26 at the desired position. To achieve that end the device 20 is arranged to be used with a conventional guide wire 28 and the introducer sheath 26 so that the distal end of the introducer sheath can be located just within the artery's wall.

0019Before describing the locator 20 of this invention a brief description of the introducer sheath 26 and the guide wire 28 is in order. Thus, as can be seen in Fig. 1 the introducer sheath is of any conventional construction, formed of any suitable material, e.g., plastic, and includes a flexible tubular extension 30 mounted on a hollow housing body 32. The distal end of the sheath extension is open at 34. A hemostasis valve 36 is located within the body 32 and in communication with a centrally located access port 38. The guide wire 28 is also of any conventional construction and comprises an elongated, flexible member of constant circular cross-sectional area.

0020As can be seen in Fig. 1 the blood vessel locator device 20 basically comprises an longated tubular member 40B and a body 40A. The body 40A is formed of any suitable rigid material, e.g., high density polyethylene, and includes a central passageway extending therethrough. The tubular member 40B is formed of any suitable, relatively flexible material, e.g., polyethylene, polytetrafluroethylene (TEFLON-registered TM), polyurethane, and extends through the passageway in the device's body 40A and is fixedly secured thereto. The tubular member 40B has a rounded proximal end 42 including a circular, centrally located guide wire entrance hole 44. The distal end portion of the tubular member 40A tapers downward and terminates at its free end in a centrally located guide wire exit hole 48. A central passageway 46 extends down the length of the tubular member 40B from the hole 44 to the hole 48. The distal end portion of the passageway 46 also tapers downward toward the exit hole 48. In fact, the inside diameter of the exit hole 48 is the same as that of the entrance hole 44, while the remaining portion of the passageway is of substantially greater inside diameter that the outside diameter of the guide wire. Accordingly, when the guide wire 28 is extended through the passageway 46 in the device 20 an annular space 52 for carrying blood therethrough (as will be described later) is created between the inner surface of the device 20 and the outer surface of the guide wire.

0021In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention inside diameter of the inlet and outlet holes 44 and 48, respectively, are only marginally larger than the outside diameter of the guide wire 28 to ensure that blood does not flow through the interface between them and the guide wire when the device 20 is in place in the artery, as will be described later. To that end, in one preferred embodiment of this invention, the outside diameter of the guide wire is 0.038 inch (0.96 mm), while the inside diameter of the entrance and exit holes 44 and 48, respectively, is 0.040 inch (1.02 mm). Moreover, the inside diameter of the central passageway 46 is 0.060 inch (1.52 mm).

0022A pair of blood inlet ports 54 are provided at diametrically opposed positions in the wall of the tubular member 40B. The inlet ports 54 communicate with the annular space 52. The inlet ports are arranged to lie just distally, e.g., 0.50 inch (.127 cm), from the open end 34 of the introducer sheath 30 when the device 20 is in position therein. At this time the body 40A of the device 20 will abut the proximal end of the introducer sheath's housing 32.

0023A blood outlet port 56 is provided through the wall of the member 40 a short distance, e.g., 0.50 inch (1.27 cm), from the proximal end of the tubular member 40B and also communicates with the annular space 52. The outlet port 56 is located proximally of the device's body portion 40A when the device is in position in the introducer sheath 26.

0024In order to correctly position the introducer sheath 26 within the interior of the artery so that a closure (not shown) can be inserted in the artery to seal the incision or puncture, the location of the artery wall 22 must be established. This is accomplished by threading the device 20 on the guide wire 28 and sliding the device 20 along the guide wire 28 through the introducer's sheath 30, and its interiorly located hemostasis valve 36, until the entrance ports 54 of the device 20 extend beyond the open free end 34 of the introducer sheath and within the hollow interior of the artery 24 as shown in Fig. 6.

0025Since the entrance ports 54 are in fluid communication with the passageway 46 in the device 20, blood will flow into those ports and through the annular space 52 to the outlet port 56, whereupon blood droplets 58 will drip therefrom. In this regard the blood will normally flow out of the outlet port 56 by virtue of the pressure differential across the artery wall. If however, there is insufficient pressure to cause such a flow of blood some means (not shown) can be used to create the desired differential pressure, e.g., suction can be used.

0026In any event once the flow of blood is observed exiting the outlet port 56 the introducer sheath 26 (with the device 20 therein) is then retracted, i.e., moved proximally, until the blood flow through the outlet port 56 just stops as shown in Fig. 7. This indicates that the distal end 32 of the introducer sheath has just left the interior of the artery lumen.

0027The introducer sheath 26 with the device 20 therein is then reinserted, i.e., moved distally, approximately 1 cm into the puncture, as shown in Fig. 8, to ensure that the open distal end 34 of introducer sheath is back within the interior of the artery lumen, i.e., at the desired position within the artery for introduction of the closure. Blood flow should be reestablished through the outlet port 56 this time, i.e., the droplets 58 will again form.

0028As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that once the flow of blood restarts the position of the artery wall will be known, and the introducer sheath precisely positioned therein for effecting the sealing of the artery puncture utilizing the teachings of the aforementioned patent application. To achieve that end the device 20 is then removed from the introducer sheath to ready the introducer sheath for receipt of the deployment instrument (not shown) carrying the closure device (not shown).

0029Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.