Apparatus and Method for Percutaneous Sealing of Blood Vessel Punctures
A device for promoting hemostasis in a blood vessel puncture is employed with an introducer that accesses the puncture through an incision. The introducer has an open distal end positionable at the puncture, an external portion with an open proximal end, and an axial channel therebetween. The device includes a hollow catheter, dimensioned to pass through the introducer channel, having a distal end to which is attached an expansible compression element, which may be an inflatable balloon, a collapsible prong assembly, or a resilient foam pad. The compression element is collapsed when the distal end of the catheter is enclosed within the introducer. When the catheter and the introducer are located the desired distance from the puncture, the introducer is displaced axially relative to the catheter to expose the compression element to the subcutaneous tissue, whereupon the compression element is expanded. Pressure is applied to the compression element through the introducer to promote hemostasis by the compression of subcutaneous tissue adjacent the puncture. The device preferably includes a locator member passing into the blood vessel through the puncture. The locator member may be either a guide wire, or a hollow tube with a locating balloon, disposed near the portion of the tube insertable into the vessel. A dissolvable locating tip element, connected to the distal end of the catheter, may be used to maintain the position of the device while hemostasis takes place after the locator member is removed.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/528,892; filed Sep. 15, 1995; issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,566.
FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field of apparatus and methods for sealing wounds in the blood vessels of humans or animals. More specifically, the invention relates to a guided vascular compression device for percutaneously sealing arterial or venous punctures subsequent to surgical procedures, by promoting in situ hemostasis.
Ad A large number of medical therapeutic and diagnostic procedures involve the percutaneous introduction of instrumentation into a vein or artery. For example, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), most often involving access to the femoral artery, is performed hundreds of thousands of times annually, and the number of other such vessel-piercing procedures performed, e.g., percutaneous coronary angiography and atherectomy, has exceeded two million per year.
In each event, the closing and subsequent healing of the resultant vascular puncture is critical to the successful completion of the procedure. Traditionally, the application of external pressure to the skin entry site by a nurse or physician has been employed to stem bleeding from the wound until clotting and tissue rebuilding have sealed the perforation. In some situations, this pressure must be maintained for half at hour to an hour or more, during which the patient is uncomfortably immobilized, often with sandbags and the like. With externally applied manual pressure, both patient comfort and practitioner efficiency are impaired. Additionally, a risk of hematoma exists since bleeding from the vessel may continue until sufficient clotting effects hemostasis. Also, external pressure devices, such as femoral compression systems, may be unsuitable for patients with substantial amounts of subcutaneous adipose tissue, since the skin surface may be a considerable distance from the vascular puncture site, thereby rendering skin compression inaccurate and thus less effective.
More recently, devices have been proposed to promote hemostasis directly at the site of the vascular perforation. One class of such puncture sealing devices features intraluminal plugs, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,568—Kensey; U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,612—Kensey; U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,059—Kensey et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,774—Kensey. This class of device is characterized by the placement of an object within the bloodstream of the vessel to close the puncture.
Another approach to subcutaneous puncture closure involves delivery of tissue adhesives to the perforation site, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,899—Hammerslag. Some likelihood exists of introducing the adhesive so employed disadvantageously into the bloodstream. U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,246—Sinofsky discloses the concept of applying pressure directly to an artery, and relies on the directing of laser energy through an optical fiber to cauterize the wound.
Yet another proposed solution to obviate the reliance on skin surface pressure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,616—Fowler, wherein a cylindrical plug is inserted along the shaft of a catheter segment extending from the skin surface to the blood vessel. The catheter is then removed so that the plug can expand as fluid is drawn into the plug from the vessel and surrounding tissue. Unless pressure is applied, however, bleeding may occur around the plug into the subcutaneous tissue. Another approach that similarly deposits a plug into the tissue channel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,183—Janzen et al., which discloses a variety of plug delivery devices including threaded plug pushers and multilegged channels. As in the other disclosed methods for introducing a foreign plug into the incision, the Janzen et al. plug material, generally resorbable, is not removed from the patient once installed. Such permanent placement of foreign material into the body may result in inflammation or scar formation in the long term.
Furthermore, many of the prior art devices rely on tactile sensation alone to indicate to the surgeon the proper placement of the puncture closing instrumentation, and may require upstream clamping of the blood vessel to reduce intraluminal pressure to atmospheric at the puncture site.
As the foregoing description of the prior art demonstrates, none of the heretofore proposed solutions fulfills the need for a relatively simple, non-cautery apparatus and method for subcutaneously applying pressure directly to the vicinity of the vessel puncture by means of a pressure element that is removed from the patient once sealing of the puncture is achieved. There is a further need for a puncture sealing system that features use of instruments already in place at the access site so that the position for possible reentry is not lost, and the time required for the physician to change instrumentation is minimized. There is a still further need for a system that maintains pressure on the puncture site by lightweight mechanical means, thereby relieving the patient from the discomfort of external compression means, and freeing hospital personnel from constant surveillance of cumbersome external pressure structures for the duration of the hemostasis. There is also a need for a hemostatic device that can be effectively employed regardless of the thickness of the tissue between the skin and the puncture site, by applying localized pressure close to the puncture site, rather than remote, diffused pressure to the skin surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for sealing post-surgical vascular punctures that overcome the foregoing deficiencies.
It is a further object to apply pressure directly to the vicinity of the vascular puncture access site utilizing a subcutaneous pressure element that is removed permanently from the patient once hemostasis is achieved.
It is another object to employ an introducer instrument already in place at the access site to minimize instrumentation changing time, and to maintain access during an initial clotting period to facilitate possible reentry.
It is yet another object to maintain adequate hemostatic pressure on an adipose or fatty tissue layer above the puncture site in order to close the puncture naturally, to reduce the potential for pseudo-aneurysm formation, and to maintain such pressure by lightweight, non-labor intensive, mechanical means, thereby reducing patient discomfort.
The present invention involves a method for sealing a puncture site in a blood vessel, and apparatus for performing that method, wherein use is made of an introducer sheath (commonly referred to in the medical community as an “introducer”) which is usually already in place inside the puncture site when a medical practitioner has completed a procedure that requires intravascular access. Locator means, preferably either a locator tube (having an inflatable locating balloon), or a standard guidewire, is passed through the introducer and into the lumen of the vessel. Alternatively, a dissolvable locating tip can be provided at the distal end of catheter. The locating tip is inserted into the lumen of the vessel, using a guidewire, and maintains the distal end of the catheter in its proper position in the puncture site.
A semi-rigid catheter, including an expandable compression element at its distal end, and either two axial lumens (used in a compression balloon embodiment) or a single axial lumen (used in other embodiments), is inserted along the locator means fully into the introducer so that the expandable compression element at the distal end of the catheter is contained in an unexpanded state within the distal end of the introducer when the introducer is in a first or distal position relative to the catheter.
The introducer and the catheter are partially withdrawn together (moved proximally) from the puncture site until a preferred location above the vessel is achieved, the relative axial positions of the introducer and the catheter remaining unchanged, so that the introducer remains in its first or distal position relative to the catheter. This location is chosen to provide for a layer of fatty tissue above the puncture site between the compression element and the vessel. The extent of partial withdrawal is determined by the tactile sense of the practitioner, aided by a marker on a locator tube for the embodiment employing a locating balloon as the locator means, or by fluoroscopic viewing of a contrast medium, for the embodiments employing a guidewire (with or without a dissolvable locating tip) as the locating means.
When the location is achieved, the introducer is moved to a second or proximal position relative to the catheter until the expandable compression element is revealed and expanded to bear on the fatty tissue layer.
In another embodiment, the expandable compression element comprises an expandable prong assembly including a resilient spanning sheet for compressing the fatty tissue layer. In still another embodiment, the expandable compression element comprises a foam pad element bearing directly on the fatty tissue layer upon expansion when deployed from the introducer.
Once the compression element (balloon, prongs or foam tip) is in place, a lightweight holding arrangement is employed to maintain hemostatic pressure. The holding arrangement comprises an adhesive skin patch and fastener strips or bands bringing downward pressure on a sheath cuff clamped to the introducer. After an initial period of hemostasis, (approximately one to five minutes), the locator means (locator balloon tube or guidewire) is removed from the puncture and the apparatus. After another five to twenty-five minutes of pressure on the puncture, the expandable distal end element (compression balloon, prongs or foam) is collapsed, and the introducer and catheter are permanently removed from the patient.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the Detailed Description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
1. Structure of the Apparatus
A percutaneous blood vessel sealing device, or percutaneous hemostatic device 10, which applies hemostatic sealing pressure directly to tissue adjacent a vascular puncture site, without employing implanted materials, is shown in
In each exemplary embodiment described herein, an introducer sheath (“introducer”) 12, well known in the art, is present in an incision 14 that extends from the skin surface 16 to a blood vessel (artery or vein) 18 of a patient at the site of a blood vessel puncture 20. The introducer 12 has normally been inserted previously to provide access to the vessel 18 for instrumentation (not shown) used in performing a vascular procedure immediately preceding the need to seal the puncture 20. The initial position of an introducer 12 so inserted is most clearly illustrated in
A working channel 26, best seen in
The catheter 32 is a dual-lumen device having a first axial lumen 36 (
At the proximal end 28 of the introducer 12 is a well-known luer type lock fitting 46 configured to mate with a catheter proximal end luer fitting 48 when the introducer 12 and the catheter 32 are in a final operational position, as determined by manipulation of the locator tube 30, as will be described below. The locator tube 30 has an inflatable intravascular locating balloon 50 at its distal end portion, shown in
Although the luer locks 46, 48 may be employed for both the locator balloon embodiment (
Returning now to
In
The compression stage of the device 10 is illustrated next in
An adhesive skin patch 58 with a sheath cuff 60 clamped onto the external portion of the introducer 12 to apply downward force (in the direction of the arrow 62, i.e., distally) on the introducer 12 is shown in
Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in
The prong assembly 66 comprises a plurality of spaced-apart resilient prongs 68, the proximal ends of which are attached to the catheter 32, and the distal ends of which are attached to a collapsible spanning film sheet or dam 70, shown expanded in
Still another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
The foregoing embodiments, featuring both the luer locking of the introducer 12 with the catheter 32, and a variety of expandable compression elements 42, 66, 74 at the catheter distal end 34, employ a locator tube 30 with a locating balloon 50 to determine the optimal operational location for the apparatus 10. In lieu of a locating balloon 50, a guidewire 78 may be utilized for the location determination of the apparatus 10, as illustrated in
In
The catheter 32 is shown in
The introducer 12 is shown in
In analogous fashion, the guidewire 78 and radiopaque positioning of an expandable compression element at the distal end 34 of the catheter 32 may be employed with the prong assembly and foam pad embodiments described above in connection with the locator tube 30. For introducing the radiopaque or contrast medium (not shown) into the catheter lumen 36, a standard hemostatic “Y” 86 is used, as shown in
A modification of the first (compression balloon) embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The locating tip element 140 is preferably used in conjunction with locating means such as the guidewire 78 or the locator tube 30. As shown in
Suitable materials for the locating tip element 140 may include, for example a number of well-known polymers, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carbowaxes, and gelatin (particularly pigskin gelatin). Among the suitable polymers are polylactic glycolic acids, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyproline, and polyethylene oxide.
The dissolvable locating tip element 140 may be employed with other embodiments of the invention, particularly the compressible foam pad embodiment of
It will be appreciated that the dissolvable locating tip element 140, 140′ may be modified and adapted for use as a locating tip for catheters and other devices that may be used in a wide variety of applications. For example, an alternative dissolvable locating tip element 150 is shown in
The dissolvable locating tip element 150 of
2. Method for Sealing Vascular Punctures
A brief review of a typical vascular entry procedure may be of value in describing the puncture closure technique of the present invention. To initiate one of the common operations such as the PTCA (Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty) mentioned above, a piercing cannula is inserted into the skin of a patient at an angle of from 25 to 45 degrees until it punctures a blood vessel, e.g., the femoral artery. The vessel may be located one centimeter or more beneath the surface of the skin. A guidewire is inserted through the cannula into the vessel, the cannula is withdrawn, and a catheter introducer sheath is inserted over the guidewire into the puncture site.
The practitioner then uses the introducer to gain access to the vascular lumen for the instrumentation used to perform the particular procedure. At the conclusion of the procedure, the introducer is the last device remaining in the puncture, which must then be sealed.
The method of the present invention provides a rapid, permanent, inexpensive sealing of a puncture in a blood vessel, with no foreign implants remaining in the patient. The method can be understood with reference to the drawing figures and the previous description of the apparatus of this invention.
In
A dual lumen catheter 32 is passed over the locator tube 30 so that a first lumen 36 (
The practitioner then inflates the locating balloon 50 via the locator tube 30, partially withdrawing the introducer 12, the catheter 32 and the locator tube 30 from the puncture 20 in the direction of the arrow 52, until the locating balloon 50 lodges against the inner wall of the vessel 18 at the puncture 20, as illustrated in
Once the catheter distal end 34 is in the desired location, the introducer 12 is further withdrawn in the direction of the arrow 52, by moving it to its second or proximal position relative to the catheter 32, as described above, to expose the uninflated compression balloon 42, as shown in
To assist in maintaining pressure on the vessel 18, an introducer cuff 60 is clamped onto the introducer 12 and secured to an adhesive patch 58 means of elastic or hook and loop fastening strips 64 (
After a first period of time (approximately 5 to 15 minutes), initial clotting of the puncture 20 will have occurred. The locating balloon 50 is then deflated and the locator tube 30 withdrawn from the apparatus 10, leaving only a small (e.g., approximately 1 mm in diameter) portion of the original puncture 20 to clot. The compression balloon 42 remains in place for an additional (second) period of time (approximately 5 to 25 minutes), providing hemostasis to the puncture 20, after which the compression balloon 42 is deflated and retracted proximally into the introducer 12, the luer fittings 46, 48 having first been disconnected. The sealing process having been completed, the apparatus 10 is completely removed from the patient.
The foregoing method uses an introducer 12 that is already positioned at the access site so that position is not lost in changing instruments, bleeding does not occur while devices are positioned, and the locator tube 30 maintains the access location for re-access if needed during the initial clotting of the puncture 20. Furthermore, employment of the present invention requires minimal physician time and greatly reduces staff time and involvement previously devoted to maintaining supradermal pressure for long periods of hemostasis. In addition, the need for operating room time may be reduced by the removal of the locator tube the introducer 12 and the catheter 32 after the patient is returned to go the patient's room. Overall, patient discomfort is significantly lessened through the use of the foregoing method as compared with the traditional manual external compression techniques.
Similar steps are followed for implementing the method of the present invention with the second embodiment of the apparatus described above. In the second embodiment, the compression element at catheter distal end 34 comprises the collapsible prong assembly 66, as shown in
A third embodiment of the method, following steps substantially identical to the above described procedures, involves the use of the compressible foam pad 74 shown in
In this third embodiment, when the catheter 32 is in the preferred location as shown in
The method employed with the apparatus described above may also use a guidewire 78 (
Referring now to
A radiopaque contrast medium (not shown) is introduced into the catheter first lumen 36, as illustrated in
As the practitioner views the vascular scene under fluoroscopy, the introducer 12 with the catheter 32 is partially withdrawn in the direction of the arrow 52 from the puncture 20. Withdrawal is continued until contrast medium in the catheter lumen 36 escaping from around the guidewire 78 into the vessel 18 is observed to form an extravasation cloud 85, signifying that the introducer 12 and the catheter 32 have exited the puncture 20. When the practitioner is satisfied through fluoroscopy that the catheter distal end element 34 is the preferred distance of about 5 to 15 mm from the vessel 18, withdrawal of the catheter 32 is halted, as shown in
The remainder of the closure procedure is essentially the same as described above after the preferred position of the catheter 32 was determined through the locator tube 30 method. The introducer 12 is moved from its first or distal position relative to the catheter 32 to its second or proximal position, to expose the uninflated compression balloon as shown in
Still another method of the invention is illustrated in
When the preferred location of the expanded compression balloon 42 has been achieved as shown in
Although certain exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove, it will be appreciated that a number of variations and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the pertinent arts. For example, a coagulant agent may be applied to any of the above-described compression elements. Such variations and modifications are considered within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow.
Claims
1-13. (canceled)
14. A locating device for a catheter employed to provide percutaneous sealing of a puncture in a blood vessel, the catheter having a distal end locatable adjacent the puncture, the device comprising:
- a locating element on the distal end of the catheter so as to extend distally therefrom, the locating element being dimensioned to permit its entry into the puncture, the locating element being formed from a biocompatible material that dissolves in the bloodstream.
15. The locating device of claim 14, wherein the locating element comprises a tubular portion dimensioned to permit its entry into the puncture.
16. The locating device of claim 15, wherein a distal end of the tubular portion is tapered.
17. The locating device of claim 14, wherein the locating element has an axial passage through its length to receive a guidewire.
18. The locating device of claim 14, wherein the locating element comprises:
- a cylindrical portion; and
- a tubular portion extending distally from the cylindrical portion, thereby defining a shoulder at the juncture between the tubular portion and the cylindrical portion, the tubular portion being dimensioned to permit its entry into the puncture.
19. The locating device of claim 18, wherein the distal end of the tubular portion is tapered.
20. The locating device of claim 18, wherein the locating element has an axial passage through its length to receive a guidewire.
21. The locating device of claim 14, wherein the locating element dissolves in the bloodstream during a period of approximately ten to sixty minutes.
22. The locating device of claim 21, wherein the locating element is made of a material selected from the group consisting of methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carbowax, gelatin, polylactic glycolic acids, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyproline, and polyethylene oxide.
23. The locating device of claim 18, wherein the locating element dissolves in the bloodstream during a period of approximately ten to sixty minutes.
24. The locating device of claim 23, wherein the locating element is made of a material selected from the group consisting of methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carbowax, gelatin, polylactic glycolic acids, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyproline, and polyethylene oxide.
25. The locating device of claim 24, further comprising an expandable compression member located on the catheter proximal of the locating element for sealing the puncture in the blood vessel.
26. A device for promoting hemostasis in a blood vessel puncture where the puncture is accessed subcutaneously through a sheath having an axial channel, comprising:
- a catheter to be received within the axial channel, the catheter having a distal end; and
- an expansible compression means coupled to the distal end, the expansible compression means having a collapsed position when enclosed by the sheath, and an expanded position when exposed to the subcutaneous tissue,
- wherein the expansible compression means compresses the subcutaneous tissue adjacent the puncture to promote hemostasis at the puncture.
27. The device of claim 26 wherein the catheter further comprises an axial lumen, wherein the expansible compression means is in fluid communication with the axial lumen and is inflatable by a fluid introduced through the axial lumen, the expansible compression means having a collapsed position when uninflated and an expanded position when inflated.
28. The device of claim 26 wherein the compression means is a foam pad having a distal end.
29. The device of claim 29 wherein the foam pad is made of natural a polymer.
30. The device of claim 29 further comprising a locating member coupled to the foam pad distal end.
31. A device for promoting hemostasis in a blood vessel puncture where the puncture is accessed subcutaneously through a sheath having an axial channel, comprising:
- a catheter to be received within the axial channel, the catheter having a distal end and a lumen; and
- a foam pad coupled to the distal end, the foam pad having a collapsed position when enclosed within the sheath, and an expanded position when exposed to the subcutaneous tissue;
- wherein the foam pad, in the expanded position, compresses the subcutaneous tissue adjacent the puncture to promote hemostasis at the puncture.
32. The device of claim 31 wherein the foam pad further comprises an axial passage to receive a guidewire.
33. The device of claim 32 wherein the foam pad is made of a natural polymer.
34. The device of claim 33 further comprising a locating member extensible through the catheter lumen, the distal end of the catheter, and the foam pad axial passage, the locating member having a distal portion extensible into the interior of the blood vessel through the puncture.
35. The device of claim 34 wherein the locating member further comprises:
- a hollow tube extensible axially through the catheter lumen, the distal end of the catheter, and the foam pad axial passage; and
- a locating balloon coupled to the distal portion of the locating member, the locating balloon inflatable through the hollow tube when positioned in the interior of the blood vessel.
36. The device of claim 34 wherein the locating member further comprises a wire extensible axially through the catheter lumen, the catheter distal end, the foam pad axial passage, and into the interior of the blood vessel.
37. The device of claim 31 further comprising:
- a radiopaque marker coupled to the catheter distal end; and
- means for introducing a contrast medium into the catheter lumen.
38. The device of claim 31 further comprising a pressure applying means coupled to an external portion of the sheath.
39. The device of claim 38 wherein the catheter is coupled to the sheath so that the pressure applying means applies downward force to the sheath and catheter when the catheter is diposed within the axial channel.
40. The device of claim 38 wherein the pressure applying means comprises:
- a clamping device secured to the external portion of the sheath; and
- a skin patch coupled to the clamping device and adhesively attachable to the surface of the skin.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2006
Publication Date: Jan 25, 2007
Applicant: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Maple Grove, MN)
Inventors: Rodney Brenneman (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Andrew Gragg (Edina, MN)
Application Number: 11/537,024
International Classification: A61M 29/00 (20060101);