Cardiac anchor structures, methods, and systems for treatment of congestive heart failure and other conditions
View Patent ↗Medical devices, systems, and methods reduce the distance between two points in tissue, often for treatment of congestive heart failure and often in a minimally invasive manner. An anchor is inserted along an insertion path through a first wall of the heart. An arm of the anchor is deployed and rotationally positioned according to a desired alignment. Application of tension to the anchor may draw the first and second walls of the heart into contact along a desired contour so as to effect a desired change in the geometry of the heart. Additional anchors may be inserted and aligned with the first anchor to close off a portion of a ventricle such that the ventricle is geometrically remodeled and disease progression is reversed, halted, and/or slowed.
1. A method for treating a heart of a patient, the heart having a chamber bordered by a plurality of walls, the method comprising:
inserting an introducer catheter and dilator system distally along an insertion path through a first wall of the heart;
expanding an expandable member of the dilator system within the first wall;
advancing the expanded expandable member of the dilator system distally through the first wall;
expanding an expandable member of the introducer catheter distally of the first wall and engaging the expandable member of the introducer catheter proximally against the first wall;
inserting an anchor distally of the first wall through a lumen of the introducer catheter and deploying the anchor laterally;
contracting the expandable member of the introducer catheter and withdrawing the introducer catheter proximally from the first wall; and
applying tension along the insertion path to the anchor so as to urge the first wall proximally against a second wall.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expandable member of the introducer catheter comprises a balloon.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expandable member of the dilator system comprises a balloon.