A vessel filter having a first region and a second region, the filter movable between a collapsed position for delivery to the vessel and an expanded position for placement within the vessel. The first region has a filter portion having a converging region to direct particles toward the center of the filter and includes a plurality of spaced apart filter struts. The struts each have a strut height defined as a distance between a first wall and a second wall. A plurality of hooks are at the second region, the hooks having a vessel penetrating tip and a width greater than the width of the strut from which it extends such that the penetrating tip portion of the hook extends beyond the first wall.
1. A vessel filter comprising a body made from a single tube, the tube cut to create a plurality of elongated struts forming a filter region and a mounting region having a greater transverse dimension than a transverse dimension of the filter region, the mounting region including a plurality of vessel engaging hooks, the hooks having a vessel penetrating tip pointing in a direction toward the filter region, a plurality of teeth for engaging a vessel, and a heel extending beyond the teeth in a direction opposite the direction of the penetrating tip, and the teeth have distal penetrating ends pointing in a distal direction and in a direction toward the penetrating tip of an adjacent hook, wherein a distal end of the heel of one hook is longitudinally aligned with the penetrating tip of an adjacent hook.
2. The vessel filter of claim 1 , wherein an end of the penetrating tip extends substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of a strut of the plurality of struts.
3. The vessel filter of claim 1 , wherein the heel of the hooks extends at an angle to a longitudinal axis of respective struts in the mounting region.
4. The vessel filter of claim 3 , wherein the heels of adjacent vessel engaging hooks terminate axially spaced.
5. The vessel engaging hook of claim 1 , wherein the heel extends at an angle to a longitudinal axis of a strut of the plurality of the struts from which it extends.
6. The vessel filter of claim 1 , wherein a top portion of the one hook is axially aligned with an inward curve in a wall of an adjacent hook portion and has a stepped surface.
7. A vessel filter comprising a first region and a second region, the filter movable between a collapsed position for delivery to a vessel and an expanded position for placement within the vessel, the first region having a filter portion having a converging region to direct particles toward a center of the filter, the first region including a plurality of spaced apart filter struts, the struts each having a first width defined as a distance between a first wall and a second wall and having a longitudinal axis, a plurality of hooks at the second region, the hooks having a vessel penetrating tip and a heel, the heel having a distal end, the penetrating tip of one hook longitudinally aligned with the distal end of the heel of an adjacent hook and wherein the struts each have a reduced width area transitioning into the hook, the reduced width area providing a space to accommodate the heel of an adjacent hook.
8. The vessel filter of claim 7 , wherein the hooks each have a third and fourth wall and a second width defined between the third and fourth walls, the width of each of the hooks being greater than the first width of the strut of the plurality of struts from which it extends such that the penetrating tip of the hook extends radially beyond the first wall.
9. The vessel filter of claim 8 , wherein the heel of each of the hooks extends radially beyond the second wall of the strut of the plurality of struts.
10. The vessel filter of claim 7 , wherein the penetrating tip of the hooks points in a proximal direction toward the first region.
11. The vessel filter of claim 7 , wherein the heel of each of the hooks has a third width less than the first width of the respective strut.