Assembly comprising a ring for attachment in a passage surrounded by body tissue as well as an applicator for fitting the ring in the passage

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly comprising: a ring having anchoring elements for attaching the ring in a passage surrounded by body tissue, in particular blood vessel tissue. an applicator for fitting the ring in the passage; in which the anchoring elements have an anchoring position in which they protrude with respect to the ring, and in which the anchoring elements comprise a memory material, such as a memory metal or memory polymer, and are designed so that they can be bent from an anchoring position counter to a spring force into a fitting position and can be frozen in this fitting position by a temperature treatment in order to bend the anchoring elements back from the fitting position by the effect of this spring force into the anchoring position when a predetermined threshold temperature is exceeded, and in which the applicator is provided distally with a carrier for carrying the ring. The assembly according to the invention is provided with an influencing system for influencing the temperature of the anchoring elements of the ring carried by the carrier in such a way that the anchoring elements bend back from the fitting position to the anchoring position by increasing the temperature of the anchoring elements to above the threshold temperature.

1 .- 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . Assembly comprising:
 a ring having, viewed in its axial direction, a distal side and a proximal side;   a sleeve which is slideable with respect to the ring from an overlapping position accommodating the ring inside the sleeve, in proximal direction, into an exposing position in which the ring is released outside the sleeve;   wherein the ring has, at its distal end and proximal end, anchoring elements for attaching the ring in a passage surrounded by body tissue, in particular blood vessel tissue;   wherein the anchoring elements have an anchoring position in which they protrude in radial outward direction with respect to the ring;   wherein the distal anchoring elements are bendable from said anchoring position counter to a spring force into a fitting position;   wherein the sleeve is provided at its distal end with axial fingers;   wherein a space is left between neighbouring axial fingers; and   wherein the axial fingers are provided in such a manner that, when the sleeve is in overlapping position, each axial finger overlaps a respective distal anchoring element to keep said respective anchoring element in the fitting position and allow bending the anchoring elements back from the fitting position into the anchoring position by the effect of the spring force when the sleeve is slid from the overlap position to the exposing position.   
     
     
         42 . Assembly according to  claim 41 ,
 wherein the proximal anchoring elements form a flange provided at the proximal end of the ring, which flange extends radially outwards for interaction with the distal anchoring elements,   wherein the flange is provided with passages for the axial fingers, and in which the axial fingers extend through the passages when the sleeve is in overlapping position.   
     
     
         43 . Assembly according to  claim 42 , wherein said passages are slots. 
     
     
         44 . Assembly according to  claim 42 ,
 wherein said flange is an uninterrupted flange which runs entirely around the outside of the axial fingers and has slots on its inner side through which the axial fingers pass when the sleeve is in overlapping position.   
     
     
         45 . Assembly according to  claim 44 , wherein the flange has the shape of a cylinder sector for applying it from the outside to a target vessel. 
     
     
         46 . Assembly according to  claim 42 ,
 wherein, viewed in circumferential direction of the ring, said passages separate said proximal anchoring elements from each other, and   wherein the proximal and distal anchoring elements are provided in a staggered manner with respect to each other, seen in the tangential direction of the ring, in such a manner that, when the sleeve is in overlapping position, the axial fingers of the sleeve overlap with the distal anchoring elements and protrude through said passages between adjacent said proximal anchoring elements.   
     
     
         47 . Assembly according to  claim 42 , wherein the flange is a fixed flange provided with anchoring pins at its underside, which anchoring pins extend, when in the fitting position, axially. 
     
     
         48 . Assembly according to  claim 47 ,
 wherein the anchoring pins are provided directly adjacent the passages;   wherein the pins are bendable from a curved position to an axially straight position counter a resilient force;   wherein, in the curved position, the pin extends, viewed in axial direction, in front of the passage;   wherein, when in the overlapping position, the axial fingers of the sleeve extend through slots and keep the pins in the axially straight position; and   wherein the pins return to the curved position upon sliding the sleeve from the overlapping position to the exposing position.   
     
     
         49 . Assembly according to  claim 41 , wherein the proximal anchoring elements are immovable and permanently directed in a radially outward direction. 
     
     
         50 . Assembly according to  claim 41 , wherein the distal anchoring elements are made of a resilient material. 
     
     
         51 . Assembly according to  claim 50 , wherein the resilient material is a memory material, selected from the group consisting of a memory metal or memory polymer. 
     
     
         52 . Assembly according to  claim 41 , wherein the sleeve comprises a distal part which tapers in the distal direction to form a diameter which is smaller than that of the ring, and in which that distal part comprises said axial fingers which can bend radially outwards from the tapering position in such a manner that this tapering part of the sleeve can be displaced over the ring. 
     
     
         53 . Assembly according to  claim 41 , wherein a heart valve, such as an artificial heart valve, is present in the ring. 
     
     
         54 . Assembly according to  claim 41 , wherein the distal and/or proximal anchoring elements are coated with textile, which coating also covers the space between said anchoring elements and the spaces for passage of the axial fingers. 
     
     
         55 . Assembly according to  claim 54 , wherein the coating is produced from a deformable, elastic biocompatible material, selected from the group consisting of Dacron and Teflon.