the present invention provides an apparatus and method of closing off restricting the blood flow therethrough or plugging a septal defect . the apparatus comprises a catheter delivered device to close a septal defect , the device comprising a hollow shaft with cuts or grooves in the wall of the device which create deformable hinged support struts . the shaft may have a circular cross section . the device may suitably be made of any biocompatible material . alternatively the device could be made of a non - biocompatible material with a suitable biocompatible coating . the device of the present invention may be made of any suitable polymeric material including but not limited to polycarbonate urethanes , polyamides , polyether urethanes , polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), polybutylene terephthalate , polyethylenes , high density polyethylene , polyimides , epoxides , composites of collagen and pet , composites of high strength carbon fiber and pet and composites of pet or carbon fibers within epoxides . any thermosets , thermoplastics , thermoplastic elastomers , elastomers , composites , pseudo - thermoplastics , carbohydrates , proteins , or mixtures thereof may suitably be used . in addition to synthetic polymers portions of the device could be constructed of natural materials as collagen i or iii , or iv or of glycosaminoglycans as chondroitin sulfate or composites thereof . the device may alternatively be made of a metallic material . examples of suitable metallic materials include stainless steel , spring steel , memory shape metals ( such as nitinol ), titanium , and metal alloys of any kind not limited to the aforementioned . furthermore , the configuration of the metal device may be solid , braided or woven . the device may alternatively be made of carbon fiber composites coated with any of the prior cited polymeric materials or of metal fibers coated with polymeric materials . the device may be completely or partially coated with polymeric materials . the apparatus may also be comprised of metal substrates coated with polymer which is in turn coated with natural materials . referring now to the figures , fig1 is a sectional view of a human heart showing defects in septal tissue , a typical atrial septal defect ( asd ) 6 and a typical ventricular septal defect ( vsd ) 6 &# 39 ;, prior to closure . the defects are shown together for illustrative purposes only , not as a depiction of multiple septal defects . however , multiple defects may be present . apparent in the figure are left ventricle 50 , left atrium 56 , right ventricle 58 , right atrium 60 , mitral valve 54 , tricuspid valve 66 , inferior vena cava 62 and superior vena cava 64 . as shown in fig2 the catheter delivered device , shown generally at 10 , comprises a cylindrical shaft 12 having a proximal end 14 , a distal end 16 , and a central portion 18 . cylindrical shaft 12 has parallel cuts 20 therethrough , which as shown in fig3 - 5 , create support struts 22 . the cuts could also be helical or serpentine . the struts could be covered by a cloth or other covering . as shown in fig2 - 4 , 5a and 5b , hinge point 24 of support struts 22 move radially away from the axis of the device in a hinge like fashion in response to the movement of proximal and distal ends 14 , 16 toward the central portion 18 of the device 10 . the hinge point 24 could be formed in a variety of ways . it could be a mechanical hinge , a thinned section created by chemical etching , mechanical denting , grinding , heat forming or machining , a weakened section created by micro cuts , tapered grooves ( 20 ), chemical treatment , or any other process which will cause a preferential stress point . as shown in fig4 a and 5b , the device will assume a plug like formation when in place , whereby device 10 will span both sides of the septal defect . device 10 will be anchored to the tissue of the septal defect by the physical interaction such as pressure from struts 22 . the septal defect closure device may further comprise a plurality of tissue hooks located thereon to anchor the device in place in the septal defect . the delivery and placement of device 10 in a septal defect is illustrated in fig5 a and 5b , which depict placement of the device and removal of delivery catheter 40 . like fig1 fig5 a and 5b depict defects 6 , 6 &# 39 ; of both atrial septal tissue and ventricular septal tissue , respectively . the route by which the cardiac defects are accessed via catheter are described as follows . an asd or vsd may be accessed from the arterial circuit , as shown in fig5 a . the catheter / device is introduced into the arterial vascular system and guided up the descending thoracic and / or abdominal aorta . the device may then be advanced into the left ventricle ( lv ) 50 through the aortic outflow tract . once in lv 50 , the device may be deployed in vsd 6 &# 39 ;. alternatively , once in lv 50 , the device may be directed up through mitral valve 54 and into the left atrium ( la ) 56 . when the device is in la 56 , it may be directed into asd 6 and installed . in fig5 b , device 10 is shown already in place in asd 6 with catheter / delivery means 40 in the process of being withdrawn . device 10 &# 39 ; is shown being placed in vsd 6 &# 39 ;. device 10 &# 39 ; is delivered to the area of septal defect 6 &# 39 ; by catheter 40 and inserted in place , centered in septal defect 6 &# 39 ; as shown in fig5 a . device 10 &# 39 ; may be either pulled or pushed out of catheter 40 &# 39 ; and installed in a manner set forth more fully hereinbelow . after installation , device 10 &# 39 ; will assume its preformed shape in a narrow center portion with enlarged ends . device 10 is shown in place closing off atrial septal defect 6 , as catheter delivery means 40 is being withdrawn . alternatively , an asd or vsd may be accessed from the venous circuit , as shown in fig5 b . the catheter / device may be introduced into the venous system , advanced into inferior vena cava ( ivc ) 62 or superior vera cava ( svc ) 64 and guided into the right atrium ( ra ) 60 . the device may then be directed into asd 6 . alternatively , once in ra 60 , device 10 may be advanced through tricuspid valve 66 into the right ventricle ( rv ) 58 and directed into vsd 6 &# 39 ; and installed . in fig5 b , device 10 is shown being placed in asd 6 . device 10 &# 39 ; is shown already in place in vsd 6 &# 39 ; with catheter 40 &# 39 ; in the process of being withdrawn . device 10 is delivered to the area of septal defect 6 by catheter 40 and inserted in place , centered in septal defect 6 as shown in fig5 b . device 10 is shown in place closing off ventricular septal defect 6 &# 39 ;, as catheter delivery means 40 &# 39 ; is being withdrawn . an alternative embodiment is shown in fig6 - 10 . fig6 is a cross - section of the device , indicated generally at 100 . device 100 has an interior portion 110 , an exterior portion 112 , proximal and distal ends 114 , 116 and a center portion 118 . distal end 116 of device 100 is closed to block blood flow through its interior 110 . proximal end 114 has an opening 120 which provides access to interior 110 . arrow head 122 extends proximally from distal end 116 into interior 110 . lock 124 extends distally from opening 120 at proximal end 114 into interior 110 , and is shaped to mate with arrow head 122 . arrow head 122 fits or snaps into lock 124 when distal end 116 is pulled toward proximal end 114 . lock 124 has a proximal undercut 126 shaped to mate with central barbs 128 , which are located in the central portion 118 of interior 110 . proximal undercut 126 snaps onto central barbs 128 when proximal end 114 is pulled towards center 118 . device 100 may be reversibly locked in place by means of an intralumen mechanical mechanism or twist - lok mechanism 140 ( best seen at fig1 and 13 ). both distal end 116 and proximal end 114 have twist - lok tracks , proximal 130 and distal 132 . cross sections of proximal twist - lok track 130 and distal twist - lok track 132 are shown at fig7 and 8 , respectively . proximal twist - lok track 130 is shown at fig7 with twist - lok mechanism 140 at resting / delivery position . twist - lok mechanism 140 comprises a hollow outer shaft 146 with proximal twist - lok means 142 attached thereto and an inner shaft 148 having distal twist - lok means 144 attached thereto . as shown in fig1 , twist - lok means 142 , 144 may be t - shaped . twist - lok means 142 , 144 may alternatively be star - shaped , as shown in fig1 . twist - lok mechanism 140 may have twist - lok means of any other shape that will provide linear movement and permit locking and unlocking of the delivery means from device 100 . twist - lok mechanism 140 is constructed and arranged to pull ends 114 , 116 toward center 118 of device 100 . alternatively , this movement may be reversibly effected through any suitable mechanical means , such as screws , ratchet , snap fittings , or tie off procedures , all of which would prevent the device from opening up and resuming a cylindrical shape . referring to fig1 - 12 , inner shaft 148 is rotatably mounted in outer shaft 146 to provide independent rotational movement of proximal and distal twist - lok means 142 , 144 . inner shaft 148 is also distally extensible from outer shaft 146 . in operation , proximal twist - lok means 142 is rotated counter - clockwise to its resting / delivery position , and is rotated clockwise to un - lock . distal twist - lok track 132 of device 100 is shown at fig8 with distal twist - lok means 144 therein . the rotational directions of proximal and distal twist - lok means 142 , 144 are opposite of each other , so that device 100 may not detach from the delivery system unless twist - lok means 142 , 144 are rotated . subsequent removal of device 100 may be effected by inserting twist - lok mechanism 140 and rotating twist - lok means 142 , 144 in their respective removal directions to recapture device 100 for un - deployal and removal . fig1 and 12 show an optional anchoring means 150a , 150b which may be employed as a safety or reinforcement anchoring means 150a being located at the proximal end 114 of device 100 , and anchoring means 150b being located at the distal end 160 of outer shaft 146 of twist - lok means 140 . to eliminate rotation , splines 152 located at proximal end 114 of device 100 interlock or press fit into ribs 154 located in the interior of outer shaft 146 of twist - lok means 140 . distal movement of inner shaft 162 and shaft 148 will cause distal end 162 of inner shaft 148 of twist - lok means 140 to contact device 100 , pushing anchoring means 150a of device 100 away from anchoring means 150b and out of outer shaft 146 of twist - lok means 140 , disengaging splines 152 . proximal and distal twist - lok bars 142 , 144 are each capable of movement both distally and proximally depending on their current position , thus allowing for deploying and undeploying before releasing of device 100 altogether . an alternative embodiment of the closure device according to the present invention is shown at fig1 - 17 . fig1 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a device according to the present invention . fig1 shows a perspective view of a pull mechanism whereby the device is transformed into a plug . as shown in fig1 , the catheter delivered device , shown generally at 200 , comprises a cylindrical shaft 212 having a proximal end 214 , a distal end 216 , and a central portion 218 . cylindrical shaft 212 has parallel struts 222 . struts 222 may be covered by a cloth or other suitable biocompatible covering . pull mechanism 230 comprises shaft 231 with distal pull bar ( or twist - lok bar ) 232 , pull mechanism being constructed and arranged for insertion into device 200 through proximal opening 233 and distally through distal opening 234 , and rotated , as shown at fig1 - 17 . in the position shown at fig1 - 17 , pull mechanism 230 can pull distal end 216 toward center 218 and center 218 toward proximal end 214 . alternatively this movement may be reversibly effected through any suitable mechanical means , such as screws , ratchet , snap fittings , or tie off procedures , all of which would prevent the device 200 from opening up and resuming a cylindrical shape . as shown in fig1 - 17 , hinge points 225 move radially away from the axis of the device in a hinge like fashion in response to the movement of proximal and distal ends 214 , 216 toward the central portion 218 of the device 200 . hinge points 225 could be formed in a variety of ways . such a hinge point could be a mechanical hinge , a thinned section created by chemical etching , mechanical denting , grinding , heat forming or machining , a weakened section created by micro cuts , tapered grooves , chemical treatment , or any other process which will cause a preferential stress point . the embodiment shown in fig1 - 17 has three locking locations , center , proximal and distal . distal end 216 may be locked to central portion 218 by means of distal locking pins 236 constructed and arranged to mate with central locking bores 240 , and proximal end 214 may be locked to central portion 218 by means of central locking pins 242 constructed and arranged to mate with proximal locking bores 238 . all mating locking surfaces are preferably shaped in such a manner to facilitate locking . locking pins 236 , 242 may be ratcheted for the tightest fit . fig1 is a partial view of device 200 showing the manner in which pins 236 , 242 respectively lock into bores 238 , 240 . fig1 - 20 show deployment catheters with device 100 as shown in fig6 . fig1 shows deployment catheter 40 according to the present invention , with control means 300 located at proximal end 41 thereof . control means 300 has linear slides 310 , 312 , unlock lever 314 and flush port 316 . fig1 shows catheter 40 with an alternative embodiment of control means 300 , having dual rotation knobs , i . e . proximal rotation knob 320 and distal rotation knob 322 . fig2 shows a further alternative embodiment of deployment catheter 40 , having a gun - like handle 330 with up and down triggers 332 , 334 , and un - lok slides 336 , 338 . the septal defect closure devices and apparatus disclosed herein may further comprise a plurality of tissue hooks located thereon to anchor the device in place in a septal defect . for example , fig2 - 22 show a sectional view of the device as in fig1 , 16 and 17 further including a plurality of tissue hooks 270 . fig2 - 24 show side views of a device as shown in fig3 - 4 respectively , the device further including a plurality of tissue hooks 70 . fig2 shows an intermediate conformation which the device would assume after delivery and during its mechanical transformation into a plug . fig2 is a side view of the device as in fig2 after its mechanical transformation into a plug . fig2 is an anterior to posterior sectional view showing the septal defect closure device of fig2 - 24 after delivery to the atrial and ventricular defects as depicted therein . device 10 is anchored to the tissue of the septal defect by the physical interaction of tissue hooks 70 therewith . in a preferred embodiment , distal tip 42 of insertion catheter 40 according to the present invention is made of metal for visualization under fluoroscopy and is shaped in such a manner which does not interfere with the insertion of the twist - lok mechanism or pulling mechanism , fitting flushly with proximal end 14 of closure device 10 . the entire closure device or the portion thereof exposed to the heart chambers may be covered or coated with a fabric and / or elastic material ( not shown ) which may be biodegradable . this material will block blood shunting across the septal defect and may also allow tissue ingrowth to help in the stabilization of the device . fabrics with which the mid - section may be coated with are polyamides , such as nylon 6 , nylon 6 , 6 , and the like , polyesters , such as pet , polyethers , fluorinated polymers , such as polytetrafluoroethylene , or biodegradable or nonbiodegradable fibers derived from natural sources such as carbohydrates , collagens , and proteins . the fabric may be of a woven knit , or solid structure . the unique features of the device are the manner of its deployment and its reversibility , its low profile which may prevent interference with normal heart functions , the shape of the support struts , and the non - invasive nature of the delivery which would reduce costs normally associated with closure of such a defect . the device may be made of metal or polymeric material and is delivered via catheter in a non - invasive procedure . the device operates through mechanical means to close a septal defect . the practice of the present invention achieves several objectives and advantages . the device and method of the present invention provides an advantage over surgery in that the cost of the procedure is substantially less , the risk of infection is less , the hospital residency time is less and there is no physically deforming scar . advantages include the flexibility of the reversible deployment , the fact that the non - invasive delivery would reduce costs associated with this type of procedure , the low profile may prevent interference with normal heart functions . support arms have three support locations which may provide increased support arm strength . while this invention may be embodied in many different forms , there are described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention . this description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated . the above examples and disclosure are intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive . these examples and description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art . all these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the attached claims . those familiar with the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto .
a catheter delivered device to close a septal defect , the device comprising a cylindrical shaft of metal or polymeric material with concentric parallel cuts through the wall of the device which create flattened support struts . the center of the support struts move radially away from the axis in a hinge like fashion in response to the movement of the device &# 39 ; s proximal and distal ends toward the center of the device . this movement is reversibly effected through mechanical means . the device can be coated with growth factors , mitogenic factors or other determinants which can improve tissue growth such that tissue ingrowth can occur over a period of time . the catheter itself may be an ultrasonic imaging catheter .