Method for producing a body implant, assembly consisting of a guide wire and a body implant, and a medical instrument

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a body implant comprising the steps of: providing a wire; producing predetermined cuts of the cross section of the wire by means of an ultrashort pulse laser in order to produce a predetermined shape of the body implant. This method can be used to produce, for example, a body implant, an assembly consisting of a guide wire and a body implant, or a medical instrument having a guide wire.

Claims

1. A method comprising: providing a wire; producing cuts on the wire by means of an ultrashort pulse laser in order to produce a shape of a body implant; and producing one or more other cuts on the wire in a manner that provides a predetermined breaking point between a guide wire, formed from the wire, and the body implant, wherein the cuts do not extend up to a first axial end or a second axial end of the wire.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cuts are produced substantially in radial direction, wherein a cut segment of the wire or a wire segment is expanded in order to produce the body implant, and wherein the body implant is a closed basket or a filter.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a portion of cross section of the wire is removed in order to produce a joint.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: braiding or tatting wire segments and/or shaping wire segments.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wire is made of a material having shape-memory properties.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined breaking point is configured for the body implant to be separated from the guide wire after positioning of the body implant in a body.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: separating wire segments, with different cross-sections, from the wire.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the body implant has varying supporting powers along a circumference of the body implant due to the wire segments being separated.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wire is made of a material having shape-memory properties.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cuts extend to a center of the wire.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a height of a cut, of the cuts, is smaller than a radius of the wire.

12. A method comprising: providing a wire; dividing the wire into individual wire segments in order to produce a shape of a body implant; and producing one or more other cuts on the wire in a manner that provides a predetermined breaking point between a guide wire, formed from the wire, and the body implant.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: expanding the wire segments into the shape of the body implant.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the wire segments are integrally connected to at least one of a first axial end or a second axial end of the wire.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first axial end and the second axial end are not separated after the cuts.

16. A method comprising: providing a wire; producing cuts on the wire in order to produce a shape of a body implant; and crimping the body implant to an original diameter of the wire.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cuts do not extend up to a first axial end or a second axial end of the wire.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein a cut segment of the wire or a wire segment is expanded in order to produce the body implant.

Description

(1) The invention will now be explained in more detail based on exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a circular wire being cut by a laser beam in radial direction approximately up to its center.

(3) FIG. 2 shows the production of five cuts in total in a radial direction up to the wire's center.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a design of a basket or filter produced by the cuts wherein the cut wire segments are subsequently expended.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a guide wire exhibiting high bending property or flexibility due to the generation of corresponding cuts.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a stent integrally formed with the guide wire and having a predetermined breaking point.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a controllable guide wire.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of the guide wire of FIG. 6 with a corresponding joint for bending the guide wire.

(9) FIG. 8a shows a wire segment formed as a circle sector, and FIG. 8b shows a wire segment formed as a circle segment.

(10) As shown in FIG. 1, a circular wire 1 is cut in up to approximately the center thereof by means of a laser beam L using the ultrashort pulse laser technology, in order to generate a cut 12. Although circular wires are advantageously used for this technology, the invention is not restricted thereto. Wires having elliptical cross sections, triangular, square, pentagon wires, or the like can also be used.

(11) Advantageously, an ultrashort pulse laser having a wavelength of about 200 to about 2000 nm is used therein. The pulse width should be about 10 fs to about 10 ps.

(12) Further, for example, five radial cuts extending to the center of the wire can be generated, in order to produce wire segments or cut sectors 14, as shown in FIG. 2. These cut sectors or wire segments 14 subsequently can be expanded by deformation so as to produce, for example, a basket or filter design, as shown for example in FIG. 3. Therein, the cuts do not extend up to an axial end 1a, 1b of the wire 1, such that the individual wire segments 14 remain connected in longitudinal directions at their ends.

(13) In this manner, a basket or filter design, respectively, is produced having wire segments 14 which are integrally connected at their ends 1a, 1b.

(14) This means that the wire 1 is divided, like a pie, into individual segments (wire segments 14), wherein axial ends 1a, 1b of the wire are not separated. The separated wire segments 14 are expanded such that a body is generated having spaced wire segments 14 in the axial center and axial ends 1a, 1b which are integrally connected to the wire segments 14.

(15) It should be appreciated that the invention can also be realized with three, four, six or seven cuts 12, etc. Therein, the cuts 12 do not have to be set at regular angular distances, but pieces of pie, or wire segments 14, of different sizes can be generated.

(16) Moreover, the wire segments 14 do not have to be generated as a circle sector having the length of the radius r of the wire 1 as sides of the circle sector, i.e. by means of cuts 12 ending at the center of the wire cross-section, as shown in FIG. 8a, but any forms can be separated from the wire cross-section, such as a circle segment, as shown for example in FIG. 8b.

(17) A circle segment, as shown in FIG. 8b, is separated from the wire cross-section by producing a cut 12 offset from the center of the wire cross-section along the chord length s. Therein, a height h of the cut 12 is smaller than the radius r of the wire.

(18) By means of separating wire segments 14 with different cross sections from the wire cross-section in this manner, and expanding them subsequently, a stent can be generated, for example, having varying supporting powers along the circumference thereof.

(19) These wire segments 14 can be deformed or treated according to the desired mechanical and/or electrical properties by further shaping by means of forming or by further laser treatment. Moreover, the wire segments 14 can be braided, e.g. by tatting the wire segments with the weave types 1/2, 1/1, or 2/2.

(20) The basket or filter design, or stent 18, respectively, produced this way can subsequently be separated from the wire 1. It can, however, also remain connected to a longer piece of wire 1 such that the uncut end of the wire 1 is used as a guide wire 16, as shown for example in FIGS. 4 and 5.

(21) A predetermined breaking point 20 can be provided between the guide wire 16 and the body implant 18 generated, such that the assembly consisting of the guide wire 16 and the body implant 18, which is integrally formed in this manner, can be separated at the predetermined breaking point 20 after insertion and positioning of the body implant 18, in order to remove the guide wire 16 after positioning of the body implant 18. Therein, the guide wire 16 can have corresponding cuts 12 or sectional weakenings or structures, respectively, in order to provide for high flexibility or bending property. The predetermined breaking point 20 has a corresponding sectional weakening 20a, in order to facilitate breaking or separating at the predetermined breaking point 20.

(22) As further shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a corresponding joint 17 can be produced by a cut wherein almost the whole cross section of the wire or guide wire 16, respectively, is removed, around which joint one end of the guide wire 16 can be bent with respect to another segment.

(23) Thus a variety of design possibilities is provided by correspondingly cutting a wire 1 using the ultrashort pulse laser technology, and by expanding and, if applicable, further treating the cut wire segments 14. Thus, a body implant 18, e.g. a stent, a basket, or a filter can be produced as one piece in a simple manner. Moreover, this body implant 18 can be crimped to the original wire diameter in order to achieve maximal reduction of diameter.

(24) Preferably, a wire 1 is used which is made of a material having shape-memory properties, such as Nitinol. However, other metals or nonmetals can also be employed.

(25) The invention is not limited to the production of radial cuts 12, but cuts can be made also in other directions. Moreover, the cuts 12 do not have to reach the center of the wire 1, but depending on the application can be produced with less or more depth.

(26) Structures or notches on the cross section of the wire 1 can be generated thereby.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(27) 1 wire 12 cut 14 wire segment 16 guide wire 17 joint 18 body implant (stent) 20 predetermined breaking point 20a sectional weakening L laser