| CPC A61B 5/283 (2021.01) [A61B 18/1492 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00526 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00077 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00083 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00178 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00267 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00351 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00577 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00839 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1407 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1467 (2013.01); A61B 2218/002 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0209 (2013.01)] | 18 Claims |
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1. An apparatus comprising:
an elongated shaft comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion, the elongated shaft configured to be manipulated at the proximal portion to position the distal portion into a heart of a patient, the elongated shaft defining a longitudinal axis of the apparatus; and
an end effector disposed proximate the distal portion of the elongated shaft, the end effector comprising three loop members comprising respective pair of ends affixed to the distal portion of the elongated shaft, each of the three loop members comprising a support frame extending through a respective loop member and affixed to the distal portion of the elongated shaft at each end of the respective pair of ends of the respective loop member, the end effector configured to expand to an unconstrained configuration when unconstrained to define three different planes for the respective three loop members, at least two of the three planes being noncoplanar so that the three loop members overlap in a stacked configuration at a common distal vertex when the end effector is placed against a planar surface,
each of the respective support frames defining a respective looped path of the respective loop member when the end effector is in the unconstrained configuration, and
each of the respective support frames comprising a respective pair of parallel segments, each segment in the respective pair of parallel segments comprising a respective length, a majority of the respective length of each segment in each of the respective pairs of parallel segments being approximately coplanar with a majority of the respective length of each of the other segments in each of the respective pairs of parallel segments when the end effector is in a flattened configuration, and the majority of the respective lengths of the segments of at least one of the respective pairs of parallel segments being non-coplanar with the majority of the respective length of at least one segment of the other respective pairs of parallel segments when the end effector is in the unconstrained configuration.
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