[54] SUTURE SLEEVE FOR IMPLANTABLE LEAD
[75] Inventor: D. Scott Romkee, Santa Clara, Calif. [73] Assignee: Ventritex, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
[21] Appl. No.: 504,281
[22] Filed: Jul. 19,1995
[51] Int. CI.6 A61N 1/00
[52] U.S. CI 607/116; 606/151; 604/175;
607/115
[58] Field of. Search 606/148, 151,
606/232; 607/115, 116, 119; 604/175
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,516,584 5/1985 Garcia 607/119
5,129,405 7/1992 Milijasevic et al 607/116
5,152,298 10/1992 Kreyenhagen et al 607/116
5,376,108 12/1994 Collins et al 607/115
...
US005603730A [ii] Patent Number: 5,603,730 [45] Date of Patent: Feb. 18,1997
Primary Examiner—Michael Powell Buiz
Assistant Examiner—-Mark S. Leonardo
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Steven M. Mitchell; M. Elizabeth
Bush; Mark J. Meltzer
[57] ABSTRACT
A suture sleeve having an elongated body defining a bore and having a relief aperture at a first intermediate position on the body and communicating with the bore. The sleeve includes a pair of actuator tabs connected to a second intermediate position on the body and extending therefrom, and at least a portion of the relief aperture is positioned between the tabs such that actuation of the tabs causes enlargement of the aperture. The sleeve may be movable between a tighter state in which a lead passing through the bore does not readily slide longitudinally within the bore, and a looser state, in which the lead may slide readily through the bore.
