US Patent 7322976 Apparatus and methods for closing vascular penetrations

Apparatus for sealing vascular penetrations comprise a shaft having an electrode or other energy-applying element at a distal end. The shaft is placed in a tissue tract over a blood vessel penetration and located using a locator which engages an inner wall of the blood vessel. Once in position, an anchor is used to hold the shaft, allowing the locator to be removed. Energy is then applied through a distal tip of the shaft in order to induce desiccation and plug formation in a blood pool formed between the distal end of the shaft and the wall of the blood vessel.