The present invention provides a device for occluding an anatomical
aperture, such as a septal defect or patent foramen ovale (PFO). The
occluder includes two sides connected by an intermediate joint. Each of
the sides includes at least one elongate element, which is arranged to
form non-overlapping loops. Each loop has at least one radially-extending
segment that is adjacent to a radially-extending segment of another loop.
In at least some embodiments, at least one pair of adjacent
radially-extending segments is connected. The loops of the device may be
of various shapes, sizes, and configurations, and, in at least some
embodiments, the loops have rounded peripheries. In some embodiments, at
least one of the sides includes a tissue scaffold. When the occluder is
deployed in vivo, the two sides are disposed on opposite sides of the
septal tissue surrounding the aperture, thereby exerting a compressive
force on the septal tissue that is distributed along both the outer
periphery of the occluder and the radially-extending segments.