Methods, devices and systems facilitate retention of a variety of
therapeutic devices. Devices generally include an anchoring element,
which has been designed to promote fibrotic ingrowth, and an anchored
device, which has been designed to firmly engage the complementary region
of the anchoring element. The anchoring element may be placed in a
minimally invasive procedure temporally separated from the deployment of
the anchored device. Once enough time has passed to ensure appropriate
fixation of the anchoring element by tissue and cellular ingrowth at the
site of placement, the anchored device may then be deployed during which
it firmly engages the complementary region of the anchoring element. In
this manner, a firm attachment to the implantation site may be made with
a minimum of required hardware. Some embodiments are delivered through a
delivery tube or catheter and while some embodiments may require
laparoscopy or open surgery for one or more of the placement procedures.
Some embodiments anchor devices within the cardiovascular tree while
others may anchor devices within the gastrointestinal, peritoneal,
pleural, pulmonary, urogynecologic, nasopharyngeal or dermatologic
regions of the body. An alternative embodiment provides for the placement
of the anchoring element and anchored device simultaneously, but allows
for their removal separately. This embodiment allows the device, which
may be placed only temporarily and be designed to be removed, to
experience significant fibrotic ingrowth, but then to be easily detached
from the ingrowth-anchored region to allow for simple and quick device
removal.