1. A method for bypassing an occlusion in a peripheral artery, said method comprising:
forming a proximal penetration from the peripheral artery to an adjacent peripheral vein at a location above the occlusion;
advancing a penetration guidewire down the peripheral artery, through the proximal penetration, and into the peripheral vein;
pulling the penetration guidewire through an external penetration below the occlusion;
advancing a penetration catheter downward over the penetration guidewire from the peripheral artery into the peripheral vein;
penetrating a penetration tool carried by the penetration catheter from the peripheral vein into the peripheral artery at a location below the occlusion to form a distal penetration; and
placing a stent graft placement guidewire from the peripheral artery, through the proximal penetration, down the peripheral vein, and through the distal penetration back into the peripheral artery;
deploying a stent graft from a catheter disposed over the stent graft placement guidewire.
2. A method as in claim 1, wherein forming the proximal penetration comprises:
advancing a penetration catheter down the peripheral artery to a location above the occlusion; and
penetrating a penetration tool carried by the penetration catheter from the peripheral artery into the peripheral vein.
3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the same penetration catheter is used for forming both the proximal and distal penetrations.
4. A method as in claim 2, wherein advancing the penetration guidewire comprises advancing the penetration guidewire through the penetration tool after said penetration tool has been penetrated from the peripheral artery into the peripheral vein.
5. A method as in claim 2, further comprising stabilizing the penetration catheter as the penetration tool is advanced from the peripheral artery into the peripheral vein.
6. A method as in claim 5, wherein stabilizing comprises radially expanding a stabilizing element on the penetration catheter to engage a wall of the peripheral artery.
7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the stabilizing element comprises a balloon, braid, or a malecot.
8. A method as in claim 1, wherein pulling the penetration guidewire comprises:
advancing a venous catheter through the external penetration and up the peripheral vein to position a guidewire capture tool above the occlusion;
capturing the penetration guidewire with the guidewire capture tool; and
withdrawing the venous catheter from the peripheral vein to pull the penetration guidewire through the external penetration.
9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the capture tool comprises an expandable braid and wherein capturing comprises collapsing the expandable braid over the penetration guidewire.
10. A method as in claim 8, further comprising stabilizing the penetration catheter as the penetration tool is advanced from the peripheral vein into the peripheral artery.
11. A method as in claim 10, wherein stabilizing comprises advancing the venous catheter through the external penetration and up the peripheral vein to connect to the penetration catheter as the penetration tool is advanced.
12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the venous catheter and penetration catheter are connected by coupling elements at a distal end of each catheter.
13. A method as in claim 11, further comprising radially expanding a stabilizing element on the venous catheter to engage a wall of the peripheral vein.
14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the stabilizing element comprises a balloon, braid, or a malecot.
15. A method as in claim 1, wherein placing the stent graft placement guidewire comprises advancing the stent graft placement guidewire through the penetration tool after said penetration tool has been advanced from the peripheral vein into the peripheral artery.
16. A method as in claim 1, wherein deploying the stent graft over the stent graft placement guidewire comprises releasing the stent graft from constraint, wherein the stent graft self-expands.
17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the stent graft is constrained in a tubular sheath wherein the tubular sheath is retracted to deploy the stent graft.
18. A method as in claim 1, wherein two or more stent grafts are deployed in an overlapping fashion.
19. A method as in claim 1, wherein the peripheral artery is selected from the group consisting of a superficial femoral artery, a common femoral artery, an iliac artery, a popliteal artery, a posterior tibial artery, an anterior tibial artery, and a perineal artery.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for operations by a communications device, the method comprising:
determining, by the communications device, if a first communications controller is broadcasting an operating mode indicator, wherein the operating mode indicator indicates selected communications devices and non-selected communications devices;
continuing, by the communications device, to access the first communications controller when the first communications controller is not broadcasting the operating mode indicator;
continuing, by the communications device, to access the first communications controller in response to determining that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device; and
searching, by the communications device, for an alternative communications controller when the communications controller is broadcasting the operating mode indicator and when the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a non-selected communications device, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a first closed subscriber group (CSG) identifier, wherein the communications device has a second CSG identifier, and wherein the communications device is a non-selected communications device when the first CSG identifier is not equal to the second CSG identifier.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a CSG indicator, and wherein determining that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device comprises determining when the first CSG identifier is equal to the second CSG identifier.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communications device has multiple CSG identifiers, and wherein determining that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device comprises determining when the first CSG identifier is equal to any of the communications device’s multiple CSG identifiers.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a call to an emergency service independent of the operating mode indicator.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the alternative communications controller in response to determining that the communications device has found the alternative communications controller.
6. A communications device comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to
determine if a first communications controller is broadcasting an operating mode indicator, wherein the operating mode indicator indicates selected communications devices and non-selected communications devices;
continue to access the first communications controller when the first communications controller is not broadcasting the operating mode indicator;
continue to access the first communications controller in response to determining that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device; and
search for an alternative communications controller when the first communications controller is broadcasting the operating mode indicator and when the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a non-selected communications device, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a first closed subscriber group (CSG) identifier, wherein the communications device has a second CSG identifier, and wherein the communications device is a non-selected communications device when the first CSG identifier is not equal to the second CSG identifier.
7. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a CSG indicator, and wherein the processor configured to determine that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device comprises the processor configured to determine when the first CSG identifier is equal to the second CSG identifier.
8. The communications device of claim 7, wherein the communications device has multiple CSG identifiers, and wherein the processor configured to determine that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a selected communications device comprises the processor configured to determine when the first CSG identifier is equal to any of the communications device’s multiple CSG identifiers.
9. The communications device of claim 6, further comprising the processor configured to place a call to an emergency service independent of the operating mode indicator.
10. The communications device of claim 6, further comprising the processor configured to access the alternative communications controller in response to determining that the communications device has found the alternative communications controller.
11. A method for operations by a communications device, the method comprising:
accessing, by the communications device, a first communications controller;
receiving, by the communications device, a broadcasted operating mode indicator from the first communications controller, wherein the operating mode indicator indicates selected communications devices and non-selected communications devices;
determining, by the communications device, that the operating mode indicator indicates the communications device is a non-selected communications device, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a first closed subscriber group (CSG) identifier, wherein the communications device has a second CSG identifier, and wherein the communications device is a non-selected communications device when the first CSG identifier is not equal to the second CSG identifier; and
searching, by the communications device, for an alternative communications controller in response to the determining.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a CSG indicator.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communications device has multiple CSG identifiers, and wherein the determining that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a non-selected communications device comprises determining that the first CSG identifier is not equal to any of the communications device’s multiple CSG identifiers.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising, after the searching, placing a call, by the communications device, to an emergency service independent of whether the alternative communications controller is found.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
finding the alternative communications controller; and
accessing the alternative communications controller.
16. A communications device comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
access a first communications controller;
receive a broadcasted operating mode indicator from the first communications controller, wherein the operating mode indicator indicates selected communications devices and non-selected communications devices;
determine that the operating mode indicator indicates the communications device is a non-selected communications device, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a first closed subscriber group (CSG) identifier, wherein the communications device has a second CSG identifier, and wherein the communications device is a non-selected communications device when the first CSG identifier is not equal to the second CSG identifier; and
search for an alternative communications controller in response to the determining.
17. The communications device of claim 16, wherein the operating mode indicator comprises a CSG indicator.
18. The communications device of claim 17, wherein the communications device has multiple CSG identifiers, and wherein the processor configured to determine that the operating mode indicator indicates that the communications device is a non-selected communications device comprises the processor configured to determine that the first CSG identifier is not equal to any of the communications device’s multiple CSG identifiers.
19. The communications device of claim 16, further comprising the processor configured to place a call to an emergency service independent of whether the alternative communications controller is found by the search.
20. The communications device of claim 16, further comprising the processor configured to:
find the alternative communications controller; and
access the alternative communications controller.