Anatomy Independent Deflector

In general, the invention features an intra-vascular device for filtering or deflecting emboli or other large objects from entering a protected secondary vessel or vessels. the device of the invention may include a filter to prevent a particle in a blood vessel from passing through the filter, a lateral structure to hold the filter, and two wires attached to lateral structure, on each at its distal and proximal ends. These wires may be used to control the deflection or orientation of the filter upon its installation within a blood vessel. Further, in some embodiments, these wires may be capable of readily detaching from the device, thus making it possible to install a filter without any significant appendages in a blood vessel.