Power parameters for ultrasonic catheter

• US 10,182,833 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EKOS Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Soltani, Azita, Volz, Kim R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stigell, Theodore
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schell, Laura
• Application Number:
  US12/170,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20090018472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,849 Days
• Field of Search: 604 20, 604 22
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00181 Means for setting or varying the pulse energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00185 Means for setting or varying the pulse height
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0019 Means for setting or varying the pulse width
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00194 Means for setting or varying the repetition rate

Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of applying ultrasonic energy to a treatment site within a patient'"'"'s vasculature comprises positioning an ultrasound radiating member at a treatment site within a patient'"'"'s vasculature. The method further comprises activating the ultrasound radiating member to produce pulses of ultrasonic energy at a cycle period T≤1 second. The acoustic parameters such as peak power, pulse width, pulse repetition frequency and frequency or any combination of them can be varied non-linearly.

Claims

1. A method of operating an ultrasonic catheter comprising:

advancing a catheter with at least one ultrasonic element to a treatment site in a patient'"'"'s vascular system;

driving the at least one ultrasonic element to generate ultrasonic energy;

delivering a therapeutic compound to the treatment site through the catheter; and

implementing a non-linear protocol in a control routine to vary non-linearly a power parameter and a physiological parameter of the at least one ultrasonic element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power parameter comprises at least one of peak power, pulse repetition frequency, pulse width, duty cycle pulse average acoustic power, time average acoustic power, peak rarefactional pressure, spatial peak pulse average intensity, and spatial peak time average intensity, or any combination of aforementioned power parameters, and the physiological parameter comprises at least one of mechanical index and soft tissue thermal index, or any combination of the aforementioned physiological parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the power parameter and the physiological parameter are varied randomly between a maximum value and a minimum value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment site includes a vascular occlusion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the therapeutic compound comprises a thrombolytic agent.

6. A method of delivering ultrasound to a patient comprising:

advancing a catheter with at least one ultrasonic element to a treatment site in a patient'"'"'s vascular system;

driving the at least one ultrasonic element to generate ultrasonic energy; and

non-linearly varying a power parameter and a physiological parameter of the at least one ultrasonic element, wherein the non-linearly varying is performed by a control routine that implements a non-linear protocol to vary non-linearly the power parameter and the physiological parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the power parameter comprises at least one of peak power, pulse repetition frequency, pulse width, duty cycle, pulse average acoustic power, time average acoustic power, peak rarefactional pressure, spatial peak pulse average intensity, and spatial peak time average intensity, or any combination of aforementioned power parameters, and the physiological parameter comprises at least one of mechanical index and soft tissue thermal index, or any combination of the aforementioned physiological parameters.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the power parameter and the physiological parameter is varied randomly between a maximum value and a minimum value.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising delivering a therapeutic compound to the patient.