Centering catheter

• US 20030236564A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardinal Health Switzerland 515 GmbH (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cordis Corporation (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Majercak, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,932,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1047 having centering means, e.g. balloons having an appropriate shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0043 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0069 Tip not integral with tube

Abstract

A catheter with at least one centering device attached near a distal end of the catheter. The centering device has at least two struts extending between a proximal end and a distal end. The centering device has a variable diameter and tends to center the distal end of the catheter, steering the catheter away from the vessel wall during insertion through the vasculature and toward the treatment site. The centering catheter may facilitate access to tortuous anatomy by preventing the catheter tip from catching on irregularities in the lumenal surface. The centering catheter may also facilitate uniform stent expansion by stabilizing the catheter during stent deployment.

Claims

1. A catheter for insertion into a lumen to treat a patient, the catheter comprising:

a) an elongated catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, an outer dimension and an inner dimension; and

b) at least one centering device attached near the distal end of the catheter, the at least one centering device comprising at least two struts extending between a proximal end and a distal end, the at least one centering device having a smaller first diameter for insertion into the lumen;

a larger second diameter for expanding to substantially equal the diameter of the lumen, and to center the catheter in the lumen; and

a plurality of intermediate diameters therebetween.

2. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the struts are made from Nickel-Titanium alloy.

3. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the at least two struts extend in a spiral pattern between the centering device proximal and distal ends.

4. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the at least two struts have midpoints, the at least two struts further comprising hinges near the midpoints.

5. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the centering device is permanently or removably attached to the distal end of the catheter.

6. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter further comprises a balloon.

7. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter further comprises a stent.

8. The catheter according to claim 7, wherein the stent is a balloon expandable stent.

9. The catheter according to claim 7, wherein the stent is a self-expanding stent.

10. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter further comprises a guidewire lumen in an over-the-wire configuration.

11. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter further comprises a guidewire lumen in a rapid exchange configuration.

12. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the catheter has multiple lumens.

13. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the struts are coated with a lubricious coating.

14. The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the struts are coated with a biologically compatible coating.

15. A method of inserting a catheter into a body lumen, advancing the catheter to a desired treatment site within the body lumen, and delivering a stent, comprising the steps of:

a) inserting a guidewire into the body lumen, the guidewire having a proximal end and a distal end, and advancing the guidewire through the body lumen past the treatment site;

b) providing a catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, a lumen, an outer dimension and an inner dimension, and at least one centering device attached near the distal end of the catheter, the at least one centering device comprising at least two struts extending between a proximal end and a distal end, the at least one centering device being expandable to substantially equal the diameter of the lumen, and to thereby center the catheter in the lumen; and

a plurality of intermediate diameters;

c) inserting the proximal end of the guidewire into the distal end of the catheter lumen, and slidably advancing the catheter over the guidewire until the treatment site is reached, with the at least two struts making contact with the body lumen, and the at least one centering device expanding between the smaller first diameter and the larger second diameter as the diameter of the lumen varies, and the at least one centering device tending to center the distal end of the catheter in the lumen; and

d) deploying the stent in the body lumen, with the centering device tending to center the catheter in the lumen during deployment.