Variable wall thickness for delivery sheath housing

• US 20040158278A1
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Musbach, Frank A., Becker, Wayne A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,097,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/013 Distal protection devices, i.e. devices placed distally in combination with another endovascular procedure, e.g. angioplasty or stenting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/018 made from tubes or sheets of material, e.g. by etching or laser-cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0006 circular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0067 conical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/001 Forming the tip of a catheter, e.g. bevelling process, join or taper
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0021 characterised by the form of the tubing A61M25/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0067 characterised by the distal end, e.g. tips A61M25/0054, A61M25/04 take precedence; balloon catheters A61M25/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/008 Strength or flexibility characteristics of the catheter tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0082 Catheter tip comprising a tool

Abstract

A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter including an elongate tube having a distal region having a reduced thickness distal wall region. The delivery sheath, according to the present invention, can have a thinner, softer, distal most portion for superior and more benign interaction with vessel interior walls. The present invention includes an intravascular emboli filter system including an elongate shaft having a distal region, an expandable emboli filter operably coupled to the elongate shaft distal region, and an elongate sheath having a lumen therethrough disposed over the elongate shaft. The elongate sheath can have a distally decreasing outside diameter taper or reduced wall thickness region having improved atraumatic characteristics.

Claims

1. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter comprising:

an elongate tube having a distal region, a distal end, and a lumen therethrough,

wherein said distal region has a length and a distal region wall having a thickness,

wherein said distal region wall thickness is distally decreasing.

2. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 1, wherein said distal region length is less than about 10 millimeters.

3. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 1, wherein said distal region length is less than about 5 millimeters.

4. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 1, wherein said distal region length is less than about 2 millimeters.

5. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 1, wherein said distal region length is less than about 1 millimeter.

6. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 2, wherein said distal region has a distally decreasing outside diameter.

7. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 6, wherein said distal region length is less than about 10 millimeters.

8. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 6, wherein said distal region length is less than about 5 millimeters.

9. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 6, wherein said distal region length is less than about 2 millimeters.

10. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 6, wherein said distal region length is less than about 1 millimeter

11. A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter as in claim 1, wherein said distal region has a wall thickness of less than about 0.001 inch thick.

12. An intravascular emboli filter system comprising:

an elongate shaft having a distal region;

an expandable emboli filter operably coupled to said elongate shaft distal region; and

an elongate sheath having a lumen therethrough and a sheath wall, said sheath slidably disposed over said elongate shaft and having a distal region and a distal end,

wherein said distal region sheath wall has a distally decreasing taper.

13. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 12, wherein said sheath distal region wall has a distally decreasing wall thickness.

14. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 13, wherein said sheath distal region has a length of less than about 10 millimeters.

15. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 13, wherein said sheath distal region has a length of less than about 5 millimeters.

16. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 13, wherein said sheath distal region has a length of less than about 2 millimeters.

17. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 13, wherein said sheath distal region has a length of less than about 1 millimeter.

18. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 17, wherein said sheath distal region has a thickness of less than about 0.001 inch.

19. An intravascular emboli filter system as in claim 17, wherein said expandable emboli filter has an expanded state and a non-expanded state, and said sheath is cooperatively sized relative to said filter such that said sheath can contain said emboli filter while in said non-expanded state.