Multiple infusion section catheters, systems, and methods

• US 20040220547A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Heruth, Kenneth T., Lent, Mark S., Blanco, Justin A.
• Application Number:
  US10/745,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220547A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0007 Epidural catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0057 Catheters delivering medicament other than through a conventional lumen, e.g. porous walls or hydrogel coatings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0073 Tip designed for influencing the flow or the flow velocity of the fluid, e.g. inserts for twisted or vortex flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0464 Cerebrospinal fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0244 Micromachined materials, e.g. made from silicon wafers, microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] or comprising nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/123 with incorporated reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/128 with incorporated valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0693 Brain, cerebrum
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1003 Spinal column
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16827 controlling delivery of multiple fluids, e.g. sequencing, mixing or via separate flow-paths infusion of multiple fluids without using a controller A61M5/1407

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for delivering one or more drugs to one or more internal body locations (such as the cerebrospinal fluid) are disclosed. In various aspects, the systems and methods may involve catheters having infusion sections with permeable membranes that develop significant back pressure to enhance uniform delivery of the drug over an infusion section; catheters that have two or more infusion sections spaced apart along the length of the same catheter, catheters that include two or more infusion sections serviced by independent lumens (such that, e.g., different drug solutions can be delivered to the different infusion sections); implantable drug delivery systems with pumps and multiple reservoirs from which drugs can be delivered; systems that are capable of delivering drug solutions with selected densities; etc.

Claims

1. A drug delivery catheter comprising:

an elongated body comprising a proximal end and a distal end;

at least one lumen extending from the proximal end of the body towards the distal end of the body;

a first infusion section located along the elongated body, the first infusion section comprising one or more openings in the at least one lumen;

a second infusion section located along the elongated body between the proximal end of the elongated body and the first infusion section, wherein the second infusion section comprises one or more openings in the at least one lumen, and wherein the second infusion section is spaced apart from the first infusion section along the elongated body by an axial distance of 20 mm or more;

wherein the elongated body is impermeable to liquids between the first infusion section and the second infusion section.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the second infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the second infusion section.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm or more.

5. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 320 mm or less.

6. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm to 320 mm.

7. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 40 mm or more.

8. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of one human vertebral level or more.

9. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of 40 mm or more.

10. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of one human vertebral level.

11. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of 40 mm.

12. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section.

13. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first .infusion section, and wherein the second infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the second infusion section.

14. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure in the at least one lumen such that a drug delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section exits the permeable membrane through all of the one or more openings in the first infusion section and through all of the one or more openings in the second infusion section when the drug is delivered through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 1 milliliter per hour or less.

15. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure of 300 pascals or more in the lumen when a drug is delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 2 microliters per hour.

16. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the permeable membrane comprises a molecular weight cut-off of 80 kiloDaltons or less.

17. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the at least one lumen comprises only a single lumen, wherein the single lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongate to the first infusion section and the second infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section and the one or more openings in the second infusion section are in the single lumen.

18. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the at least one lumen comprises a first lumen and a second lumen, wherein the first lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the first infusion section, and wherein the second lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the second infusion section.

19. A drug delivery catheter comprising:

an elongated body comprising a proximal end and a distal end;

at least one lumen extending from the proximal end of the body towards the distal end of the body;

a first infusion section located along the elongated body, the first infusion section comprising one or more openings in the at least one lumen;

a second infusion section located along the elongated body between the proximal end of the elongated body and the first infusion section, wherein the second infusion section comprises one or more openings in the at least one lumen, and wherein the second infusion section is spaced apart from the first infusion section along the elongated body by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of one human vertebral level;

wherein the elongated body is impermeable to liquids between the first infusion section and the second infusion section.

20. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section.

21. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the second infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the second infusion section.

22. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm or more.

23. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 320 mm or less.

24. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm to 320 mm.

25. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 40 mm or more.

26. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section.

27. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section, and wherein the second infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the second infusion section.

28. The catheter of claim 26, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure in the lumen such that a drug delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section exits the permeable membrane through all of the one or more openings in the first infusion section and through all of the one or more openings in the second infusion section when the drug is delivered through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 1 milliliter per hour or less.

29. The catheter of claim 26, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure of 300 pascals or more in the lumen when a drug is delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 2 microliters per hour.

30. The catheter of claim 26, wherein the permeable membrane comprises a molecular weight cut-off of 80 kiloDaltons or less.

31. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the at least one lumen comprises only a single lumen, wherein the single lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongate to the first infusion section and the second infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section and the one or more openings in the second infusion section are in the single lumen.

32. The catheter of claim 19, wherein the at least one lumen comprises a first lumen and a second lumen, wherein the first lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the first infusion section, and wherein the second lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the second infusion section.

33. A drug delivery system comprising:

a drug delivery apparatus comprising a pump and a reservoir; and

a catheter comprising;

an elongated body comprising a proximal end and distal end;

at least one lumen extending from the proximal end of the body towards the distal end of the body;

a first infusion section located along the elongated body, the first infusion section comprising one or more openings in the at least one lumen;

a second infusion section located along the elongated body between the proximal end of the elongated body and the first infusion section, wherein the second infusion section comprises one or more openings in the at least one lumen, and wherein the second infusion section is spaced apart from the first infusion section along the body by an axial distance of 20 mm or more;

wherein the elongated body is impermeable to liquids between the first infusion section and the second infusion section.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the second infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the second infusion section.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm or more.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 320 mm or less.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm to 320 mm.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 40 mm or more.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of one human vertebral level or more.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of 40 mm or more.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of one human vertebral level.

43. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of 40 mm.

44. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section.

45. The system of claim 33, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section, and wherein the second infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the second infusion section.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure in the lumen such that a drug delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section exits the permeable membrane through all of the one or more openings in the first infusion section and through all of the one or more openings in the second infusion section when the drug is delivered through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 1 milliliter per hour or less.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section create a back pressure of 300 pascals or more in the lumen when a drug is delivered to the first infusion section and the second infusion section through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 2 microliters per hour.

48. The system of claim 44, wherein the permeable membrane comprises a molecular weight cut-off of 80 kiloDaltons or less.

49. The system of claim 33, wherein the at least one lumen comprises only a single lumen, wherein the single lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongate to the first infusion section and the second infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section and the one or more openings in the second infusion section are in the single lumen.

50. The system of claim 33, wherein the at least one lumen comprises a first lumen and a second lumen, wherein the first lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the first infusion section, and wherein the second lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the second infusion section.

51. The system of claim 33, wherein the pump comprises an implantable pump and the reservoir comprises an implantable reservoir.

52. A method of infusing one or more drugs to multiple internal body locations, the method comprising:

delivering at least one drug from at least one reservoir to a first infusion section and a second infusion section of a catheter through at least one lumen, wherein the catheter comprises an elongated body comprising a proximal end and distal end along which the second infusion section is located between the first infusion section and the proximal end of the elongated body, and wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other along the elongated body by an axial distance of 20 mm or more;

passing the drug out of the at least one lumen through the one or more openings in the first infusion section; and

passing the drug out of the at least one lumen through the one or more openings in the second infusion section.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the first infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the second infusion section comprise a plurality of openings distributed within the second infusion section.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm or more.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 320 mm or less.

57. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 20 mm to 320 mm.

58. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises an axial length of 40 mm or more.

59. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of one human vertebral level or more.

60. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance of 40 mm or more.

61. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of one human vertebral level.

62. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section and the second infusion section are spaced apart from each other by an axial distance that is a whole number multiple of 40 mm.

63. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section.

64. The method of claim 52, wherein the first infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the first infusion section, and wherein the second infusion section comprises a permeable membrane covering the one or more openings in the second infusion section.

65. The method of claim 63, wherein delivering the drug to the first infusion section and the second infusion section creates a back pressure in the at least one lumen such that the drug exits the permeable membrane through all of the one or more openings in the first infusion section and through all of the one or more openings in the second infusion section when the drug is delivered through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 1 milliliter per hour or less.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein delivering the drug to the first infusion section and the second infusion section creates a back pressure of 300 pascals or more in the lumen when the drug is delivered through each lumen of the at least one lumen at a continuous rate of 2 microliters per hour.

67. The method of claim 63, wherein the permeable membrane comprises a molecular weight cut-off of 80 kiloDaltons or less.

68. The method of claim 52, wherein the at least one reservoir is implanted within the body of a patient and wherein drug is delivered from the at least one reservoir to the catheter using a pump implanted within the body of the patient.

69. The method of claim 52, wherein the at least one lumen comprises only a single lumen, wherein the single lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongate to the first infusion section and the second infusion section, and wherein the one or more openings in the first infusion section and the one or more openings in the second infusion section are in the single lumen.

70. The catheter of claim 52, wherein the at least one lumen comprises a first lumen and a second lumen, wherein the first lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the first infusion section, and wherein the second lumen extends from the proximal end of the elongated body to the second infusion section.