Medical sealed tubular structures

• US 20040230212A1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Medical Device Limited (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pathway Medical Technologies, Inc. (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Wulfman, Edward I.
• Granted Patent: US 10,092,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/167
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0057 Constructional details of force transmission elements, e.g. control wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/01 Guiding arrangements therefore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32002 with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320725 with radially expandable cutting or abrading elements A61B17/32075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320758 with a rotating cutting instrument, e.g. motor driven A61B17/320725, A61B17/32075 and A61B17/320783 take precedence; for removing intra-ocular material A61F9/00763; endoscopic rotatable cutting instruments A61B17/32002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3462 with means for changing the diameter or the orientation of the entrance port of the cannula, e.g. for use with different-sized instruments, reduction ports, adapter seals expandable cannulas A61B17/3417
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00017 Electrical control of surgical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00973 pedal-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22049 Means for locking the guide wire in the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320032 Details of the rotating or oscillating shaft, e.g. using a flexible shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2217/005 with suction drainage system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/415 the glands, e.g. tonsils, adenoids or thymus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4209 by using holders, e.g. positioning frames
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/06 Haemostasis valves, i.e. gaskets sealing around a needle, catheter or the like, closing on removal thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/0606 : without means for adjusting the seal opening or pressure A61M39/0693 takes precedence

Abstract

A tubular structure comprising multiple overlapping layers surrounding a lumen has flexibility and structural integrity by allowing portions of the layers to slip relative to each other. One embodiment includes a support layer having a wired coil, braid or weave support element underlies at least one overlying layer. The support layer is fixed to the overlying layer at a bonding point and the remaining portion of the support layer is not fixed to the overlying layer, i.e. “free portion”. The support layer is permitted to slip at the free portion of the support layer, relative to the overlying layer. Further flexibility may be provided by a coil element of the support layer having substantial gaps between the loops of the coil to impart high flexibility of the tubular structure. In one embodiment, an etched sheath is heat shrunk around an underlying layer with a shrink ratio of 25 percent or less of its original diameter, such that the etchings are at least substantially preserved through the shrinkage process.

Claims

5. A medical tubular structure comprising:

a lumen extending through at least a portion of the tubular structure;

a thermally shrinkable sheath having a plurality of etches on at least its interior surface,

a support having a contiguous coil element, a braid element or a weave element including a plurality of loops, the support layer being attached to the sheath at a bonding point and further having a free portion, wherein the free portion is slippable relative to the sheath; and

wherein the sheath encases the support layer by heat-reduction of 25 percent or less of an original diameter of the sheath to at least substantially maintain the etches during the heat-reduction.

6. The tubular structure of claim 5, wherein the sheath comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene material.

7. The tubular structure of claim 6, wherein the sheath comprises PTFE, Teflon®

, FEP and/or PFA.

8-1. The tubular structure of claim 8, wherein the length of each gap is about 10-200 percent of the width of the wire.

10. A medical tubular structure comprising:

a lumen extending through at least a portion of the tubular structure;

an underlying layer in the wall of the tube; and

a thermally shrinkable sheath having a plurality of etches on at least its interior surface, the sheath encasing at least a portion of the underlying layer by heat-reduction of 25 percent or less of an original diameter of the sheath to at least substantially maintain the etches during the heat-reduction.

11. The tubular structure of claim 10, wherein the sheath comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene material.

12. The tubular structure of claim 11, wherein the sheath comprises PTFE, Teflon®

, FEP and/or PFA.

16. The tubular structure of claim 10, wherein the sheath is bonded to the underlying layer in at least one end of the sheath and the sheath is capable of slipping along the underlying layer as the tubular structure is bent.

17. The tubular structure of claim 16, wherein the structure is flexible around a 0.25 to 0.50 radius object without kinking.

14. The tubular structure of claim 13, wherein the underlying layer includes the contiguous coil element comprised of a wire and a plurality of gaps between each loop, the gaps being of sufficient size to resist kinking of the tubular structure.

15. The tubular structure of claim 14, wherein the length of each gap is about 10-200 percent of the width of the wire.

18. An intracorporeal medical device comprising:

an operating head, and

a catheter comprising;

a lumen extending through at least a portion of the tubular structure;

a thermally shrinkable sheath; and

a support layer encasing the lumen and having a contiguous coil element, a braid element or a weave element including a plurality of loops, the support layer being attached to the sheath at a bonding point and further having a free portion, wherein the free portion is slippable relative to the sheath; and

wherein the sheath diameter is heat-reduced around the support layer by 25 percent or less of an original sheath diameter, the sheath comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene material having a plurality of etches on its interior surface.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least a portion of the support layer includes gaps between each loop of the coiled element, the gaps being of sufficient size to resist kinking of the tubular structure.

20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a drive shaft extending within the catheter and drive system.

21. The device of claim 20, further comprising a control system to direct rotation of the drive shaft.

22. A method of constructing a medical tubular structure, comprising:

producing etches in the interior surface of a thermally shrinkable tube comprising a polytetrafluorothylene material, and

heating the thermally shrinkable tube for sufficient temperature and length of time to reduce the tube around an underlying layer by 25 percent or less in diameter of an original diameter of the tube,

wherein etchings are substantially preserved during the heating.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the underlying layer includes a contiguous coil element extending along the longitudinal length of the underlying layer, the coil element having a plurality of loops.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising rubbing the tube across an arched surface with sufficient force to break any friction between the loops of the coil element and the tube.

25. The method of claim 22, further including bonding at least one of opposing ends of the tube to the underlying layer to permit slipping of the tube along the underlying layer between the opposing ends of the tube.