Catheter with tapered end balloon

• US 20060135983A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cook Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cook Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Melsheimer, Jeffry S., Osborne, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US11/313,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135983A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/192
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0039 characterized by lumina being arranged coaxially
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1002 characterised by balloon shape A61M25/1006, A61M25/1009 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1027 Making of balloon catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/104 used for angioplasty

Abstract

A delivery system, including a balloon catheter having a balloon with distal and proximal ends and a guide catheter for delivering the balloon catheter to a treatment site, is disclosed. The balloon tapers from at least one of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon to an active region on the surface of the balloon. The active region has a diameter D₁ which is greater than a diameter of the balloon at one or more of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon. Preferably, one or more of the lengths L₁, which is the distance from the proximal end of the balloon to the active region, and L₂, which is the distance from the distal end of the balloon to the active region, are between three to thirty times the diameter D₁.

Claims

1. A balloon catheter comprising:

a balloon having distal and proximal ends;

an inflation lumen formed in the balloon catheter having distal and proximal ends and an opening at the distal end of the inflation lumen into an interior of the balloon, wherein the inflation lumen is hermetically connected with the balloon at the proximal end of the balloon; and

a guidewire lumen formed in the balloon catheter and adapted to receive a guidewire, the guidewire lumen traversing the interior of the balloon from the distal end to the proximal end of the balloon, wherein the guidewire lumen is hermetically connected with the balloon at the distal end of the balloon,

wherein the balloon tapers from at least one of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon to an active region on the surface of the balloon, the active region having a diameter D₁ which is greater than a diameter of the balloon at one or more of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon,

and wherein at least one of a length L₁, from the proximal end of the balloon to the active region, and a length L₂, from the distal end of the balloon to the active region, is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁.

2. The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the balloon catheter forms both the inflation lumen and the guidewire lumen at the proximal end of the balloon.

3. The balloon catheter of claim 1, further comprising a stent surrounding the active region of the balloon, wherein the balloon is used to deliver the stent to a vessel.

4. The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the guidewire lumen forms a guidewire lumen opening near the distal end of the balloon and a sideport opening near the proximal end of the balloon.

5. The balloon catheter of claim 4, wherein a distance A from the proximal end of the balloon to the sideport opening is less than a distance B from the distal end of the balloon to the guidewire lumen opening.

6. The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein at least one of the lengths L₁ and L₂ are between about ten to thirty times the diameter D₁.

7. The balloon catheter of claim 1, wherein the balloon tapers at both the distal and the proximal ends of the balloon to the active region on the surface of the balloon.

8. The balloon catheter of claim 7, wherein said length L₁ is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about two times the diameter or less.

9. The balloon catheter of claim 8, wherein said length L₁ is between about ten to twenty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about one times the diameter or less.

10. A delivery system comprising:

a balloon catheter including a balloon having distal and proximal ends, wherein the balloon tapers from at least one of the distal and the proximal ends of the balloon to an active region on the surface of the balloon, the active region having a diameter D₁ which is greater than a diameter of the balloon at one or more of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon, and wherein at least one of a length L₁, from the proximal end of the balloon to the active region, and a length L₂, from the distal end of the balloon to the active region, is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁; and

a guide catheter for delivering the balloon catheter to a treatment site.

11. The delivery system of claim 10, wherein the balloon catheter forms an inflation lumen having distal and proximal ends and an opening at the distal end of the inflation lumen into an interior of the balloon, wherein the inflation lumen is hermetically connected with the balloon at the proximal end of the balloon.

12. The delivery system of claim 10, further comprising a stent surrounding the active region of the balloon, wherein the balloon is used to deliver the stent to the treatment site.

13. The delivery system of claim 10, wherein the balloon catheter forms a guidewire lumen adapted to receive a guidewire in a slip-fit arrangement, the guidewire lumen traversing an interior of the balloon from the distal end to the proximal end of the balloon, wherein the guidewire lumen is formed in such a way as to remain sealed from communication with the balloon.

14. The delivery system of claim 13, wherein the guidewire lumen forms a guidewire lumen opening near the distal end of the balloon and a sideport opening near the proximal end of the balloon.

15. The delivery system of claim 14, wherein a distance A from the proximal end of the balloon to the sideport opening is less than a distance B from the distal end of the balloon to the guidewire lumen opening.

16. The delivery system of claim 10, wherein the guide catheter has a diameter D₂ that is less than the diameter D₁ of the active region.

17. The delivery system of claim 10, wherein the balloon tapers at both the distal and the proximal ends of the balloon to the active region on the surface of the balloon.

18. The balloon catheter of claim 17, wherein said length L₁ is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about two times the diameter or less.

19. The balloon catheter of claim 18, wherein said length L₁ is between about ten to twenty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about one times the diameter or less.

20. A balloon catheter comprising:

a balloon having distal and proximal ends,

wherein the balloon tapers from at least one of the distal and the proximal ends of the balloon to an active region on the surface of the balloon, the active region having a diameter D₁ which is greater than a diameter of the balloon at one or more of the distal and proximal ends of the balloon,

and wherein at least one of a length L₁, from the proximal end of the balloon to the active region, and a length L₂, from the distal end of the balloon to the active region, is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁.

21. The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein the balloon catheter forms an inflation lumen having distal and proximal ends and an opening at the distal end of the inflation lumen into an interior of the balloon, wherein the inflation lumen is hermetically connected with the balloon at the proximal end of the balloon.

22. The balloon catheter of claim 20, further comprising a stent surrounding the active region of the balloon, wherein the balloon is used to deliver the stent to a treatment site.

23. The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein the balloon catheter forms a guidewire lumen adapted to receive a guidewire in a slip-fit arrangement, the guidewire lumen traversing an interior of the balloon from the distal end to the proximal end of the balloon, wherein the guidewire lumen is connected in such a way as to remain sealed from communication with the distal and proximal ends of the balloon.

24. The balloon catheter of claim 23, wherein the guidewire lumen forms a guidewire lumen opening near the distal end of the balloon and a sideport opening near the proximal end of the balloon.

25. The balloon catheter of claim 24, wherein a distance A from the proximal end of the balloon to the sideport opening is less than a distance B from the distal end of the balloon to the guidewire lumen opening.

26. The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein at least one of the lengths L₁ and L₂, are between about ten to thirty times the diameter D₁.

27. The balloon catheter of claim 20, wherein the balloon tapers at both the distal and the proximal ends of the balloon to the active region on the surface of the balloon.

28. The balloon catheter of claim 27, wherein said length L₁ is between about three to thirty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about two times the diameter or less.

29. The balloon catheter of claim 28, wherein said length L₁ is between about ten to twenty times the diameter D₁ and length L₂ is about one times the diameter or less.