Method of thermally treating blood vessels
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An endovascular laser treatment device preferably includes a catheter having a hub at its proximal end, an optical fiber for insertion into the catheter, a fiber connector attached to the optical fiber at a selected distance from the distal end of the optical fiber, and a temporary stop removably mounted around the optical fiber. The treatment device has two positions: a protective position and an operating position. As the fiber is inserted through the catheter, the temporary stop rests against the hub and places the fiber tip in the protective position where the distal end of the optical fiber is positioned near the distal end of the catheter, but is still disposed inside the catheter. When the temporary stop is removed and the fiber connector is coupled with the catheter hub, the fiber tip is in the operating position where the distal end of the optical fiber extends past the distal end of the catheter by a predetermined distance to expose the fiber tip.
-
Citations
43 Claims
-
1-19. -19. (canceled)
-
20. A method of thermally treating a blood vessel comprising:
-
inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, the catheter having a catheter connector at its proximal end;
inserting through the catheter a longitudinal thermal delivery device whose distal portion defines an energy emitting portion, the thermal delivery device having a stop attached thereto at a selected distance from the energy emitting portion; and
connecting the stop with the catheter connector such that the energy emitting portion extends past the distal end of the catheter by a predetermined distance. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A method of treating a blood vessel using laser energy comprising:
-
inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, the catheter having a catheter connector at its proximal end;
inserting through the catheter an optical fiber having a permanent stop attached thereto at a selected distance from the distal end of the optical fiber;
connecting the permanent stop with the catheter connector such that the distal end of the optical fiber extends past the distal end of the catheter by a predetermined distance;
withdrawing the locked catheter and optical fiber while heat is being applied to the blood inside the blood vessel through the distal end of the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. A method of treating a varicose vein using laser energy comprising:
-
inserting through a puncture site a catheter into a vein, the catheter having a catheter connector at its proximal end;
inserting through the inserted catheter an optical fiber having a permanent stop attached thereto at a selected distance from the distal end of the optical fiber, the permanent stop having a permanent stop connector adapted to be mated with the catheter connector;
after the optical fiber is inserted through the catheter, locking the permanent stop connector with the catheter connector such that the distal end of the optical fiber extends past the distal end of the catheter by a predetermined distance; and
withdrawing the locked catheter and optical fiber while heat is being applied to the blood inside the vein through the distal end of the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43)
-
Specification