Guidewire apparatus with an expandable portion and methods of use
First Claim
1. An expandable guidewire apparatus configured to temporarily mate with a medical device at a distal section thereof, said distal section including a working element and an interior wall defining a guidewire lumen extending through the working element and terminating at an opening thereof, said guidewire apparatus comprising:
- an elongated main section having an actuating lumen extending substantially therethrough to a distal portion thereof, and an expandable section coupled to the distal portion of the main section, and operably communicating with the actuating lumen to facilitate actuation of the expandable section between an unexpanded state and an expanded state, sized and dimensioned to temporarily mate against the interior wall of the guidewire lumen.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A guidewire apparatus for a medical device that includes an expandable guidewire section that can be locked in an expanded state. In one use, the expandable section can be temporarily locked to a working element of a medical device to facilitate the transmission of torque from the guidewire to the medical device. Hence, this configuration may be utilized to aid in orientation of the working element with a vessel side branch by providing the user with the ability to apply a rotational force to the distal end of the stent delivery system. Another use includes docking the expandable section near an opening into a guidewire lumen at the catheter tip. This configuration is particularly useful in forming a smooth transition between the guidewire and the catheter tip to reduce the phenomenon of fish-mouthing.
104 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An expandable guidewire apparatus configured to temporarily mate with a medical device at a distal section thereof, said distal section including a working element and an interior wall defining a guidewire lumen extending through the working element and terminating at an opening thereof, said guidewire apparatus comprising:
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an elongated main section having an actuating lumen extending substantially therethrough to a distal portion thereof, and an expandable section coupled to the distal portion of the main section, and operably communicating with the actuating lumen to facilitate actuation of the expandable section between an unexpanded state and an expanded state, sized and dimensioned to temporarily mate against the interior wall of the guidewire lumen. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A catheter system comprising:
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a catheter device including an elongated tube member, and a distal section that includes a working element associated with a distal portion of the tube member, and a catheter tip portion associated with a distal end of the working element, said catheter device further defining a guidewire lumen extending through said elongated tube member and terminating at a distal end of the catheter tip portion, said distal section including an interior anchor wall defining a portion of the guidewire lumen; and
an expandable guidewire device disposed within said guidewire lumen of the catheter device, and configured for substantially axial displacement therein, said guidewire device including;
an elongated main section having an actuating lumen extending substantially therethrough to a distal portion thereof; and
an expandable section coupled to the distal portion of the elongated guidewire section, and operably communicating with the actuating lumen to facilitate selective actuation of the expandable section between an unexpanded state and an expanded state, having a transverse cross-sectional dimension greater than that in the unexpanded state and sufficient to contact and frictionally engage the interior anchor wall of the distal section by an amount such that selective torsional and/or axial forces applied to the elongated guidewire section are transmitted to the distal section of the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for temporarily and selectively mating a guidewire apparatus to a distal section of a medical device disposed in a vessel to transfer an a force from the guidewire apparatus to the medical device, said distal section including a working element and an interior wall defining a guidewire lumen extending through the working element and terminating at an opening thereof, said method comprising:
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positioning an expandable guidewire apparatus, having an elongated main section and an expandable section associated with the main section, in the guidewire lumen such that the expandable section is oriented proximate to the medical device distal section;
actuating the expandable section of the guidewire apparatus from an unexpanded state, sized and dimensioned for substantially interference free axial and rotational passage through the guidewire lumen, to an expanded state, sized and dimensioned to temporarily engage the guidewire lumen interior wall at the distal section of the medical device; and
applying a force to the main section of the guidewire apparatus that is transmitted to the working element of the medical device via the temporarily mated expandable section of the guidewire apparatus, in the expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for reducing potential flaring between a guidewire and a distal section of a medical device inserted over the guidewire during a medical procedure, said distal section of the medical device including a working element and defining a guidewire lumen extending through the working element and terminating at a distal opening thereof, said method comprising:
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orienting the guidewire, having an elongated main section and an expandable section associated with a distal portion of the main section, in the guidewire lumen such that the expandable section is positioned proximate to the distal opening into the guidewire lumen of the medical device;
actuating the expandable section of the guidewire apparatus from a base diameter unexpanded state, sized and dimensioned for substantially interference free axial and rotational passage through the guidewire lumen, to an expanded state, sized and dimensioned to substantially fill the guidewire lumen opening of the distal section to form a relatively smooth transition ramp, tapering radially outward, from the base diameter of the guidewire to at least substantially transverse cross-sectional dimension of the guidewire lumen opening at the distal section of the medical device. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification