Balloon Catheter With Radiopaque Marker

• US 20080015499A1
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
• Inventors: Warnack, Boris
• Granted Patent: US 8,251,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/103.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1079 having radio-opaque markers in the region of the balloon
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0108 using radio-opaque or ultrasound markers

Abstract

A catheter for delivering a stent includes an outer tube having a proximal end, a distal end and a wall defining a lumen; an inner tube disposed within the outer tube and defining a lumen for a guidewire, wherein a portion of a length of the inner tube is wrapped around with a spiral-shaped wire; a balloon sealingly connected to the inner tube and the outer tube adjacent the distal ends thereof, the balloon defining an interior volume and having an exterior surface; and a marker made from a wire of a highly radiopaque and ductile material, wherein the wire is wrapped in a plurality of at least partially overlapping layers such that the marker is flexible along the length of the catheter.

Claims

1. A catheter comprising:

an elongate first tubular member having a proximal section, a distal section, and a lumen extending therethrough;

a balloon associated with the distal section of the first tubular member, the balloon having a proximal end and a distal end; and

a wire disposed in at least the distal section of the first tubular member, the wire disposed along the section of the tubular member in a spiral configuration, the wire including at least a first marker section of radiopaque material.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the radiopaque material is disposed between the proximal and distal ends of the balloon.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire further includes a second marker section of radiopaque material.

4. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the first marker section is disposed proximate the proximal end of the balloon and the second marker section is disposed proximate the distal end of the balloon.

5. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first marker section of radiopaque material extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the balloon.

6. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire includes plurality of densities along the length of the tubular member.

7. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire includes a plurality of pitches along the length of the tubular member.

8. The catheter of claim 7, wherein the wire includes a first spiral configuration having a first pitch proximal to the proximal end of the balloon and a second spiral configuration having a second pitch distal to the proximal end of the balloon.

9. The catheter of claim 8, wherein the second pitch is greater than the first pitch.

10. The catheter of claim 7, wherein the plurality of pitches defines a stiffness gradient along the length of the tubular member.

11. The catheter of claim 10 wherein the stiffness gradient decreases distally along the length of the tubular member.

12. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the catheter further includes a cover over the wire.

13. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the cover is a coating.

14. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the cover is a tube.

15. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire has a circular cross-section.

16. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire has a flat, rectangular cross-section.

17. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the wire is at least partially embedded in the tubular member.

18. A catheter comprising:

an elongate first tubular member having a proximal section, a distal section, and a lumen extending therethrough;

a balloon associated with the distal section of the first tubular member, the balloon having a proximal end and a distal end; and

a wire disposed in at least the distal section of the first tubular member in a spiral configuration, wherein the wire includes a section of overlapping wire layers and a first marker section of radiopaque material.

19. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the radiopaque material is disposed between the proximal and distal ends of the balloon.

20. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire further includes a second marker section of radiopaque material.

21. The catheter of claim 20, wherein the first marker section is disposed proximate the proximal end of the balloon and the second marker section is disposed proximate the distal end of the balloon.

22. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the first marker section of radiopaque material extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the balloon.

23. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire includes plurality of densities along the length of the tubular member.

24. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire includes a plurality of pitches along the length of the tubular member.

25. The catheter of claim 24, wherein the wire includes a first spiral configuration having a first pitch proximal to the proximal end of the balloon and a second spiral configuration having a second pitch distal to the proximal end of the balloon.

27. The catheter of claim 25, wherein the plurality of pitches defines a stiffness gradient along the length of the tubular member.

28. The catheter of claim 27 wherein the stiffness gradient decreases distally along the length of the tubular member.

29. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the catheter further includes a cover over the wire.

30. The catheter of claim 29, wherein the cover is a coating.

31. The catheter of claim 29, wherein the cover is a tube.

32. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire has a circular cross-section.

33. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire has a flat, rectangular cross-section.

34. The catheter of claim 18, wherein the wire is at least partially embedded in the tubular member.

26. The catheter of claim 26, wherein the second pitch is greater than the first pitch.