ELECTRODE MARKERS AND METHODS OF USE

• US 20080097424A1
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asthmatx, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Wizeman, William J., Dalbec, Timothy R., Webster, Noah
• Granted Patent: US 7,931,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00214 Expandable means emitting energy, e.g. by elements carried thereon
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00541 Lung or bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3937 Visible markers

Abstract

An energy delivery device for treating tissue regions in a body conduit, such as a lung airway, may utilize one or more markers, rings, bands, or other visual indicators along an outer surface of the device body. The one or more visual indicators facilitate guidance of the device to effectively and efficiently treat the tissue according to a predetermined axial treatment as well as measure extension of a distal portion of the device, tissue length, and/or treatment length. The predetermined axial treatment may be contiguous, overlapping, or intermittently spaced apart as determined by the marker spacing distance.

Claims

1. An energy delivery device for use in a body conduit or cavity, the device comprising:

an elongate body having a proximal portion with a proximal end and a distal portion with a distal end;

an energy delivery element disposed at the distal end of the elongate body; and

a plurality of visual indicators disposed on the distal portion of the elongate body, wherein the visual indicators are separated by a predetermined spacing distance so as to provide a predetermined axial treatment in a body conduit or cavity.

2. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined axial treatment comprises contiguous, overlapping, intermittent, or combination treatment thereof of the body conduit or cavity with the energy delivery element.

3. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the energy delivery element comprises an electrode, wherein the predetermined spacing distance comprises an active electrode length.

4. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spacing comprises a distance in a range from about 3 mm to about 30 mm.

5. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined spacing comprises a distance of about 5 mm.

6. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual indicators comprise two circular bands or rings.

7. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual indicators comprise four circular bands or rings.

8. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual indicators comprise two identical markers.

9. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual indicators comprise two markers having different colors or non-uniform configurations.

10. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the elongate body comprises a tubular sheath or shaft.

11. The energy delivery device of claim 1, further comprising a proximal marker disposed on the proximal portion of the elongate body.

12. A radio frequency energy delivery device for use in a lung airway so as to treat asthma, the device comprising:

an elongate body having a proximal portion with a proximal end and a distal portion with a distal end;

a radio frequency electrode disposed at the distal end of the elongate body; and

a plurality of visual indicators disposed on the distal portion of the elongate body, wherein the visual indicators are separated by a predetermined spacing distance so as to provide a predetermined axial treatment in a lung airway so as to treat asthma.

13. A method for delivering energy in a lung airway, the method comprising:

positioning an access device having a visualization element within a lung airway;

advancing an energy delivery device within the access device, wherein a visual indicator disposed on a distal portion of the energy delivery device and proximal an energy element delivery element disposed on a distal end of the energy delivery device is positioned outside the access device as verified with the visualization element so as to provide a predetermined axial treatment in the lung airway with the energy delivery element relative to the access device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined axial treatment comprises contiguous, overlapping, intermittent, or combination treatment thereof of the lung airway with the energy delivery element.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined axial treatment comprises contiguous treatment of the lung airway for a length of at least 10 mm.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising positioning a last visual indicator disposed on the distal portion of the energy delivery device outside the access device as verified with the visualization element.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising deploying and activating an energy delivery element outside the access device and within a lung airway.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising retracting the energy delivery element and pulling the energy delivery device in a proximal direction relative to the access device until a next visual indicator disposed on the distal portion of the energy delivery device is verified with the visualization element.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising repeating the deploying, activating, retracting, and pulling proximal steps so as to provide the predetermined axial treatment in a lung airway relative to the access device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising deploying and activating an energy delivery element outside the access device and within a lung airway.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising retracting the energy delivery element and positioning a second visual indicator disposed on the distal portion of the energy delivery device outside the access device as verified with the visualization element.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising repeating the deploying, activating, retracting, and positioning steps so as to provide the predetermined axial treatment in a lung airway relative to the access device.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising preventing pre-mature deployment of the energy delivery element within the access device by visualization of a first visual indicator.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising preventing distal advancement of the energy delivery element beyond a predetermined distance from the access device by visualization of a last visual indicator.

25. The method of claim 13, further comprising aligning the one visual indicator with an anatomical landmark in the lung airway.

26. The method of claim 13, further comprising measuring a length of the lung airway by visual indicator positioning.

27. The method of claim 13, further comprising measuring a depth of the energy delivery element by visual indicator positioning.