Low profile intravascular ultrasound catheter

• US 20090163818A1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: McEvers, Bruce, Okeeffe, Daniel, Cars, Mikael, Zelenka, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,277,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/467
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0042 Microcatheters, cannula or the like having outside diameters around 1 mm or less
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0059 having means for preventing the catheter, sheath or lumens from collapsing due to outer forces, e.g. compressing forces, or caused by twisting or kinking
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0098 having a strain relief at the proximal end, e.g. sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0175 having telescopic features, interengaging nestable members movable in relations to one another
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/018 Catheters having a lateral opening for guiding elongated means lateral to the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0183 Rapid exchange or monorail catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0054 with regions for increasing flexibility

Abstract

The present invention provides low profile intravascular ultrasound catheters adapted to access sites within the patient'"'"'s body through narrow blood vessels, e.g., the radial artery. In an embodiment, a low profile catheter comprises an catheter sheath, a short guidewire receiver attached to the distal end of the catheter sheath, and a telescope assembly at the proximal end. The catheter sheath comprises a main portion and a tapered portion for increased flexibility toward the distal end of the catheter. In one embodiment, a rotatable and translatable imaging core is received within the catheter sheath for ultrasound imaging. A short guidewire receiver is used to allow the imaging core to be advanced farther distally with respect to the distal end of the catheter. In an embodiment, the catheter sheath extends through a portion of the telescope assembly to provide enhanced support of the imaging core within the telescope assembly.

Claims

1. An intravascular catheter, comprising:

a catheter sheath having a main portion and a tapered portion located distally to the main portion;

a guidewire receiver attached to a distal portion of the catheter sheath; and

a telescoping assembly attached to a proximal portion of the catheter sheath.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the tapered portion of the catheter sheath has a wall thickness that gradually decreases in a direction toward the distal end of the catheter sheath.

3. The catheter of claim 2, wherein the tapered portion of the catheter sheath has a maximum outer diameter of less than 0.045 inches.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the guidewire receiver has a length of 20 millimeters or less.

5. The catheter of claim 1, the guidewire receiver has a tapered proximal portion attached to the distal portion of the catheter sheath.

6. The catheter of claim 5, wherein the catheter sheath has a tapered distal portion attached to tapered proximal portion of the guidewire receiver.

7. The catheter of claim 6, wherein a region within which the tapered proximal portion of the guidewire receiver attaches to the tapered distal portion of the catheter sheath has a substantially uniform outer diameter.

9. The catheter of claim 4, wherein the longitudinal axis of the guidewire receiver is at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the catheter sheath.

10. The catheter of claim 9, wherein the angle is approximately between 5 and 10 degrees.

11. The catheter of claim 9, wherein the guidewire receiver has a length of 20 millimeters or less.

12. The catheter of claim 9, wherein the guidewire receiver has an outer diameter of 0.045 inches or less.

13. The catheter of claim 1, further comprising an imaging core received within a lumen of the catheter sheath.

14. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the telescope assembly comprises:

a female telescoping tube; and

a male telescoping tube adapted to slid within the female telescoping tube;

wherein a proximal portion of the catheter sheath extends into the female telescoping tube, and the male telescoping tube is adapted to slide over the proximal portion of the catheter sheath.

15. The catheter of claim 14, wherein the proximal portion of the catheter sheath extends through the female telescoping tube and into a distal portion of the male telescoping tube when the telescope assembly is in a fully extended state.

16. The catheter of claim 15, further comprising an imaging core extending through the male telescoping tube and a lumen of the catheter sheath.

17. The catheter of claim 14, wherein the telescope assembly further comprises a telescope hub, wherein a distal portion of the female telescoping tube is attached to the hub, and the proximal portion of the catheter sheath extends through the hub into the female telescoping tube.

18. The catheter of claim 17, wherein the proximal portion of the catheter sheath and a portion of the catheter sheath extending distally from the hub comprise a single continuous tubular piece.