MEDICAL INSTRUMENT

• US 20150342625A1
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: SHIMIZU, Katsuhiko, KUWANO, Youichirou
• Granted Patent: US 9,987,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00541 Lung or bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0078 with multiple treatment transducers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/022 intracavitary

Abstract

A medical instrument is disclosed for crushing a thrombus present in a pulmonary artery of a living body by an ultrasonic vibration. The medical instrument includes an elongated main body section capable of being inserted into an airway of the living body, and an ultrasonic oscillation section which can be inserted into the living body by the main body section and which oscillates the ultrasonic vibration inside the living body. By the medical instrument, a thrombus present in a pulmonary artery can be rapidly crushed, whereby a therapeutic effect on pulmonary embolism can be obtained.

Claims

1. A medical instrument for crushing a thrombus present in a pulmonary artery of a living body by an ultrasonic vibration, the medical instrument comprising:

an elongated main body section configured to be inserted into an airway of the living body; and

an ultrasonic oscillation section which can be inserted into the living body by the main body section and which oscillates the ultrasonic vibration inside the living body.

2. The medical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising

a retaining section adapted to retain the ultrasonic oscillation section in relation to an inner wall of the airway.

3. The medical instrument according to claim 2,

wherein the retaining section has an expansion member expanded by injection of a fluid into the expansion member and contracted by discharge of the fluid from the expansion member,

the main body section has a lumen which communicates with an inside of the expansion member and through which a fluid can flow, and

the ultrasonic oscillation section is disposed on at least one of an outer surface of the expansion member and the inside of the expansion member.

4. The medical instrument according to claim 3,

wherein the expansion member in its expanded state has an external shape formed with a recess such that a gap through which a fluid can flow is defined between the expansion member and the airway.

5. The medical instrument according to claim 2,

wherein the ultrasonic oscillation section is disposed at a part on a distal end of the main body section, and

the retaining section has a pressing member which extends from the main body section and which presses the ultrasonic oscillation section against the airway to thereby retain the ultrasonic oscillation section.

6. The medical instrument according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the ultrasonic oscillation sections are disposed in different positions along a circumferential direction of the main body section, and the ultrasonic oscillation sections are configured to oscillate ultrasonic vibrations at different vibration frequencies.

7. The medical instrument according to claim 1,

wherein the ultrasonic oscillation section has a transmission member adapted to transmit the ultrasonic vibration in a longitudinal direction of the main body section.

8. The medical instrument according to claim 7,

wherein the transmission member has an elongated metallic member wound around the main body section.

9. The medical instrument according to claim 1, comprising

a rotational drive source driving a rotational motion of the ultrasonic oscillation section.

10. The medical instrument according to claim 1,

wherein an angle of beam spread of the ultrasonic vibration oscillated from the ultrasonic oscillation section can be controlled.

11. A medical instrument for crushing a thrombus present in a pulmonary artery of a living body by an ultrasonic vibration, the medical instrument comprising:

an elongated main body section configured to be inserted into an airway of the living body;

an ultrasonic oscillation section which can be inserted into the living body by the main body section and which oscillates the ultrasonic vibration inside the living body; and

a retaining section disposed on a distal end of the elongated main body section, the retaining section having an expansion member expanded by injection of a fluid into the expansion member and contracted by discharge of the fluid from the expansion member, and wherein the ultrasonic oscillation section is disposed on at least one of an outer surface of the expansion member and the inside of the expansion member.

12. The medical instrument according to claim 11,

wherein the main body section has a lumen which communicates with an inside of the expansion member and through which a fluid can flow, and

wherein the expansion member in its expanded state has an external shape formed with a recess such that a gap through which a fluid can flow is defined between the expansion member and the airway.

13. The medical instrument according to claim 11,

wherein the ultrasonic oscillation section is disposed at a part on a distal end of the main body section, and

the retaining section has a pressing member which extends from the main body section and which presses the ultrasonic oscillation section against the airway to thereby retain the ultrasonic oscillation section.

14. The medical instrument according to claim 11,

wherein a plurality of the ultrasonic oscillation sections are disposed in different positions along a circumferential direction of the main body section, and the ultrasonic oscillation sections are configured to oscillate ultrasonic vibrations at different vibration frequencies.

15. A method of crushing a thrombus in a pulmonary artery by ultrasonic vibrations, the method comprising:

inserting a medical instrument into a living body, the medical instrument including an elongated main body section configured to be inserted into an airway of the living body and an ultrasonic oscillation section which is inserted into the living body by the main body section; and

oscillating the ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic oscillation section inside the living body.

16. The method according to claim 15,

expanding an expansion member of a retaining section of the medical instrument, the retaining section adapted to retain the ultrasonic oscillation section in relation to an inner wall of the living body, and pressing the ultrasonic oscillating section against the inner wall of the living body.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising:

injecting a fluid into the expansion member through a lumen to expand the expansion member; and

discharging the fluid from the expansion member to contract the expansion member.

18. The method according to claim 15, comprising

disposing the ultrasonic oscillation section on at least one of an outer surface of the expansion member and the inside of the expansion member.

19. The method according to claim 15,

wherein the expansion member in its expanded state has an external shape formed with a recess;

and

flowing a fluid through a gap between the expansion member and the airway.

20. The method according to claim 15,

transmitting the ultrasonic vibrations in a longitudinal direction of the main body section to the ultrasonic oscillation section through a transmission member;

and

controlling an angle of beam spread of the ultrasonic vibration oscillated from the ultrasonic oscillation section.