CATHETER WITH A LUMEN SHAPED AS AN IDENTIFICATION SYMBOL

• US 20170165454A1
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Tuohy, John, Ward, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 10,369,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3933 Liquid markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3966 Radiopaque markers visible in an X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/96 using barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0034 characterized by elements which are assembled, connected or fused, e.g. splittable tubes, outer sheaths creating lumina or separate cores
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/32 with radio-opaque indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/00 Methods of manufacture, assembly or production
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0009 Making of catheters or other medical or surgical tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0023 by the form of the lumen, e.g. cross-section, variable diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0108 using radio-opaque or ultrasound markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/005 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 59/16 by wave energy or particle radiation , e.g. infrared heating B29C59/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7543 Balloon catheters

Abstract

A catheter includes a catheter shaft having a shaft wall and a lumen extending longitudinally within the shaft wall. The lumen is bounded in radially outward and radially inward directions. The lumen includes a feed portion and an identification symbol fluidly connected to the feed portion. The lumen is configured to receive a contrast media. The lumen may be formed by a channel formed in an outer surface of a first shaft of the catheter shaft, and a covering disposed around the outer surface of the first shaft to cover the channel.

Claims

1. A catheter, comprising:

a catheter shaft including a shaft wall; and

a lumen extending longitudinally within the shaft wall, wherein the lumen is bounded in radially outward and radially inward directions, the lumen including a feed portion and an identification symbol fluidly connected to the feed portion, wherein the lumen is configured to receive a contrast media.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the catheter shaft includes a first shaft having an outer surface and a covering disposed around the outer surface of the first shaft, wherein the lumen comprises a channel in the outer surface of the first shaft and the covering covering the channel.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the covering is a polymer film heat shrunk around the first catheter.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the lumen comprises an air evacuation port.

5. The catheter of claim 4, further comprising an air channel extending from the air evacuation port proximally through the wall of the catheter shaft, wherein the air channel and air evacuation port are fluidly connected.

6. The catheter of claim 2, wherein the identification symbol comprises a series of linearly interconnected channels having varied widths, wherein the identification symbol is machine-readable.

7. The catheter of claim 2, wherein the identification symbol comprises a pattern of ablated and unablated segments of the outer surface of the first shaft.

8. The catheter of claim 7, wherein the pattern is spiral pattern wrapped around the first shaft, wherein the spiral pattern is configured to viewed as a barcode in two dimensions using fluoroscopy when the lumen of the identification symbol is filled with contrast media.

9. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the identification symbol is machine-readable and is configured such that the identification symbol can only be machine-read when in a predetermined rotational orientation relative to a central longitudinal axis of the catheter.

10. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the identification symbol is asymmetric with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the catheter such that the identification is configured to show a predetermined proper rotational orientation of the catheter relative to the central longitudinal axis.

11. A method of forming an identification symbol on a catheter for viewing under fluoroscopy comprising the steps of:

ablating a channel into an outer surface of a catheter shaft, the channel including a feed portion and an identification symbol having a pattern, the feed portion and the identification symbol being fluidly connected; and

covering the feed portion and the identification symbol of the channel to form an enclosed lumen including the feed portion and the identification symbol, wherein the lumen is configured to be filled with a contrast media.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the channel is ablated at a depth of between 0.001 and 0.002 inch.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the channel is ablated with an ultrashort pulse laser.

14. The method of claim 13, further wherein the ultrashort pulse laser is pulsed at femtosecond durations.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the channel is ablated by chemical etching.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the identification symbol pattern is a barcode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the barcode is a linear barcode having parallel lines and spaces of varying widths.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the barcode is a matrix barcode, formed of ablated segments and unablated segments.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of forming an air evacuation port fluidly coupled to the identification symbol for evacuating air from the lumen upon introduction of the contrast media into the lumen.

20. A method of identifying a catheter within a body of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting a catheter into a body of a patient, the catheter including a catheter shaft having a lumen formed in a wall of the catheter shaft, the lumen including a feed portion and an identification symbol in fluid communication with the feed portion;

injecting a contrast media into the lumen such that the contrast media reaches the identification symbol;

viewing the identification symbol under fluoroscopy.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the identification symbol filled with the contrast media is machine readable.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the machine readable identification symbol provides information regarding one or more of the catheter manufacturer, type, size, and rotational orientation.