Balloon catheter

• US 4,614,188 A
• Filed: 06/18/1985
• Issued: 09/30/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uresil Corporation
• Original Assignee: Becton Dickinson and Company One Becton Drive Franklin Lakes NJ 07417-1880
• Inventors: Goldberg, Edward M., Bazell, Seymour
• Primary Examiner(s): Truluck, Dalton L.
• Application Number:
  US06/746,249
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 128/344, 128/348.1, 604/96-103
• US Class Current: 606/194
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22032 having inflatable gripping elements balloon catheters A61M25/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0098 having a strain relief at the proximal end, e.g. sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1075 having a balloon composed of several layers, e.g. by coating or embedding
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/005 with embedded materials for reinforcement, e.g. wires, coils, braids
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10 Balloon catheters A61M25/0125 takes precedence; embolectomy A61B17/22032; retractors A61B17/02; inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts A61F2/958 ; stomach balloons for treatment of obesity A61F5/0003; oesophagal tubes A61J15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1018 Balloon inflating or inflation-control devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10181 Means for forcing inflation fluid into the balloon
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10183 Compressible bulbs

Abstract

The disclosed balloon catheter includes a proximal catheter segment, a distal catheter segment, and an inflatable balloon member secured to and disposed between the proximal and distal catheter segments. A tension member is secured to the distal catheter segment and passes through the lumen of a coil spring included in the proximal catheter segment, such that the tension member is free to slide within the coil spring. A stop member is secured to the proximal end of the tension member to limit the sliding movement of the tension member inside the proximal catheter segment. The disclosed structure permits the balloon member to stretch both axially and circumferentially as it inflates, thereby improving the concentricity of the resulting balloon. In addition, in the preferred embodiment the stop member is positioned on the tension member such that the tension member is free to slide further in the coil spring after the balloon member has been inflated to its normal inflated state, thereby providing protection against overpressures in the balloon member.

Claims

1. In an elongated, single lumen, balloon catheter for insertion in a body passage, the catheter including an elongated flexible support structure having distal and proximal ends that includes an elongated, flexible, coil spring means whose interior surface bounds a single, elongated, lumen of the catheter, and through which lumen a pressurizing fluid is to be selectively supplied, and with external resilient sheath means surrounding, and supported on, the exterior of the elongated coil spring means, and with an annular, inflatable, resilient balloon means also provided as part of the resilient covering of the coil spring support structure and being in fluid communication only with the catheter'"'"'s lumen;

the improvement comprising, in combination;

the annular inflatable balloon means being located adjacent the distal end of the catheter and being sized, when deflated, to be selectively insertable with its supporting catheter structure into a selected body passage of a subject;

an inflation means for said inflatable balloon being connected to the support structure adjacent the proximal end thereof that is intended to be positioned outside the body of the subject, said inflation means including a fluid containing chamber that is in communication, through said single lumen of the catheter, with the inflatable balloon located in a subject'"'"'s selected body passage;

said fluid containing chamber having at least one thin and flexible, deformable wall adapted to be manipulated by digital pressure supplied by the user of the catheter said chamber including means to provide direct control of the inflation pressure in the catheter'"'"'s single lumen and in the balloon by manual pressure applied to said flexible wall, said thin and flexible deformable wall being also operative to provide means for tactile sensing of fluid pressure variation within the fluid containing chamber that is responsive to variations in pressure developed in the distal inflated balloon that is positioned in the body of the subject.

2. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the wall of the chamber is formed of an elastomeric material and is substantially inextensible by digital pressure of a user.

3. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the chamber is shaped as a flattened disc sized to fit between the thumb and an opposing finger of the user.

4. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein said chamber comprises;

an upper surface;

a lower surface;

a pleated side wall secured at one end to the upper surface and at the other end to the lower surface; and

said upper surface defining the at least one flexible deformable wall.

5. The balloon catheter of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the at least one flexible deformable wall is no greater than about 0.015 inch.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein the chamber further comprises;

a coil spring positioned surrounded by the side wall and arranged to bias the upper surface away from the lower surface.