Electrosurgical catheter and method for vascular applications
First Claim
1. An electrosurgical plaque-resolving or tissue-eroding device having a distal end which is insertable within and along the lumen of a blood vessel and manipulated therethrough to a desired position without causing undue trauma where the device is operated to thermally resolve atherosclerotic plaque buildup or erode tissue in the blood vessel to re-establish desired blood flow through the blood vessel or to remove tissue therefrom, said device comprising:
- an elongate flexible hollow tubular body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a diameter smaller than the diameter of the vessel into which said device is inserted;
first passage means within said tubular body for supplying a flushing fluid to the site where plaque or tissue is resolved or eroded;
second passage means within said tubular body for evacuating, such as by suction, debris at the site of resolving plaque or eroding tissue from the site;
a hollow tip member mounted at said distal end of said flexible hollow tubular body;
an electrode adjacent to and in operative association with said hollow tip member for resolving plaque or eroding tissue, said tip member being beveled or rounded at the distal end of said device;
means for supplying a high-frequency electrical current to said electrode for cutting tissue or coagulating body fluid; and
means for sensing, from time to time, the amount of plaque or tissue at the site in the blood vessel.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The method for resolving atherosclerotic plaque buildup and/or eroding unwanted tissue in a blood vessel includes the steps of: inserting an electrode in and along the lumen of a blood vessel; manually manipulating said electrode through the blood vessel; positioning said electrode proximate to atherosclerotic plaque buildup site or unwanted tissue site in the blood vessel; supplying a predetermined high-frequency, high-voltage electrical current to said electrode; maintaining said predetermined current for a predetermined time period; and sensing from time to time, the amount of plaque or unwanted tissue at the site.
The electrosurgical plaque-resolving or tissue-eroding device is adapted to be inserted within and along the lumen of a blood vessel and manipulated therethrough to a desired position where the device is operated to resolve atherosclerotic plaque buildup or erode tissue in the blood vessel according to the method to re-establish desired blood flow through the blood vessel or to remove tissue therefrom. The device comprises an elongate flexible hollow tubular body having a distal end and a proximal end. A hollow tip member is mounted at the distal end of the flexible hollow tubular body and an electrode is associated with the hollow tip member for resolving plaque or eroding tissue. A power supply circuit for supplying a high-frequency, high-voltage electrical current to the electrode is coupled to the electrode. A mechanism for sensing, from time to time, the amount of plaque or tissue at the site in the blood vessel is also provided with the device.
-
Citations
39 Claims
-
1. An electrosurgical plaque-resolving or tissue-eroding device having a distal end which is insertable within and along the lumen of a blood vessel and manipulated therethrough to a desired position without causing undue trauma where the device is operated to thermally resolve atherosclerotic plaque buildup or erode tissue in the blood vessel to re-establish desired blood flow through the blood vessel or to remove tissue therefrom, said device comprising:
- an elongate flexible hollow tubular body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a diameter smaller than the diameter of the vessel into which said device is inserted;
first passage means within said tubular body for supplying a flushing fluid to the site where plaque or tissue is resolved or eroded;
second passage means within said tubular body for evacuating, such as by suction, debris at the site of resolving plaque or eroding tissue from the site;
a hollow tip member mounted at said distal end of said flexible hollow tubular body;
an electrode adjacent to and in operative association with said hollow tip member for resolving plaque or eroding tissue, said tip member being beveled or rounded at the distal end of said device;
means for supplying a high-frequency electrical current to said electrode for cutting tissue or coagulating body fluid; and
means for sensing, from time to time, the amount of plaque or tissue at the site in the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
- an elongate flexible hollow tubular body having a distal end, a proximal end, and a diameter smaller than the diameter of the vessel into which said device is inserted;
-
39. A cardiovascular thermal ablation device having a distal portion which is insertable into and along a lumen of a blood vessel to a desired position against an area of atherosclerotic plaque buildup or like obstruction within the lumen of the vessel without undue trauma, said device having means for thermally resolving the area of obstruction within the vessel and having means for removing resolved tissue from the area of thermal ablation, said device further comprising an elongate flexible hollow tubular body having a distal end and a proximal end;
- a hollow tip member mounted at said distal end of said flexible hollow tubular body;
at least one electrode adjacent to and in operative association with said hollow tip member for resolving plaque or eroding tissue;
said tip member being beveled or rounded at said distal end of said device;
means for supplying electrical current to said electrode;
means for sensing, between periods of application of electrical current to said electrode, the amount of plaque or tissue remaining to obstruct the site in the blood vessel by measuring the impedance of the plaque of tissue;
means for supplying fluid to, or for supplying suction from, the site including at least one channel extending through said flexible hollow tubular body and tip member, and said device having at least one further channel, at least one wire conductor in said further channel extending proximally from said at least one electrode to said proximal end of said device and means for connecting said conductor to a source of electrical current.
- a hollow tip member mounted at said distal end of said flexible hollow tubular body;
Specification