Catheter for uniform distribution of therapeutic fluids

• US 4,968,307 A
• Filed: 04/10/1989
• Issued: 11/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Dake, Michael D., Maguire, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yasko, John D.
• Application Number:
  US07/335,235
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 604/264, 604/258, 604/275, 604/280, 604/281, 604/282, 604/43, 604/51, 604/54
• US Class Current: 604/264
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/007 Side holes, e.g. their profiles or arrangements; Provisions to keep side holes unblocked

Abstract

A vascular catheter for delivering a uniform flow of therapeutic fluid over a length of the catheter. The catheter is particularly suitable for delivering thrombolytic agents to a thrombus or clot in a patient'"'"'s arterial system. In a preferred embodiment, the catheter has a relatively thick-walled tubular body with a central lumen for advancement over a guidewire and a plurality of fluid delivering lumens disposed within the relatively thick wall. Each of the smaller lumens has a single flow passageway to discharge therapeutic fluid to the exterior of the catheter.

Claims

1. A multilumen vascular catheter for the uniform delivery of fluid containing drugs, therapeutic agents and the like comprising an elongated tubular body having a wall defining a first lumen for receiving a guidewire to facilitate the advancement of the catheter through a patient'"'"'s vasculature and a plurality of second lumens disposed longitudinally within the wall, each of said second lumens having a flow passageway in a distal portion of the catheter extending from the second lumen through the wall of the tubular body to the exterior thereof with the flow passageways having a minimum crosssectional area of about 1×

10^-6 to about 5×

10^-4 and being longitudinally spaced from each other so that a uniform flow of fluid is discharged over the distal portion of the catheter.

2. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein the first lumen is defined by a cylindrically shaped wall and is centrally disposed along the longitudinal axis thereof.

3. The vascular catheter of claim 2 wherein the plurality of second lumens are disposed about the first lumen.

4. The vascular catheter of claim 1 including means at the proximal end of the catheter for directing fluid into the plurality of second lumens.

5. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein the minimum cross-sectional areas of each of the flow passageways through the wall of the catheter are essentially the same.

6. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein the flow passageways are spaced longitudinally from one another a distance of about 0.5 to about 5 cm.

7. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein at least four second lumens are provided.

8. The catheter of claim 1 wherein the flow passageways are radially spaced about the longitudinal axis of the tubular body from each other so as to be in a spiral orientation.

9. The method of treating a thrombus within a patient'"'"'s vascular system comprising:

(a) advancing a guidewire through the patient'"'"'s vasculature and passing the distal tip thereof through the thrombus to be treated;

(b) advancing a vascular catheter over the guidewire and urging the distal portion of the catheter into the thrombus; and

(c) uniformly discharging fluid containing thrombolytic agents through passageways provided in the distal portion of the catheter into the thrombus at a rate of about 0.1 to about 2 cc per minute.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the thrombolytic agents are selected from the group consisting of urokinase, streptokinase, and tissue plasminogen activator.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the treatment is followed by balloon angioplasty or atherectomy procedures.