Hose or tubular guide catheter

• US 5,231,994 A
• Filed: 04/10/1992
• Issued: 08/03/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dietrich Harmjanz
• Original Assignee: Dietrich Harmjanz
• Inventors: Harmjanz, Dietrich
• Primary Examiner(s): ASCHENBRENNER, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/870,188
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 128/651, 128/658, 128/772, 128/7, 128/341, 604/48, 604/53, 604/93, 604/264, 604/280, 604/281, 604/160, 604/166
• US Class Current: 600/585
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0041 pre-formed, e.g. specially adapted to fit with the anatomy of body channels urethral catheters A61F2/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence

Abstract

A hose or tubular guide catheter which accommodates and guides a balloon catheter through a portion of the vascular system to a site where the balloon catheter can be employed for the dilatation of coronary arteries. The wall of the catheter, in the region of its anterior end, is set back from the edge over a portion of the circumference. If the end of this guide catheter has passed only a little way into the entrance of a coronary artery, blood from the aorta can enter through the large flow section into the catheter and into the coronary artery. Hence the blood supply of the coronary artery is assured. By further advance of the guide catheter, the recess is closed off by the wall of the entrance opening of the coronary artery, so that injected contrast medium will enter full into the coronary artery and cannot pass into the aorta.

Claims

1. An intracorporeal guide catheter comprising an elongated flexible tubular member having proximal and distal ends and a wall which defines a single concentric lumen extending the entire wall of said tubular member and open longitudinally axially at each end thereof, said wall having at the distal end of the catheter a lateral portion removed therefrom to thereby provide a gap in said wall extending proximally from the tip of said distal end, with the width of the gap being uniform for its entire length.

2. An intracorporeal guide catheter comprising an elongated flexible tubular member having proximal and distal ends and a wall which defines a single concentric lumen extending the entire length of said tubular member and open longitudinally axially at each end thereof, said wall having at the distal end of the catheter a lateral portion removed therefrom to thereby provide a gap in said wall extending proximally from the tip of said distal end, wherein the width of the gap bilaterally diminishes symmetrically and non-uniformly along its length in a bell-shaped pattern.

3. An intracorporeal guide catheter adapted to guide a dilatation balloon catheter into a coronary artery of a heart comprising an elongated flexible tubular member having proximal and distal ends and a wall which defines a single concentric lumen extending the entire length of said tubular member and open longitudinally axially at each end thereof, said wall having at the distal end of the catheter a lateral portion removed therefrom to thereby provide a gap in said wall extending proximally from the tip of said distal end, with said gap being dimensioned and configured to allow blood flow through the gap from outside of said wall and into said lumen with the distal end of said catheter being located in said coronary artery.