Expandable cage catheter for repairing a damaged blood vessel

• US 5,263,963 A
• Filed: 04/08/1991
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Machold, Timothy R., Garrison, Michi E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yasko, John D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gutowski, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/682,190
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 604/95, 604/96, 604/102-104, 604/109, 604/160, 606/159, 606/191, 606/194, 606/198, 606/200, 128/656-658
• US Class Current: 606/198
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0059 temporary
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0063 having means, e.g. stylets, mandrils, rods or wires to reinforce or adjust temporarily the stiffness, column strength or pushability of catheters which are already inserted into the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0183 Rapid exchange or monorail catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/107 having a longitudinal slit in the balloon
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/04 in the body, e.g. expansible A61M25/10, A61M16/0488 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

A vascular catheter having an expandable cage mounted on the distal end of a tubular member which is radially expanded and contracted by means of a control wire which is secured to the distal end of the expandable cage. The control wire extends through a first inner lumen within the tubular member which extends along essentially the entire length thereof. A second inner lumen is provided in the distal portion of the tubular member which has a proximal port at least 15 but not more than 60 cm from the distal end of the catheter and a distal port which opens into the interior of the expandable cage. A guidewire or a low-profile steerable catheter is slidably disposed within the second lumen and a tubular member such as a slightly expanded coil through the expandable cage interior to facilitate the rapid exchange of the catheter. The catheter assembly is particularly adapted to hold open a blood vessel after a vascular procedure therein such as an angioplasty.

Claims

1. A vascular catheter for repairing a section of a lining, comprising:

a. an elongated catheter body having a relatively long proximal portion with a stiffening means, a relatively short distal portion, a first lumen which extends longitudinally within the catheter body over essentially the entire length thereof and a second, much shorter, lumen which is adapted to receive a guiding member therein and which extends longitudinally within the distal portion of the catheter body between a proximal side opening therein and an opening in the distal end thereof and which is defined at least in part by a sidewall of the distal section having a slit therein which extends distally from the side opening and which facilitates the rapid removal of the catheter from a guiding member within the second lumen;

b. an expandable cage secured to the distal end of the catheter body which is formed of a plurality of strands, which has a distal end and a proximal end with openings therein and which has sufficient radial strength in the expanded condition to hold open a damaged section of an arterial lining;

c. an elongated control wire disposed within the first lumen with the distal end thereof secured to the distal end of the expandable cage and;

d. means on the proximal end of the control wire to move the control wire proximally within the first lumen to decrease the axial distance between the proximal and distal ends of the expandable cage and thereby radially expand the expandable cage to hold open a damaged section of an arterial lining and to move the control wire distally within the first lumen to increase the axial distance between the ends of the expandable cage and thereby radially contract the expandable cage sufficiently to remove the expandable cage from the damaged section of the arterial lining;

e. wherein the expandable cage is formed from about 4 to about 20 wires, and;

f. wherein a substantial number of the wires forming the expandable cage are made of radiopaque material.

2. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein said expandable cage contains a partially expanded helical coil.

3. The vascular catheter of claim 1 wherein the radiopaque material is a platinum-nickel alloy.