Steering mechanism for catheters and methods for making same
First Claim
1. A medical catheter comprising:
- a flexible tubular member having a distal end, the tubular member being adapted to be inserted into a vessel in the body of a patient, a first portion of the tubular member having a stiffness that is significantly less than the stiffness of the majority of the tubular member, the first portion of the tubular member being located near the distal end of the tubular member,an anchor ring secured to said tubular member near the distal end, of the tubular member, the anchor ring being located near the first portion of the tubular member, the anchor ring near the distal end of the catheter being formed from a material that is electrically conductive;
a working member disposed distally of the anchor ring;
an elongated transmission line received within the flexible tubular member for transmitting energy to the working member, the transmission line being electrically coupled to the anchor ring and arranged to pass through said anchor ring; and
at least one steering wire that extends through said tubular member and is anchored to the anchor ring;
whereby when the catheter is inserted into the vessel of a patient, the distal end of the catheter may be steered by pulling on the steering wire.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical catheter steering construction is described that is particularly well suited for steering ablation catheters that utilize coaxial transmission lines. An elongated coaxial transmission line is received within a lumen in the flexible tubular member. An antenna is coupled to the center conductor of the coaxial transmission line. A shield termination is secured to the shield portion of the coaxial transmission line. A steering wire that extends through the tubular member to permit a user to steer the catheter during insertion is attached to the shield termination. With this arrangement, when the catheter is inserted into the vessel of a patient, the tip of the catheter may be steered by pulling on the steering wire. In one embodiment of the invention, a distal portion of the tubular member has a stiffness that is significantly less than the stiffness of the majority of the tubular member to facilitate bending during steering. Suitable methods for making such catheters are also described.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A medical catheter comprising:
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a flexible tubular member having a distal end, the tubular member being adapted to be inserted into a vessel in the body of a patient, a first portion of the tubular member having a stiffness that is significantly less than the stiffness of the majority of the tubular member, the first portion of the tubular member being located near the distal end of the tubular member, an anchor ring secured to said tubular member near the distal end, of the tubular member, the anchor ring being located near the first portion of the tubular member, the anchor ring near the distal end of the catheter being formed from a material that is electrically conductive; a working member disposed distally of the anchor ring; an elongated transmission line received within the flexible tubular member for transmitting energy to the working member, the transmission line being electrically coupled to the anchor ring and arranged to pass through said anchor ring; and at least one steering wire that extends through said tubular member and is anchored to the anchor ring; whereby when the catheter is inserted into the vessel of a patient, the distal end of the catheter may be steered by pulling on the steering wire. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A medical catheter comprising:
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a flexible tubular member having a lumen therein, the tubular member being adapted to be inserted into a vessel in the body of a patient; an elongated coaxial transmission line received within a lumen in the flexible tubular member, the coaxial transmission line including a center conductor, a shield and a dielectric that electrically insulates the center conductor from the shield, the shield having a distal end; an antenna carried by the coaxial transmission line; an electrically conductive shield termination attached to the distal end of the shield portion of the coaxial transmission line, the shield termination being arranged proximally of the antenna; and a steering wire that extends through the tubular member and is attached to the shield termination; whereby when the catheter is inserted into the vessel of a patient, the tip of the catheter may be steered by pulling on the steering wire. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of forming a microwave ablation catheter having a coaxial transmission line having a center conductor portion having a distal end, a braided shield portion having a distal end, and an antenna electrically coupled to the distal end of said center conductor portion of the coaxial transmission line, the method comprising the steps of:
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forming an elongated flexible tubular member having a tubular end that is sized suitably to be inserted into a vessel in the body of a patient, such that a first portion of the tubular member has a stiffness that is significantly less than the stiffness of the majority of the tubular member, the first portion of the tubular member being located near the distal end of the tubular member; securing an electrically conductive shield termination ring to the distal end of a braided shield portion of the coaxial transmission line; attaching steering wires to the shield termination ring; and inserting the coaxial transmission line and the steering wires into the flexible tubular member; and forming a cap over the antenna, the cap being sealed to the flexible tubular member. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification