Composite super-elastic alloy braid reinforced catheter
First Claim
1. A catheter assembly comprising:
- an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, comprisinga.) a relatively more flexible and more distal segment, comprisingi.) a braid member woven of a plurality of ribbons, at least a majority of which ribbons comprise a superelastic alloy, and having inner and outer surfaces,ii.) at least one inner lining member interior to said braid member, andiii.) at least one outer covering member exterior to said braid member wherein the relatively more distal segment has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.0 mm, andb.) a relatively more rigid and more proximal tubular segment comprising a comparatively high flexural modulus material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This is a surgical device. In particular, it is a composite catheter assembly suitable for accessing a tissue target within the body, typically a target which is accessible through the vascular system. Central to the invention is the presence in the catheter assembly of a catheter section having a braided metallic reinforcing member, typically of superelastic alloy ribbon, situated within the reinforced catheter section in such a way to create a catheter having an exceptionally thin wall, controlled stiffness, high resistance to kinking, and complete recovery in vivo from kinking situations. The braid may have a single pitch or may vary in pitch along the axis of the catheter or catheter section. The braided ribbon reinforcing member typically is placed between a flexible outer tubing member and an inner tubing member to produce a catheter section which is very flexible but highly kink resistant. At least a proximal portion or section of the catheter assembly is a section made of a stiff polymeric or metallic tubing member.
460 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A catheter assembly comprising:
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an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, comprising a.) a relatively more flexible and more distal segment, comprising i.) a braid member woven of a plurality of ribbons, at least a majority of which ribbons comprise a superelastic alloy, and having inner and outer surfaces, ii.) at least one inner lining member interior to said braid member, and iii.) at least one outer covering member exterior to said braid member wherein the relatively more distal segment has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.0 mm, and b.) a relatively more rigid and more proximal tubular segment comprising a comparatively high flexural modulus material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification