Catheter tip retainer

• US 5,769,821 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quinton Instrument Co. (Cardica Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quinton Instrument Co. (Cardica Incorporated)
• Inventors: Abrahamson, Timothy A., Young, Pauline R., Gisselberg, Margo L.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCDERMOTT, CORRINE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US08/825,436
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 604/104-107, 604/160, 604/174, 604/175, 604/108, 606/198-200, 606/108, 606/191
• US Class Current: 604/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0057 Catheters delivering medicament other than through a conventional lumen, e.g. porous walls or hydrogel coatings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0096 being laterally outward extensions or tools, e.g. hooks or fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0082 Catheter tip comprising a tool
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/04 in the body, e.g. expansible A61M25/10, A61M16/0488 take precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for retaining a catheter tip in a fixed position within a blood flow and preventing it from contacting a blood vessel wall. The apparatus includes a tip retainer at the distal end of the catheter that stabilizes the tip of the catheter relative to the blood vessel. The catheter tip is retained within the blood vessel spaced from the wall to ensure that it does not contact the wall of the blood vessel. This reduces damage to the blood vessel caused by chronic movement and contact between the catheter tip and the wall of the blood vessel. In one embodiment, the tip retainer includes a prong that penetrates the wall of the blood vessel, thus preventing the catheter tip from moving longitudinally within the blood vessel. In alternative embodiments, the tip retainer contacts the wall but does not penetrate the wall.

Claims

1. A catheter adapted for insertion into a blood vessel having blood flowing therethrough, comprising:

an elongated tubular member having an internal first lumen for permitting fluids to pass through the catheter and having distal and proximal end portions thereon and a second lumen, said first lumen having a first diameter and said second lumen having a second diameter therein;

a resilient tip immobilizing means at said distal end portion of said tubular member for anchoring said distal end portion of said tubular member within the blood flow of the blood vessel to maintain said distal end portion of said tubular member in a resilient spaced relationship from the blood vessel wall and prevent the distal end portion of said tubular member from contacting a wall of the blood vessel without substantially obstructing fluid flow of blood through the blood vessel, such that catheter failure due to stenosis at said distal end portion of said tubular member is reduced;

a single cable member in contacting engagement with said tip immobilizing means and extending along said second lumen having a second diameter wherein said first diameter of said first lumen is greater than said second diameter of said second lumen and wherein said second lumen extends from said proximal end portion to said distal end portion of said tubular member to actuate movement of said tip immobilizing means upon movement of said cable member in said second lumen; and

said tip immobilizing means includes a plurality of loop members extending from said cable member.

2. The catheter according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of loop members each include a base region thereon and being connected at said base region to another of said plurality of loop members at said base region thereof, said plurality of loop members having base regions that are connected together to provide a stabilized relationship between said loop members.

3. The catheter according to claim 1 wherein said loop members are fixedly connected to each other to prevent rotational movement of said loop members with respect to each other.

4. The catheter according to claim 1 in which each of said loop members has two base regions with one base region from each loop member being connected to a base region in common with each of the other loop members.

5. The catheter according to claim 1 wherein each of said loop members has base regions and said loop members are connected to each other and said cable member.

6. A catheter adapted for insertion into a blood vessel having blood flowing therethrough, comprising:

an elongated tubular member having an internal first lumen for permitting fluids to pass through the catheter and having distal and proximal end portions thereon and a second lumen, said first lumen having a first diameter and said second lumen having a second diameter therein;

a resilient tip immobilizing means at said distal end portion of said tubular member for anchoring said distal end portion of said tubular member within the blood flow of the blood vessel to maintain said distal end portion of said tubular member in a resilient spaced relationship from the blood vessel wall and prevent the distal end portion of said tubular member from contacting a wall of the blood vessel without substantially obstructing fluid flow of blood through the blood vessel, such that catheter failure due to stenosis at said distal end portion of said tubular member is reduced;

a single cable member in contacting engagement with said tip immobilizing means and extending along said second lumen having a second diameter wherein said first diameter of said first lumen is greater than said second diameter of said second lumen and wherein said second lumen extends from said proximal end portion to said distal end portion of said tubular member to actuate movement of said tip immobilizing means upon movement of said cable member in said second lumen; and

wherein said tip immobilizing means includes at least one loop member thereon and said single cable member is connected to a base region of said at least one loop member with said single cable member extending in said second lumen from a distal end portion thereof to a proximal end portion thereof.

7. A catheter for insertion into a target organ or blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

an elongate catheter body having distal and proximal end portions with a hub member positioned thereon and wherein said hub member may be rotated with respect to said catheter body and said catheter body further including a first passageway with a first diameter in said catheter body for permitting the flow of fluids through said first passageway and a second passageway with a second diameter therein; and

a resilient tip restraining member including at least one loop member extending and operatively located along said distal end portion of said catheter body and in movable communication with said hub member via said second passageway in said catheter body wherein said first diameter of said first passageway is greater than said second diameter of said second passageway and said tip restraining member is movable in response to rotational movement of said hub member with respect to said catheter body between a first retracted position and a second extended position for securing said distal end portion of said catheter body in a resilient spaced apart relationship from the tissue of the target organ or blood vessel of the patient and inhibiting the contact between said distal end portion and the target tissue or blood vessel of the patient while allowing the flow of fluids therethrough and therearound and reducing catheter obstruction or failure.

8. A catheter for insertion into a target organ or blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

an elongate catheter body having distal and proximal end portions with a hub member operatively positioned thereon and a first passageway with a first diameter in said catheter body for permitting the flow of fluids through said first passageway and a second passageway with a second diameter therein; and

a resilient tip restraining member including at least one loop member extending and operatively located along said distal end portion of said catheter body and in movable communication with said hub member via said second passageway in said catheter body wherein said first diameter of said first passageway is greater than said second diameter of said second passageway and said tip restraining member is movable between a first retracted position and a second extended position for securing said distal end portion of said catheter body in a resilient spaced apart relationship from the tissue of the target organ or blood vessel of the patient and inhibiting the contact between said distal end portion and the target tissue or blood vessel of the patient while allowing the flow of fluids therethrough and therearound and reducing catheter obstruction or failure; and

wherein said catheter body includes a single cable member connected between said hub member and said at least one loop member to enable the movement of said at least one loop member between said first and second positions.

9. A catheter for insertion into a target organ or blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

an elongate catheter body having distal and proximal end portions with a hub member operatively positioned thereon and a first passageway with a first diameter in said catheter body for permitting the flow of fluids through said first passageway and a second passageway with a second diameter therein; and

a resilient tip restraining member operatively located along said distal end portion of said catheter body and in movable communication with said hub member via said second passageway in said catheter body wherein said first diameter of said first passageway is greater than said second diameter of said second passageway and said tip restraining member is movable between a first retracted position and a second extended position for securing said distal end portion of said catheter body in a resilient spaced apart relationship from the tissue of the target organ or blood vessel of the patient and inhibiting the contact between said distal end portion and the target tissue or blood vessel of the patient while allowing the flow of fluids therethrough and therearound and reducing catheter obstruction or failure; and

wherein said tip restraining member includes a plurality of loop members each of which extend from said distal end portion of said catheter body in said second position and are adjacent to said catheter body in said first position.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said plurality of loop members are connected to a common location along the distal end portion of the catheter body to resiliently contact the wall of the blood vessel to maintain a spaced apart relationship therebetween in said second position of said tip restraining member.

11. A catheter for insertion into a target organ or blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

an elongate catheter body having distal and proximal end portions with a hub member operatively positioned thereon and a first passageway with a first diameter in said catheter body for permitting the flow of fluids through said first passageway and a second passageway with a second diameter therein; and

a resilient tip restraining member operatively located along said distal end portion of said catheter body and in movable communication with said hub member via said second passageway in said catheter body wherein said first diameter of said first passageway is greater than said second diameter of said second passageway and said tip restraining member is movable between a first retracted position and a second extended position for securing said distal end portion of said catheter body in a resilient spaced apart relationship from the tissue of the target organ or blood vessel of the patient and inhibiting the contact between said distal end portion and the target tissue or blood vessel of the patient while allowing the flow of fluids therethrough and therearound and reducing catheter obstruction or failure; and

wherein said tip restraining member includes a distal end portion consisting of a plurality of wires thereon and wherein said wires include a coating thereon to reduce the adherence of blood thereto.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said second passageway includes a cable member extending therethrough and said hub member is connected to said cable member and actuates said cable member in said catheter body to move said cable member with respect to said catheter body in response to movement of said hub member to extend and retract said tip restraining member from said distal end portion of said catheter body.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein rotation of said hub member causes said tip restraining member to move between first and second positions such that said tip restraining member is in said first position during insertion of said catheter body into the target organ or blood vessel of the patient and is movable to said second position upon rotation of said hub member.

14. A method for reducing catheter failure due to stenosis or thrombosis at a catheter tip using a catheter having distal and proximal end portions, a hub member and a positioning member having at least one loop member thereon, the method comprising:

(a) placing the catheter and positioning member within a blood vessel such that the distal end portion of the catheter is positioned at a predetermined location within the blood vessel;

(b) deploying the at least one loop member from a first position wherein the at least one loop member is retracted to a second position wherein the at least one loop member is deployed by rotating the hub member such that the at least one loop member extends radially outward from the catheter into resilient contact with a wall of the blood vessel for securing a portion of the catheter within the blood vessel to maintain the secured portion of the catheter in a resilient spaced apart relationship from the wall of the blood vessel without substantially obstructing fluid flow through the blood vessel in the second position; and

(c) retracting the at least one loop member from the second position to the first position by rotating the hub member for removal of the catheter from the blood vessel of the patient.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the at least one loop member is retracted with respect to the secured portion of the catheter prior to removal of the catheter from the blood vessel by actuating the hub member which is positioned along the proximal end portion of the catheter and is connected to a cable member such that actuation of the hub member actuates movement of the cable member which is positioned along the lengthwise dimension of the catheter and which causes retraction of the at least one loop member.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein rotation of the hub member in a first direction causes deployment of the at least one loop member to the second position, and the rotation of the hub member in a second direction causes the retraction of the at least one loop member from the second position of the at least one loop member of the catheter.