Balloon angioplasty catheter with enhanced capability to penetrate a tight arterial stenosis
First Claim
1. A balloon angioplasty catheter system for the dilation of an arterial stenosis in a human subject, the balloon angioplasty catheter system comprising:
- a flexible guide wire,a balloon angioplasty catheter having a single elongated hollow cylindrical shaft which has a single lumen, the shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft extending for most of the length of the balloon angioplasty catheter, the balloon angioplasty catheter having a proximal end that is placed outside of the body of the human subject and having a distal section at which distal section an uninflated balloon is fixedly attached to the shaft, the balloon having a proximal end and a distal end and having a blunt distal fold located just proximal to the balloon'"'"'s distal end; and
an elongated gradually tapered distal tip in the general form of a frustrum of a cone having a continuous outer surface, the frustrum of the cone extending throughout the distal end of the balloon angioplasty catheter, the cone having its smallest diameter at the distal end of the distal tip, the distal tip having a proximal end that is situated immediately adjacent to the blunt distal fold of the uninflated balloon, the tip also being directly and fixedly attached to the distal end of the uninflated balloon, and the distal tip also having a distal end and a guide wire lumen having the guide wire placed slideably therein, the guide wire lumen extending in a proximal direction from the tip'"'"'s distal end, the tip also having a guide wire distal exit port at the tip'"'"'s distal end through which the guide wire exits from the balloon angioplasty catheter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a balloon angioplasty catheter that combines a catheter shaft having increased pushability with an elongated, gradually tapered, highly flexible, lubricity coated, distal tip that is specifically designed to penetrate through a tight stenosis. The distal end of the tip is formed as a very thin-walled, tapered, frustrum of a cone that is capable of following a guide wire through even the most tortuous coronary arteries. The proximal end of the tip has a diameter that is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of an angioplasty balloon that is wrapped around a catheter shaft at a distal section of the balloon angioplasty catheter. One embodiment of the invention includes a thin-walled tube located at the proximal end of the distal tip which extends over the distal end of the angioplasty balloon. This design can prevent the distal end of the wrapped pre-deployed balloon from engaging the arterial wall as it is pushed through a tight stenosis. The balloon angioplasty catheter can be designed with the capability for either or both a rapid exchange or over-the-wire mode.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A balloon angioplasty catheter system for the dilation of an arterial stenosis in a human subject, the balloon angioplasty catheter system comprising:
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a flexible guide wire, a balloon angioplasty catheter having a single elongated hollow cylindrical shaft which has a single lumen, the shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft extending for most of the length of the balloon angioplasty catheter, the balloon angioplasty catheter having a proximal end that is placed outside of the body of the human subject and having a distal section at which distal section an uninflated balloon is fixedly attached to the shaft, the balloon having a proximal end and a distal end and having a blunt distal fold located just proximal to the balloon'"'"'s distal end; and an elongated gradually tapered distal tip in the general form of a frustrum of a cone having a continuous outer surface, the frustrum of the cone extending throughout the distal end of the balloon angioplasty catheter, the cone having its smallest diameter at the distal end of the distal tip, the distal tip having a proximal end that is situated immediately adjacent to the blunt distal fold of the uninflated balloon, the tip also being directly and fixedly attached to the distal end of the uninflated balloon, and the distal tip also having a distal end and a guide wire lumen having the guide wire placed slideably therein, the guide wire lumen extending in a proximal direction from the tip'"'"'s distal end, the tip also having a guide wire distal exit port at the tip'"'"'s distal end through which the guide wire exits from the balloon angioplasty catheter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification