Multiple compartmented balloon catheter with external pressure sensing
First Claim
1. A balloon catheter including:
- an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end;
a dilatation balloon fixed to the catheter tubing near the distal end, said dilatation balloon including an interior wall means for dividing the balloon into a plurality of dilatation compartments adjacent one another and arranged angularly about the catheter tubing, each of the dilatation compartments being fluid tight and in fluid isolation from the other compartments, said dilatation balloon further including an exterior wall means composed of respective outer wall portions of the dilatation compartments, said exterior wall means (i) defining an outer transverse profile of the dilatation balloon and (ii) being adapted to form a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the balloon when the compartments are dilatated, said balloon profile assuming a nominal shape when all of the dilatation compartments are subject to the same pressure;
a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure individually to said dilatation compartments;
said dilatation means controllable to adjust the dilatation pressures to different values in at least first and second selected ones of the dilatation compartments, to controllably alter said balloon profile toward conformity with a profile of the tissue wall segment when dilatating the balloon toward and into said surface engagement; and
a pressure sensing means, mounted to said exterior wall means and adapted for positioning between the exterior wall means and said tissue wall segment during said surface engagement, for measuring the pressure between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A balloon catheter includes an elongate pliable catheter tubing with a dilatation balloon fixed to the catheter tubing near its distal end. The dilatation balloon includes a first wall for dividing the balloon into a plurality of dilatation compartments adjacent one another and arranged angularly about the catheter tubing. Each dilatation compartment is fluid tight and in fluid isolation from other compartments. The compartments are individually controlled so the pressure within each balloon compartment may be adjusted as determined by the operator. The dilatation balloon includes a second wall composed of the respective outer wall portions of the dilatation compartments which defines an outer transverse profile of the dilatation balloon and adapted to form surface engagement with the tissue segments surrounding the balloon when the compartments are dilatated. The exterior surface of the balloon dilatation compartments include pressure sensing apparatus mounted thereon and adapted for positioning between the second wall and the tissue wall segment during surface engagement for measuring the pressure between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment. The balloon compartments are individually controlled so the pressure within each balloon compartment may be adjusted by the operator. Alternative embodiments include thin film heating elements located on the exterior surface, thin film transducers having an ultrasonic imaging capability located on the exterior surface, drug delivery capabilities and a dual balloon arrangement.
533 Citations
49 Claims
-
1. A balloon catheter including:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon fixed to the catheter tubing near the distal end, said dilatation balloon including an interior wall means for dividing the balloon into a plurality of dilatation compartments adjacent one another and arranged angularly about the catheter tubing, each of the dilatation compartments being fluid tight and in fluid isolation from the other compartments, said dilatation balloon further including an exterior wall means composed of respective outer wall portions of the dilatation compartments, said exterior wall means (i) defining an outer transverse profile of the dilatation balloon and (ii) being adapted to form a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the balloon when the compartments are dilatated, said balloon profile assuming a nominal shape when all of the dilatation compartments are subject to the same pressure; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure individually to said dilatation compartments;
said dilatation means controllable to adjust the dilatation pressures to different values in at least first and second selected ones of the dilatation compartments, to controllably alter said balloon profile toward conformity with a profile of the tissue wall segment when dilatating the balloon toward and into said surface engagement; anda pressure sensing means, mounted to said exterior wall means and adapted for positioning between the exterior wall means and said tissue wall segment during said surface engagement, for measuring the pressure between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end and surrounding the catheter tubing and having an exterior surface; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; and a pressure sensing means mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment, said pressure sensing means being compressible to indicate a pressure between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end and surrounding the catheter tubing and having an exterior surface; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; and a pressure sensing means mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment, said pressure sensing means being compressible to indicate a pressure between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment, said pressure sensing means comprises a plurality of piezoelectric pressure transducing films spaced apart from one another circumferentially with respect to an axis running lengthwise of said catheter tubing in the region of the dilatation balloon; a heating means mounted to said balloon exterior surface, for generating heat and thereby heating the tissue wall segment in the region of the heating means when the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment are in said surface engagement, wherein said heating means comprises at least one thin film resistive heating element mounted to the exterior surface. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end, extended lengthwise of the catheter and surrounding the catheter tubing; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; and a piezoelectric thin film arrangement including least one piezoelectric thin film mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and adapted to be disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A balloon catheter, comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end, extended lengthwise of the catheter and surrounding the catheter tubing; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; a piezoelectric thin film arrangement including at least one piezoelectric thin film mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and adapted to be disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment; and a means for sensing a voltage difference across a thickness of the piezoelectric film arrangement as an indication of a pressure between the tissue wall segment and the dilatation balloon, said sensing means includes a first bifilar conductor means including two wires coupled to opposite sides of the piezoelectric film arrangement and extended to the proximal end of the catheter tubing. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
-
-
43. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end, extended lengthwise of the catheter and surrounding the catheter tubing; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; and a compliant fluid filled tube arrangement including at least one enclosed compliant fluid filled tube mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and adapted to be disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment. - View Dependent Claims (44)
-
-
45. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end, extended lengthwise of the catheter and surrounding the catheter tubing; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon; a plurality of compliant fluid filled tubes mounted to an exterior surface of the dilatation balloon and adapted to be disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment; and a means for sensing a pressure difference within each compliant fluid filled tubes as an indication of the pressure between the tissue wall segment and the dilatation balloon, wherein said pressure sensing means includes a digital pressure measuring device for measuring the internal pressure of each said compliant fluid filled tube.
-
-
46. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end; a dilatation balloon having an exterior surface, said dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end and extending lengthwise along the catheter tubing; a plurality of thin film resistive heating elements mounted to said exterior surface of the dilatation balloon; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon, with said resistive heating elements disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment; and a plurality of piezoelectric thin film pressure transducers mounted to said exterior surface, with a different one of the pressure transducers being adjacent each of the resistive heating elements. - View Dependent Claims (47)
-
-
48. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end, and a dilatation balloon having an exterior surface, said dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end and extending lengthwise along the catheter tubing; a piezoelectric thin film mounted to said exterior surface of the dilatation balloon; a thin film resistive heating element mounted to the exterior surface and adjacent the piezoelectric thin film; and a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon, with the piezoelectric thin film and the thin film resistive heating element disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment.
-
-
49. A balloon catheter comprising:
-
an elongate and pliable catheter tubing having a proximal end and a distal end, and a dilatation balloon having an exterior surface, said dilatation balloon mounted to the catheter tubing at the distal end and extending lengthwise along the catheter tubing; a piezoelectric thin film mounted to said exterior surface of the dilatation balloon; a thin film resistive heating element mounted to the exterior surface and adjacent the piezoelectric thin film; a balloon dilatation means for supplying a fluid under pressure to the balloon to dilatate the balloon into a surface engagement with a tissue wall segment surrounding the dilatation balloon, with the piezoelectric thin film and the thin film resistive heating element disposed between the dilatation balloon and the tissue wall segment; and a means for sensing a voltage difference across a thickness of the piezoelectric thin film as an indication of pressure between the tissue wall segment and the dilatation balloon.
-
Specification