Method and apparatus for catheter exchange

• US 6,299,628 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1992
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Harrison, Kent D., Penny, William H., Keith, Peter T., Adams, Daniel O., Thome, Scott P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US07/931,695
• Time in Patent Office: 3,339 Days
• Field of Search: 604/53, 604/96-103, 604/165, 604/169, 604/170, 604/280, 606/194, 128/657, 128/658, 128/772
• US Class Current: 606/194
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0098 having a strain relief at the proximal end, e.g. sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0105 Steering means as part of the catheter or advancing means; Markers for positioning systems for detection of markers A61B
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0169 Exchanging a catheter while keeping the guidewire in place

Abstract

An apparatus and method for exchanging a first intravascular catheter of the over-the-wire type, such as an angioplasty balloon dilation catheter, with a second intravascular catheter of the over-the-wire type while leaving a guide wire in position in a desired vascular site. The apparatus is used in conjunction with a conventional guide catheter, a guide wire, and an interventional catheter that can be positioned intravascularly through a lumen of the guide catheter over the guide wire and past a distal end of the guide catheter to a desired vascular site. The apparatus includes an elongate shaft that can be removably positioned in the lumen of the guide catheter and has an actuation capability therein. A trapping member is located at a distal portion of the elongate shaft for releasably fixing the relative position of the guide wire with respect to the guide catheter. The fixing and releasing of the trapping member is effected by the actuation capability from outside the body of the patient so that a first interventional catheter can be exchanged for a second interventional catheter by trapping the guide wire position relative to the guide catheter while withdrawing the first interventional device and replacing it with another.

Claims

1. A method of performing an intravascular procedure comprising the steps of:

advancing a guide catheter having a guide catheter lumen intravascularly to a vascular site at which a procedure is to be performed;

advancing a catheter having an implement at the distal end thereof for performing the intravascular procedure through the guide catheter lumen;

advancing a captivation catheter into the guide catheter lumen;

advancing the catheter having the implement past the distal end of the guide catheter into the vascular site; and

stabilizing the catheter with the implement in the vascular site by operating the captivation catheter while the implement is in the vascular site.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the step of stabilizing further comprises the step of:

inflating a captivation balloon located at the distal end of the captivation catheter inside the guide catheter lumen so as to trap the catheter with the implement relative to the guide catheter.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the vascular site is an ostial lesion and the method further comprises the step of:

advancing the implement into the ostial lesion site.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the implement is a dilation balloon and the method further comprises the step of:

performing a dilation with the dilation balloon while the captivation catheter secures the position of the dilation balloon in the vascular site.