Manipulatable delivery catheter for occlusive devices (II)

• US 6,482,221 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vascular FX, LLC
• Original Assignee: Counter Clockwise Inc.
• Inventors: Hebert, Stephen, Levine, Marc-Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Milano, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, TAN-UYEN THI
• Application Number:
  US09/703,468
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 606/194, 606/108, 606/191, 606/198, 604/96.01, 604/103.04, 604/103.09, 604/104, 604/108, 604/109, 604/523, 604/524, 604/525, 604/526-528, 604/95.01, 604/95.03, 604/95.04, 600/146, 600/141, 600/149, 600/150
• US Class Current: 606/194
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1204 temporary occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12113 within an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12136 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0034 characterized by elements which are assembled, connected or fused, e.g. splittable tubes, outer sheaths creating lumina or separate cores
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0037 characterized by lumina being arranged side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0039 characterized by lumina being arranged coaxially
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/004 characterized by lumina being arranged circumferentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0177 having external means for receiving guide wires, wires or stiffening members, e.g. loops, clamps or lateral tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/018 Catheters having a lateral opening for guiding elongated means lateral to the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0053 having a variable stiffness along the longitudinal axis, e.g. by varying the pitch of the coil or braid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0054 with regions for increasing flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0144 having flexible regions as a result of inner reinforcement means, e.g. struts or rods
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0147 with movable mechanical means, e.g. pull wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10 Balloon catheters A61M25/0125 takes precedence; embolectomy A61B17/22032; retractors A61B17/02; inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts A61F2/958 ; stomach balloons for treatment of obesity A61F5/0003; oesophagal tubes A61J15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1006 Balloons formed between concentric tubes

Abstract

This is in the general field of surgical instruments and is specifically a delivery catheter with a flexible, proximally-manipulated hinge or joint region. The inventive catheter may have a balloon region. The catheter may have a shaft of varying flexibility which contains several lumen. The inner, or delivery, lumen generally may be used with a guidewire to access target sites within the body via the flexible, small diameter vessels of the body. The delivery lumen may be also used for placement of occlusive materials, e.g., in an aneurysm. Inflation of the micro-balloon, located near the distal tip of the catheter, is effected using the inflation lumen. The push/pull wire lumen contains a wire, which when manipulated, flexes the catheter'"'"'s distal tip. The push/pull wire tubing may have a variable thickness to aid in adjusting the degree of flexibility. Moreover, the delivery catheter may be capable of twisting in a helical or corkscrew-like manner for traversing certain vasculature. This may be accomplished by winding the push/pull wire within the catheter and fixedly attaching it. The catheter may further include an entry in the catheter wall to allow for the insertion of a guidewire; this may facilitate the rapid exchange of catheter devices as desired by the user.

Claims

1. A catheter section, comprising:

a flexible joint region disposed within said catheter section, said catheter section having a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

a wire comprising a distal end and a proximal end and a length therebetween, said wire being configured to move said catheter section distal end from an untorqued position to a torqued position about said flexible joint region;

said wire distal end being attached in said catheter section such that a portion of said wire length is angularly and rotatingly disposed about said catheter section axis.

2. The catheter section of claim 1, further comprising:

a balloon region comprising a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

an inflatable member disposed in said balloon region.

3. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said portion of wire length is partially wound about said catheter section axis.

4. The catheter section of claim 3, wherein said portion of wire length is wound about 180°

about said catheter section axis.

5. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said catheter section is configured such that imparting a force to said wire rotates said catheter section about said axis into a helical shape.

6. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said portion of wire length is angularly disposed in a right-handed orientation about said catheter section axis.

7. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said portion of wire length is angularly disposed in a left-handed orientation about said catheter section axis.

8. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said wire moves said catheter section distal end about said flexible joint region up to about 90°

.

9. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said flexible joint region comprises a coil member.

10. The catheter section of claim 2 wherein the inflatable member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of elastomers and thermoplastic polymers.

11. The catheter section of claim 10 wherein said elastomer is selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, latex rubber, natural rubber, butadiene-based co-polymers, EPDM, polyvinyl chloride, and complex co-polymers.

12. The catheter section of claim 11, where the elastomer comprises styreneethylene butylene-styrene co-polymers.

13. The catheter section of claim 10 wherein thermoplastic polymer is selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, and Nylon.

14. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said catheter section is configured such that imparting a force to said wire moves said catheter section at least rotatingly about said axis.

15. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said wire is untensioned when said catheter section distal end is in said untorqued position.

16. The catheter section of claim 1, wherein said wire is tensioned when said catheter section distal end is in said torqued position.

17. A catheter section, comprising:

a flexible joint region disposed within said catheter section, said catheter section having a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

a wire comprising a distal end and a proximal end and a length therebetween, said wire being configured to move said catheter section distal end about said flexible joint region, said wire distal end being attached in said catheter section such that a portion of said wire length is angularly and rotatingly disposed about said catheter section axis;

said catheter section defining an entry through which a guidewire is inserted.

18. A catheter section of claim 17, further comprising:

a balloon region comprising a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

an inflatable member disposed in said balloon region.

19. The catheter section of claim 17, wherein said entry is proximal of said flexible joint region.

20. The catheter section of claim 17, wherein said portion of wire length is partially wound about said catheter section axis.

21. The catheter section of claim 20, wherein said portion of wire length is wound about 180°

about said catheter section axis.

22. A catheter section, comprising:

a flexible joint region disposed within said catheter section, said catheter section having a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

a wire comprising a distal end and a proximal end and a length therebetween, said wire being configured to move said catheter section distal end from an untorqued position to a torqued about said flexible joint region;

said wire being further configured to move said catheter section distal end about said catheter section axis.

23. The catheter section of claim 22, further comprising:

a balloon region comprising a distal end and a proximal end and defining an axis therebetween; and

an inflatable member disposed in said balloon region.