Catheter and guide wire

• US 6,610,046 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Usaminanotechnology Incorporated
• Inventors: Usami, Akino, Usami, Nobuko, Usami, Shino, Usami, Gono, Usami, Nano, Usami, Masano, Usami, Kaya, Usami, Keiko, Usami, Tomono
• Primary Examiner(s): Freay, Charles G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belena, John F.
• Application Number:
  US09/720,677
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 604/264, 604/523, 604/525, 604/530, 604/531, 604/532, 606/194, 600/585
• US Class Current: 604/530
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0073 Tip designed for influencing the flow or the flow velocity of the fluid, e.g. inserts for twisted or vortex flow general flow characteristics A61M2206/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0079 Separate user-activated means, e.g. guidewires, guide tubes, balloon catheters or sheaths, for sealing off an orifice, e.g. a lumen or side holes, of a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09141 made of shape memory alloys which take a particular shape at a certain temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09175 having specific characteristics at the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/005 with embedded materials for reinforcement, e.g. wires, coils, braids
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0051 made from fenestrated or weakened tubing layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0052 Localized reinforcement, e.g. where only a specific part of the catheter is reinforced, for rapid exchange guidewire port
• 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 25/0069 Tip not integral with tube
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0071 Multiple separate lumens multiple separate lumens throughout the catheter A61M25/0026
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0074 Dynamic characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. openable, closable, expandable or deformable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/008 Strength or flexibility characteristics of the catheter tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0138 having flexible regions as a result of weakened outer material, e.g. slots, slits, cuts, joints or coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/904 for medical, immunological, body treatment, or diagnosis

Abstract

A catheter and guide wire in which at least a distal end portion of a catheter body or guide wire is formed of a shape memory-specialized metal having shape memory property, but free from superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at the body temperature, have high safety and improved operability as compared with prior art ones and are advantageously used in a wide range of examination and treatment, especially in angiography, angioplasty, embolization, foreign matter removal and recovery, calculus capture and so on.

Claims

1. A catheter characterized in that at least a distal end portion of a catheter body is formed of a shape memory-specialized alloy having shape memory property, but free from superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at a body temperature, and the distal end portion made of the shape memory-specialized alloy is shape memorized to a circular arc such that it may recover its memory-shape with a local radius of curvature along the distal end portion in the range of 200 mm to less than ∞

mm at the body temperature.

5. The catheter of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the catheter body is entirely formed of said shape memory-specialized alloy.

6. The catheter of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the distal end portion of the catheter body is formed of said shape memory-specialized alloy, and a remainder of the catheter body is formed of a shape memory alloy having shape memory property and superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at the body temperature.

7. The catheter of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the distal end portion made of the shape memory-specialized alloy is tapered.

8. The catheter of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the distal end portion made of the shape memory-specialized alloy is shape memorized to an angle segment such that it may recover a memory-shape with an angle in the range of 0 to 120 degrees at the body temperature.

2. A catheter characterized in that at least a distal end;

portion of a catheter body is formed of a shape memory-specialized alloy having shape memory property, but free from superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at a body temperature, and when at least a distal end portion of said catheter body is deformed at an angle of 30 to 90 degrees at the body temperature, it takes not less than 0.3 seconds to recover upon unload of the deforming force.

3. A catheter characterized in that at least a distal end portion of a catheter body is formed of a shape memory-specialized alloy having shape memory property, but free from superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at a body temperature, and at least a distal end portion of said catheter body is formed of a metal material which has a yield force of not higher than 8.8 N, a recovery force of not higher than 2.9 N and a residual strain of not lower than 0.2 mm when a three-point bending test is carried out using a cylindrically shaped tube entirely made of the metal material having an outer diameter of 875 μ

m and an inner diameter of 750 μ

m.

4. A catheter characterized in that at least a distal end portion of a catheter body is formed of a shape memory-specialized alloy having shape memory property, but free from superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at a body temperature, at least the distal end portion of the catheter body is prepared from heat treating a Ni—

Ti base shape memory alloy having shape memory property and superelasticity or pseudoelasticity at least at the body temperature so that said Ni—

Ti base shape memory alloy is converted into a shape memory-specialized alloy in which the superelasticity or pseudoelasticity of the shape memory alloy is non-existent with its shape memory property maintained, and at least the distal portion of the catheter body is deformed at an angle of 30 to 90 degrees at least at the body temperature and when deforming force is unloaded, restoration takes a time of not shorter than 0.5 seconds.