Aspiration catheter

• US 6,849,068 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Ave Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Ave Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Lam, Sivette, Ha, Hung V., Patel, Mukund R., Bagaoisan, Celso J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, CRIS LOIREN
• Application Number:
  US09/454,522
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: 604/523, 604/264, 604/525, 604/540, 604/96.01, 604/103.04, 600/585, 606/191
• US Class Current: 604/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1015 having two or more independently movable balloons where the distance between the balloons can be adjusted, e.g. two balloon catheters concentric to each other forming an adjustable multiple balloon catheter system
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/109 having balloons for removing solid matters, e.g. by grasping or scraping plaque, thrombus or other matters that obstruct the flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1093 having particular tip characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 Multiple balloon catheters

Abstract

Aspiration catheters suitable for use in the treatment of an occlusion in a blood vessel are disclosed. These catheters are especially useful in the removal of occlusions from saphenous vein grafts, the coronary and carotid arteries, arteries above the aortic arch and even smaller vessels. The catheters of the present invention are provided in either over-the-wire or in single operator form. Radiopaque markers are preferably incorporated into distal ends of the catheters to facilitate their positioning within the body. The catheters are provided with varying flexibility along the length of the shaft, such that they are soft and flexible enough to be navigated through the vasculature of a patient without causing damage, but are stiff enough to sustain the axial push required to position the catheter properly and to sustain the aspiration pressures.

Claims

1. An aspiration catheter for removing emboli. or other particles from a blood vessel, comprising:

an elongate flexible tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end, the body having an outer wall and an inner wall and being sized and configured to gain access into a patient'"'"'s coronary vessel;

an aspiration lumen defined by the inner wall, the aspiration lumen extending through the tubular body and having a substantially uniformly circular cross-section from the proximal end of the tubular body to the distal end of the tubular body, the aspiration lumen having a diameter between about 0.03″

to about 0.07″

;

an aspiration port at the proximal end of the tubular body and an aspiration mouth at the distal end of the tubular body, the aspiration port being in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen and the aspiration mouth;

a guidewire lumen having a proximal end and a distal opening, wherein the guidewire lumen is sized and configured to receive a standard-size coronary guidewire therethrough, the guidewire lumen being connected only to a distal end portion of the tubular body, the guidewire lumen connected to the tubular body and adjacent the aspiration lumen such that the aspiration lumen and the guidewire lumen near the distal end portion of the body form essentially a figure eight configuration, and such that said aspiration lumen is unobstructed by said guidewire lumen, wherein the distal opening of the guidewire lumen is distal to the aspiration mouth, the aspiration mouth facing away from the guidewire lumen, whereby the guidewire lumen remains unobstructed during aspiration; and

a source of negative pressure capable of establishing fluid communication with the aspiration port.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the guidewire lumen extends less than about 40 cm in a proximal direction from the distal end of the tubular body.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the guidewire lumen has an inner diameter of approximately 0.020″

.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein a distal end portion of the body is formed of a more flexible material than that used to form the rest of the tubular body.

5. An aspiration catheter for removing emboli or other particles from a blood vessel, comprising:

an elongate tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end and an aspiration lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends, the aspiration lumen having a substantially uniformly circular cross-section from the proximal end to the distal end;

an aspiration port at the proximal end of the tubular body, the aspiration port being in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen;

an aspiration mouth at the distal end of the tubular body, the aspiration mouth being in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen; and

a guidewire lumen having a proximal end and a distal end connected to the elongate tubular body, the guidewire lumen being shorter than the elongate tubular body; and

a source of negative pressure capable of establishing fluid communication with the aspiration port.

6. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the guidewire lumen is provided on the exterior of the elongate tubular body.

7. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the proximal end of the guidewire lumen is closer to the distal end of the elongate tubular body than it is to the proximal end of the elongate tubular body.

8. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the aspiration mouth forms a oblique opening that faces away from the guidewire lumen.

9. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the guidewire lumen extends less than about 40 cm in a proximal direction from the distal end of the elongate tubular body.

10. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the proximal end of the guidewire lumen forms an oblique opening that faces away from the elongate tubular body.

11. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the elongate tubular body has a variable stiffness along its length, with a proximal portion of the elongate tubular body being less flexible than a distal portion of the elongate tubular body.

12. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, further comprising a sleeve bonded to a distal portion of the elongate tubular body.

13. The aspiration catheter of claim 5, wherein the aspiration lumen has a diameter between about 0.03″

and 0.07″

.

14. An aspiration catheter for removing a wide range of occlusive substances including emboli, thrombi, plaque, and other substances from a blood vessel, the aspiration catheter being sized for introduction into a coronary vessel or graft, the aspiration catheter comprising:

an elongate flexible tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end, the body having an outer wall and an inner wall and being sized and configured to gain access into a patient'"'"'s coronary vessel;

an aspiration lumen defined by the inner wall, the aspiration lumen extending through the tubular body along a central longitudinal axis and having a substantially uniformly circular cross-section from the proximal end of the tubular body to the distal end of the tubular body, the aspiration lumen being substantially unobstructed along its entire length, whereby said occlusive substances will not be trapped within said aspiration lumen;

an aspiration port at the proximal end of the tubular body, the aspiration port being adapted to receive a source of negative pressure, the aspiration port being in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen;

an aspiration mouth forming an unobstructed opening of the aspiration lumen at the distal end of the tubular body, the aspiration mouth forming an angle to the central longitudinal axis of the aspiration lumen, the aspiration mouth being in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen and the aspiration port;

a guidewire lumen having a proximal end and a distal opening, the guidewire lumen being coupled with only a distal end portion of the tubular body, whereby the guidewire lumen remains unobstructed by particles during aspiration, the guidewire lumen having a transverse cross-sectional area that is from about one-third to about one-half the transverse cross-sectional area of the aspiration lumen; and

a source of negative pressure capable of establishing fluid communication with the aspiration port.

15. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, wherein the aspiration lumen has a diameter between about 0.03″

to about 0.07″

.

16. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, wherein the guidewire lumen is sized and configured to receive a standard-size coronary guidewire therethrough.

17. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, wherein the guidewire lumen is connected to the tubular body adjacent to the aspiration lumen such that the aspiration lumen and the guidewire lumen form essentially a figure eight configuration near the distal end portion of the tubular body.

18. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, and such that the aspiration lumen is unobstructed by the guidewire lumen.

19. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, wherein the distal opening of the guidewire lumen is distal to the aspiration mouth.

20. The aspiration catheter of claim 14, wherein the aspiration mouth faces away from the guidewire lumen.