Variable wall thickness for delivery sheath housing

• US 7,097,652 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Musbach, Frank A., Becker, Wayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENDOZA, MICHAEL G
• Application Number:
  US10/749,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 606/191, 606/192, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198, 606/200, 606/114, 606/127, 604/22, 604/27, 604/36, 604/96.01, 604/104, 604/317, 604/318, 604/327, 604/328, 604/500
• US Class Current: 606/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/013 Distal protection devices, i.e. devices placed distally in combination with another endovascular procedure, e.g. angioplasty or stenting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/018 made from tubes or sheets of material, e.g. by etching or laser-cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0006 circular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0067 conical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/001 Forming the tip of a catheter, e.g. bevelling process, join or taper
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0021 characterised by the form of the tubing A61M25/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0067 characterised by the distal end, e.g. tips A61M25/0054, A61M25/04 take precedence; balloon catheters A61M25/10
• 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 25/0082 Catheter tip comprising a tool

Abstract

A delivery sheath for an intravascular emboli capturing filter including an elongate tube having a distal region having a reduced thickness distal wall region. The delivery sheath, according to the present invention, can have a thinner, softer, distal most portion for superior and more benign interaction with vessel interior walls. The present invention includes an intravascular emboli filter system including an elongate shaft having a distal region, an expandable emboli filter operably coupled to the elongate shaft distal region, and an elongate sheath having a lumen therethrough disposed over the elongate shaft. The elongate sheath can have a distally decreasing outside diameter taper or reduced wall thickness region having improved atraumatic characteristics.

Claims

1. A delivery sheath having a proximal region, an intermediate region, and a distal portion, the sheath comprising:

an embolic protection filter having expanded and contracted states;

the proximal region having a proximal end and a distal end;

the intermediate region extending distally from the proximal region, the intermediate region increasing in outer dimension from a proximal end of the intermediate region to a distal end thereof;

the distal portion comprising a single wall and extending distally from the intermediate region, the distal portion including a proximal end having an outer dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the distal end of the intermediate region;

the distal portion tapering distally in wall thickness along at least a portion of its length; and

the distal portion defining a lumen, the lumen shaped and configured to allow the filter, in its contracted state, to be placed within the lumen.

2. The delivery sheath of claim 1, wherein the proximal region of the delivery sheath has a constant outer dimension.

3. The delivery sheath of claim 1, wherein the distally tapering wall thickness is formed by distally decreasing the outside dimension of the delivery sheath.

4. A delivery sheath having a proximal region, an intermediate region, and a distal portion, the sheath comprising:

an embolic protection filter having expanded and contracted states;

the proximal region having a proximal end and a distal end;

the intermediate region extending distally from the proximal region, the intermediate region increasing in outer dimension from a proximal end of the intermediate region to a distal end thereof;

the distal portion comprising a single wall and extending distally from the intermediate region and including a distally tapering distal region having a distally decreasing wall thickness, the distal portion including a proximal end having an outer dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the distal end of the intermediate region, the distal portion further having a distal region tapering to an outer dimension that is less than the outer dimension of the proximal end of the distal portion; and

the distal portion defining a lumen, the lumen shaped and configured to allow the filter, in its contracted state, to be placed within the lumen.

5. The delivery sheath of claim 4, wherein the proximal region of the delivery sheath has a constant outer dimension.

6. The delivery sheath of claim 4, wherein the distally decreasing wall thickness is formed by distally decreasing the outside dimension of the delivery sheath.

7. A delivery sheath having a proximal region, an intermediate region, and a distal portion, the sheath comprising:

an embolic protection filter having expanded and contracted states;

the proximal region having a proximal end and a distal end;

the intermediate region extending distally from the proximal region, the intermediate region increasing in outer dimension from a proximal end of the intermediate region to a distal end thereof;

the distal portion comprising a single wall and extending distally from the intermediate region and including a distally tapering distal region having a distally decreasing wall thickness, the distal portion including a flared proximal end having an outer dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the distal end of the intermediate region, the distal portion tapering to an outer dimension that is less than the outer dimension of the proximal end of the distal portion,

the distally decreasing wall thickness being formed by decreasing the outside dimension of the delivery sheath; and

the distal portion defining a lumen, the lumen shaped and configured to allow the filter, in its contracted state, to be placed within the lumen.

8. The delivery sheath of claim 7, wherein the proximal region of the delivery sheath has a constant outer dimension.

9. A delivery sheath having a proximal shaft region, an intermediate shaft region, and a distal shaft portion, the sheath comprising:

an embolic protection filter having expanded and contracted states;

the proximal shaft region having a proximal end and a distal end;

the intermediate shaft region extending distally from the proximal shaft region, the intermediate shaft region increasing in outer dimension from a proximal end of the intermediate shaft region to a distal end thereof;

the distal shaft portion comprising a single wall and extending distally from the intermediate shaft region, the distal shaft portion including a proximal end having an outer dimension that is greater than the outer dimension of the distal end of the intermadiate shaft region,

the distal shaft portion tapering distally in wall thickness along at least a portion of its length; and

the distal shaft portion defining a lumen, the lumen shaped and configured to allow the filter, in its contracted state, to be placed within the lumen.

10. The delivery sheath of claim 9, wherein the proximal shaft region of the delivery sheath has a constant outer dimension.

11. The delivery sheath of claim 9, wherein the distally tapering wall thickness is formed by distally decreasing the outside dimension of the delivery sheath.