Guidewires and thin film catheter-sheaths and method of making same

• US 7,235,092 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vactronix Scientific, LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced Bio Prosthetic Surfaces, Ltd.
• Inventors: Banas, Christopher E., Bailey, Steven R., Boyle, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, KEVIN THAO
• Application Number:
  US10/136,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20020165600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: 606191-198, 623/1.11, 623/1.12, 623/1.18, 623/1.2, 623/1.34, 623/1.39, 623/1.44, 600/434, 600/585
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91525 within the whole structure different bands showing different meander characteristics, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0042 Microcatheters, cannula or the like having outside diameters around 1 mm or less
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/006 having a special surface topography or special surface properties, e.g. roughened or knurled surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0681 Systems with catheter and outer tubing, e.g. sheath, sleeve or guide tube
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09108 Methods for making a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09133 having specific material compositions or coatings; Materials with specific mechanical behaviours, e.g. stiffness, strength to transmit torque
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0915 having features for changing the stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09166 having radio-opaque features
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0244 Micromachined materials, e.g. made from silicon wafers, microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] or comprising nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0013 Weakening parts of a catheter tubing, e.g. by making cuts in the tube or reducing thickness of a layer at one point to adjust the flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0045 multi-layered, e.g. coated coating materials A61L29/08
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires

Abstract

Guidewires and thin-film catheter-sheaths, fabricated using vacuum deposition techniques, which are monolayer or plural-layer members having ultra-thin wall thicknesses to provide very-low profile delivery assemblies for introduction and delivery of endoluminal devices.

Claims

1. An assembly for delivering a medical device via a patient'"'"'s vascular system, the assembly comprising:

(a) a medical device;

(b) a guidewire having a guidewire body, the guidewire body comprising a first thin-film of a first biocompatible metal formed by a vacuum deposition technique; and

(c) a catheter-sheath having generally tubular catheter-sheath body, the catheter-sheath body comprising a second thin-film of a second biocompatible metal formed by a vacuum deposition technique, the catheter-sheath body defining a catheter-sheath lumen;

wherein the guidewire is positioned coaxially within the lumen of the catheter-sheath, and wherein the medical device is concentrically positioned within a distal portion of the catheter-sheath lumen and intermediate the catheter-sheath body and the guidewire body, thereby forming the assembly, wherein at least one of the first thin-film and the second thin-film comprises a plurality of layers.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the guidewire body is generally tubular.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the guidewire body and the catheter-sheath body further comprises a plurality of microperforations that impart at least one of longitudinal compliance and radial compliance.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second biocompatible metals are similar.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the medical device is selected from the group consisting of a stent, a graft, a stent-graft, a valve, a filter, an occluder, and a patch.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein a radiopaque metal is used to form at least on the layers.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first-thin film and the second thin-film each comprise a plurality of layers.

8. An assembly for delivering a medical device via a patient'"'"'s vascular system, the assembly comprising:

(a) a medical device;

(b) a guidewire having a guidewire body, the guidewire body comprising a first thin-film of a first biocompatible metal formed by a vacuum deposition technique; and

(c) a catheter-sheath having generally tubular catheter-sheath body, the catheter-sheath body comprising a second thin-film of a second biocompatible metal formed by a vacuum deposition technique, the catheter-sheath body defining a catheter-sheath lumen;

wherein the guidewire is positioned coaxially within the lumen of the catheter-sheath, and wherein the medical device is concentrically positioned within a distal portion of the catheter-sheath lumen and intermediate the catheter-sheath body and the guidewire body, thereby forming the assembly, wherein the first thin-film and the second thin-film each comprise a plurality of layers.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the guidewire body is generally tubular.

10. The assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the guidewire body and the catheter-sheath body further comprises a plurality of microperforations that impart at least one of longitudinal compliance and radial compliance.

11. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the first and second biocompatible metals are similar.

12. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the medical device is selected from the group consisting of a stein, a graft, a stent-graft, a valve, a filter, an occiuder, and a patch.

13. The assembly of claim 8, wherein a radiopaque metal is used to form at least on the layers.