Guidewire with optical fiber
First Claim
1. An apparatus configured for being introduced into a patient'"'"'s anatomy comprising:
- a therapeutic hollow guidewire having a high strength proximal core section, a flexible distal core section, a lumen extending within the proximal and distal core sections, and a distal end comprising a distal tip coil bonded to the distal core section and an atraumatic distal tip member bonded to a distal end of the coil; and
at least one optical fiber slideably disposed within the lumen of the therapeutic guidewire, having a distal tip which is slidably positionable within the atraumatic distal tip member and which has an optically exposed configuration in which the optical fiber distal tip is in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy outside the guidewire from within the distal tip member such that the optical fiber distal tip is configured for light transmission and/or reception so that the optical fiber is configured to sense and transmit diagnostic information from at least one of before, during, and after a therapeutic treatment.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method to perform therapeutic treatment and diagnosis of a patient'"'"'s vasculature through the use of an intravascular device having an optical fiber disposed therein. In an embodiment of this invention, the apparatus includes a therapeutic guidewire and at least one optical fiber disposed through the therapeutic guidewire, the optical fiber capable of providing diagnostic information before, during, and after the therapeutic treatment. In an embodiment, diagnostic information includes vessel and blood characteristics such as hemodynamic characteristics, hematological parameters related to blood and blood components, and thermal parameters of the vasculature.
289 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus configured for being introduced into a patient'"'"'s anatomy comprising:
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a therapeutic hollow guidewire having a high strength proximal core section, a flexible distal core section, a lumen extending within the proximal and distal core sections, and a distal end comprising a distal tip coil bonded to the distal core section and an atraumatic distal tip member bonded to a distal end of the coil; and at least one optical fiber slideably disposed within the lumen of the therapeutic guidewire, having a distal tip which is slidably positionable within the atraumatic distal tip member and which has an optically exposed configuration in which the optical fiber distal tip is in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy outside the guidewire from within the distal tip member such that the optical fiber distal tip is configured for light transmission and/or reception so that the optical fiber is configured to sense and transmit diagnostic information from at least one of before, during, and after a therapeutic treatment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus comprising:
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a therapeutic hollow guidewire having a high strength proximal core section and flexible distal core section, a coil attached to the distal core section and an atraumatic tip attached to the coil, the therapeutic guidewire configured to operatively receive a treatment device; a polymeric jacket disposed about the distal core section; and at least one optical fiber slideably disposed within the therapeutic hollow guidewire, having a distal tip that extends into said atraumatic tip in which the optical fiber distal tip is in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy through the atraumatic tip which is configured for light transmission and/or reception to sense and transmit vessel and blood characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for sensing vessel and blood characteristics, the system comprising:
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a data processing system; and an apparatus coupled to the data processing system, the apparatus comprising a therapeutic hollow guidewire having a high strength proximal core section and flexible distal core section, a lumen extending within the proximal and distal core sections, and a distal end comprising a distal tip coil bonded to the distal core sections and an atraumatic distal tip member bonded to a distal end of the coil, and at least one optical fiber slidably disposed therein, the optical fiber having a distal tip which has an optically exposed configuration in which the optical fiber distal tip is positioned within said atraumatic distal tip member and in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy outside the guidewire, the optical fiber capable to sense vessel and blood characteristics and transmit the sensed vessel and blood characteristics to the data processing system. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of sensing vessel and blood characteristics, the method comprising:
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operating a data processing system coupled to a therapeutic hollow guidewire having a lumen, a high strength proximal core section and flexible distal core section having a distal coil capped by an atraumatic distal tip, and at least one optical fiber having a distal tip slideably disposed in the hollow guidewire to be positioned in an optically exposed configuration in which the optical fiber distal tip is in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy outside the guidewire from within the atraumatic distal tip of the guidewire such that the optical fiber distal tip is configured for light transmission and/or reception and such that light signals are transmitted to the desired location in the vasculature and reflected light signals are collected by the data processing system; and processing the reflected light signals to provide vessel and blood characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. An apparatus configured for being introduced into a patient'"'"'s anatomy comprising:
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a) a hollow guidewire having a relatively high strength proximal core section, a relatively flexible distal core section, a lumen extending within the proximal and distal core sections, a distal tip coil on the distal core section, and a clear polymeric distal tip member bonded to a distal end of the coil; and b) at least one optical fiber slidably disposed within the lumen of the guidewire, having a distal tip which is within and surrounded by the clear distal tip member such that the distal tip of the fiber is in optical contact with the patient'"'"'s anatomy outside the guidewire from within the clear distal tip member and is configured for light transmission and/or reception in the patient'"'"'s anatomy.
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Specification