Method for safely and efficiently navigating magnetic devices in the body

• US 7,757,694 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stereotaxis, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stereotaxis, Inc.
• Inventors: Ritter, Rogers C., Blume, Walter M., Creighton, Francis M. IV, Hastings, Roger N., Werp, Peter R., Hogg, Bevil J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, DANIEL LEON
• Application Number:
  US11/849,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20080047568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 128/898, 128/899, 600/1, 600 2-108, 600363-374, 606/1, 623 111- 1611
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/01 Guiding arrangements therefore
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12113 within an aneurysm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12131 characterised by the type of occluding device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/733 arranged only on one side of the patient, e.g. under a table
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0105 Steering means as part of the catheter or advancing means; Markers for positioning systems for detection of markers A61B
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0127 Magnetic means; Magnetic markers

Abstract

A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient'"'"'s body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Claims

1. A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient'"'"'s body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet, the method comprising:

moving the at least one external source magnet in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the movement of the at least one source magnet comprises translations and rotations.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the movement of the at least one source magnet includes translation in one direction and rotations in two directions.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one source magnet is moved in such a way as to maintain a substantially constant magnetic field strength at the operating point.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of moving the at least one external source magnet includes moving the at least one external source magnet to cause the distal end of the magnetic medical device to successively align with a plurality of intermediate directions in a plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the movement of the at least one source magnet comprises translations and rotations.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the at least one source magnet is moved in such a way as to maintain a substantially constant magnetic field strength at the operating point.

8. A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient'"'"'s body, from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet, the method comprising:

moving the external source magnet to cause the distal end of the magnetic medical device to successively align with each of a plurality of intermediate directions and the desired final direction, while maintaining a substantially constant magnetic field strength.