Catheter with an expandable end portion
First Claim
1. A catheter comprising a catheter tube portion having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, wherein the distal end portion includes a tip, the tip comprising axial reinforcement legs formed of the catheter tube portion and a soft portion formed of a polymeric material, wherein the soft portion is disposed around the axial reinforcement legs and the tip is more flexible relative to the catheter tube portion,wherein the tip is movable from a delivery configuration in which an outer diameter of the tip is approximately of the same dimension as an outer diameter of the catheter portion to which it is attached, to an expandable position as an article is received in the tip, andwherein, in the delivery configuration, the outer diameter of the tip is constant along the entire length of the tip.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter (2) is used in medical applications, for example for the retrieval of a sample from a patient or the insertion or retrieval of medical devices such as filters, stents (3) to and from the patient. The catheter (2) includes an expandable tip (6) at a leading portion of a catheter tube portion (5). This expandable tip (6) can retrieve or deliver samples, medical devices, etc. (3), which are slightly larger than the dimensions of a main catheter tube (5) inserted into the patient. The expandable tip (6) can also include extension members (10) which provide axial support to the expandable tip (6) but which still allow expansion in the radial direction.
132 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A catheter comprising a catheter tube portion having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, wherein the distal end portion includes a tip, the tip comprising axial reinforcement legs formed of the catheter tube portion and a soft portion formed of a polymeric material, wherein the soft portion is disposed around the axial reinforcement legs and the tip is more flexible relative to the catheter tube portion,
wherein the tip is movable from a delivery configuration in which an outer diameter of the tip is approximately of the same dimension as an outer diameter of the catheter portion to which it is attached, to an expandable position as an article is received in the tip, and wherein, in the delivery configuration, the outer diameter of the tip is constant along the entire length of the tip.
Specification