Cautery catheter
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A medical instrument, comprising:
- a catheter having a proximal portion, a distal portion and a central longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and the distal portions;
an electrically conductive mesh disposed along an outer surface of the distal portion of the catheter, wherein the mesh is asymmetrically disposed relative to the central longitudinal axis and does not extend circumferentially about a substantial portion of the catheter, and further wherein the mesh is spaced away from and does not encompass the central longitudinal axis; and
a connector disposed on the proximal portion of the catheter, the connector being conductively connected to the mesh, the connector being configured for a connection to a power source for supplying a current sufficient to electrify the mesh.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cautery catheter is described having an expandable and electrically conductive mesh that can cauterize treatment sites having large effective surface areas. The mesh is composed of interwoven filaments which are aligned with the cautery catheter in an unexpanded state. Reorientation of the filaments of the mesh enables expansion of the mesh. When the expanded mesh contacts the desired treatment area, an electrocautery unit supplies electrical energy to the filaments of expanded mesh to cauterize the treatment site.
153 Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A medical instrument, comprising:
-
a catheter having a proximal portion, a distal portion and a central longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and the distal portions; an electrically conductive mesh disposed along an outer surface of the distal portion of the catheter, wherein the mesh is asymmetrically disposed relative to the central longitudinal axis and does not extend circumferentially about a substantial portion of the catheter, and further wherein the mesh is spaced away from and does not encompass the central longitudinal axis; and a connector disposed on the proximal portion of the catheter, the connector being conductively connected to the mesh, the connector being configured for a connection to a power source for supplying a current sufficient to electrify the mesh. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method for cauterizing a treatment site, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a medical instrument, comprising; a catheter having a proximal portion and a distal portion, and a central longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and the distal portions; an electrically conductive mesh operably connected to the distal portion of the catheter, wherein the mesh is configured to radially bow outwards asymmetrically relative to the central longitudinal axis, the mesh being disposed to one side of a plane intersecting the central longitudinal axis; and an energy source operably connected to the mesh, wherein activating the energy source energizes the mesh; (b) advancing the distal portion of the catheter to the treatment site; (c) contacting the treatment site with the mesh; and (d) activating the energy source to cauterize the treatment site. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A medical instrument, comprising:
-
a catheter having a proximal portion, and a distal portion and a central longitudinal axis extending between the proximal portion and the distal portion, the distal portion having a first side and a second side disposed on opposite sides of the central longitudinal axis; an electrically conductive mesh disposed on the distal portion of the catheter adjacent to the first side, the mesh being deformable from a collapsed configuration substantially disposed along an outer surface of the catheter to an expanded configuration, wherein a central portion of the mesh is spaced away from the surface of the catheter in the expanded configuration, wherein the mesh is asymmetrically disposed relative to and spaced away from the central longitudinal axis, and wherein second side of the distal portion of the catheter is not enclosed within the mesh; and a connector disposed on the proximal portion of the catheter, the connector being conductively connected to the mesh by a control wire, the control wire disposed through a lumen of the catheter, the connector being configured for a connection to a power source for supplying a current sufficient to electrify the mesh. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
-
Specification