Pre-shaped therapeutic catheter

• US 8,506,519 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Flowcardia Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Flowcardia Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Nita, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhisma
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, BRANDY SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/879,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 604/523, 604/525, 604/532, 604/22
• US Class Current: 604/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter

Abstract

An ultrasound system has a catheter including an elongate flexible catheter body having a main lumen extending longitudinally therethrough. The catheter further includes an ultrasound transmission member extending longitudinally through the main lumen of the catheter body, the ultrasound transmission member having a proximal end connectable to an ultrasound generating device and a distal end coupled to the distal end of the catheter body. The catheter further includes a bent distal head or shaped a distal end of the catheter body to improve steerability.

Claims

1. An ultrasound catheter, comprising:

an elongated flexible catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending longitudinally therethrough;

an ultrasound transmission member extending along a longitudinal axis through the lumen of the catheter body and having a distal end; and

a non-bulbous distal head extending from the distal end of the ultrasound transmission member and having a bent pre-shaped portion, the bent pre-shaped portion being disposed on a distal side of the catheter body and having a curvilinear central axis along a length of the bent pre-shaped portion, the bent pre-shaped portion having a cross section that is perpendicular to the central axis and curves away from the longitudinal axis along the length of the bent pre-shaped portion.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the distal head is angulated at an angle between 5-90 degrees.

3. The catheter of claim 1, further including a guidewire lumen extending longitudinally through a portion of the lumen and through the distal head.

4. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the guidewire lumen terminates in a guidewire port that is adjacent the proximal end of the catheter body.

5. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the guidewire lumen terminates in a guidewire port that is closer to the distal end of the catheter body than to the proximal end of the catheter body.

6. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the guidewire lumen is defined by a separate guidewire tube.

7. The catheter of claim 6, wherein the guidewire tube is positioned within the lumen of the catheter body.

8. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the catheter body has two lumens, with one lumen receiving the ultrasound transmission member and the other lumen receiving the guidewire.

9. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the guidewire lumen is defined by a guidewire tube that is affixed to the distal head.

10. The catheter of claim 9, wherein the guidewire lumen has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the proximal end of the guidewire lumen terminates adjacent the proximal end of the catheter body and is affixed to the catheter body.

11. The catheter of claim 3, wherein the guidewire lumen has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the proximal end of the guidewire lumen terminates adjacent the proximal end of the catheter body and is affixed to the catheter body.

12. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the bent pre-shaped portion of the distal head has a length ranging from 0.5 mm to 10 cm.

13. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the bent pre-shaped portion of the distal head has a length ranging from 2 mm to 2 cm.