Ultrasound catheter for disrupting blood vessel obstructions
First Claim
1. A catheter comprising:
- an elongate body having a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen therebetween;
an ultrasound transmission member extending through the lumen and having a distal end;
a head comprising a proximal end coupled to the distal end of the ultrasound transmission member;
a guide wire tube coupled to the head and extending through at least a portion of the at least one lumen, the guide wire tube being coupled to the body at a location proximal to the proximal end of the head; and
an anchor member disposed in the at least one lumen and being coupled to the elongated body and the head.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Ultrasound catheter devices and methods provide enhanced disruption of blood vessel obstructions. Generally, an ultrasound catheter includes an elongate flexible catheter body with one or more lumens. An ultrasound transmission member or wire extends longitudinally through the catheter body lumen and, in many embodiments, a guide wire tube also extends through the same lumen. A distal head is fixed to or otherwise mechanically coupled with the distal end of the ultrasound transmission member or wire and is positioned adjacent the distal end of the catheter body. Although the distal end of the catheter body overlaps the distal head, the distal head is not directly affixed to the distal end of the catheter body. Thus, the distal tip may move freely, relative to the distal end of the catheter body when ultrasonic energy is applied through the ultrasound transmission member. Such a freely floating distal head enhances the efficiency of an ultrasound catheter, enabling the catheter to ablate calcific occlusions and increasing the useful life of the ultrasound transmission member and catheter.
292 Citations
9 Claims
-
1. A catheter comprising:
-
an elongate body having a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen therebetween; an ultrasound transmission member extending through the lumen and having a distal end; a head comprising a proximal end coupled to the distal end of the ultrasound transmission member; a guide wire tube coupled to the head and extending through at least a portion of the at least one lumen, the guide wire tube being coupled to the body at a location proximal to the proximal end of the head; and an anchor member disposed in the at least one lumen and being coupled to the elongated body and the head. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
Specification