System for inducing desirable temperature effects on body tissue

• US 9,125,667 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vessix Vascular, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Stone, Corbett W., Hoey, Michael F., Blanck, Arthur G., Briggs, Len, Perry, Mike, Gustus, Rolfe Tyson
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoklosa, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVIGAN, ADAM JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/975,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,882 Days
• Field of Search: 606 48- 50, 606/21, 606/32, 606/34, 606/41, 606/7, 606/51, 607/122, 607/128, 607 98-102, 607/113, 361749-751, 600/393
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00214 Expandable means emitting energy, e.g. by elements carried thereon
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0022 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/126 for invasive application, e.g. for introducing into blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/123 using a flexible balloon containing the thermal element

Abstract

A catheter and catheter system may be used to treat disease tissue by gentle heating in combination with gentle or standard dilation. An elongate flexible catheter body with a radially expandable balloon having a plurality of electrodes engage tissue including diseased tissue when the structure expands.

Claims

1. An apparatus for inducing desirable temperature effects on body tissue adjacent a lumen of a blood vessel of a patient body, the vessel having a vessel wall, the apparatus comprising:

an intravascular catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end with an axis therebetween;

a radially expandable member supported by the distal end of the catheter body, the expandable member having a low profile insertion configuration and a larger profile configuration;

a plurality of bipolar electrode pairs carried by the expandable member so that expansion of the expandable member within the lumen urges each electrode pair against the vessel wall, wherein each bipolar electrode pair has an inner edge spacing between electrodes of x mm and each electrode has a length of L mm;

a controller electrically coupled to the plurality of electrodes configured to energize the plurality of bipolar electrodes pairs so as to heat the tissues with the energized electrodes while inhibiting vaporization of the tissue and both acute and long-term occlusion of the lumen; and

an electrical energy source coupled to the controller configured to apply a power in Watts for a time oft seconds such that;

power=b*x^2*L*(t^(−

0.59)),

wherein b is a parameter in a range of 0.2 to 0.6.

2. A method inducing desirable temperature effects on body tissue adjacent a lumen of a blood vessel of a patient body, the vessel having a vessel wall, the method comprising:

radially expanding a member within the lumen so as to engage a plurality of bipolar electrode pairs against the vessel wall from within the lumen, wherein a spacing between adjacent internal edges of the electrodes in each bipolar electrode pair is x mm and each electrode in each bipolar electrode pair has a length of L mm; and

energizing each of the plurality of bipolar electrode pairs with a controller so as to heat the tissues with the energized bipolar electrode pairs while inhibiting vaporization of the tissue and both acute and long-term occlusion of the lumen,

wherein energizing each bipolar electrode comprises applying a power in Watts to the vessel wall with the electrode pair for a time oft seconds such that;

power=b*x^2*L*(t^(−

0.59)),

wherein b is a parameter in a range of 0.2 to 0.6.