Cut tubular members for a medical device and methods for making and using the same

• US 9,227,037 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Northrop, Clay
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/915,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20130267913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 600/585, 604/523
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0059 having means for preventing the catheter, sheath or lumens from collapsing due to outer forces, e.g. compressing forces, or caused by twisting or kinking
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09091 where a sheath surrounds the coil at the distal part
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09108 Methods for making a guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0915 having features for changing the stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0013 Weakening parts of a catheter tubing, e.g. by making cuts in the tube or reducing thickness of a layer at one point to adjust the flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0021 characterised by the form of the tubing A61M25/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0054 with regions for increasing flexibility
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0524 Plural cutting steps

Abstract

Medical devices and methods for making and using the same. An example medical devices includes a core member and a tubular member disposed over a portion of the core member. The tubular member has a plurality of slots formed therein.

Claims

1. A medical device, comprising:

a core member having a proximal region and a distal region;

a tubular member disposed over the distal region of the core member;

wherein the tubular member has a length and a plurality of slots defined through a side wall of the tubular member, the plurality of slots including a plurality of opposed pairs of slots, each opposed pair of slots comprising a first slot at an axial position on the tubular member and a second slot at the same axial position on the tubular member;

a plurality of pairs of beams, each pair of beams including a first beam disposed between a first end of the first slot and a first end of the second slot, and a second beam disposed between a second end of the first slot and a second end of the second slot;

wherein at least some of the pairs of beams are offset from a central axis of the tubular member by a distance from the central axis to a plane passing through each of the beams in the pair of beams parallel to the central axis;

wherein the distance from the central axis to the plane oscillates along the length of the tubular member;

wherein the distance from the central axis to the plane oscillates in accordance with a cosine function; and

wherein the distance that the pairs of beams are offset from the central axis is defined by;

CD₂=CD₁+MAXOFFSET* Cos(ANGULAR POSITION);

where

CD₁is a depth of a first cut in the tubular member,

CD₂is a depth of a second cut in the tubular member,

MAXOFFSET is the distance that the beams are offset from the central axis, and

ANGULAR POSITION is an angle from which a cutting member approaches the central axis of the tubular member to make the second cut.

2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the core member has a solid cross-section.

3. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the tubular member has an outer surface with a coating.

4. The medical device of claim 1, wherein only some of the pairs of beams are offset from the central axis of the tubular member.

5. The medical device of claim 1, wherein all of the pairs of beams are offset from the central axis of the tubular member.

6. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the first cut and the second cut are opposed cuts that define a first pair of beams.

7. The medical device of claim 6, wherein a second pair of beams are formed in the tubular member, the second pair of beams disposed at a position that is radially offset from the first pair of beams.

8. The medical device of claim 7, wherein one or more additional pairs of beams are formed in the tubular member that are disposed at positions that are radially offset from the first pair of beams, the second pair of beams, or both.

9. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the tubular member includes a nickel-titanium alloy.