Catheter markers

• US 9,504,476 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microvention Incorporated (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microvention Incorporated (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Gulachenski, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): LANDRY II, GERALD ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US14/042,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 604/103.09, 604/103.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1214 Coils or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3966 Radiopaque markers visible in an X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1079 having radio-opaque markers in the region of the balloon
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0012 with embedded structures, e.g. coils, braids, meshes, strands or radiopaque coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/005 with embedded materials for reinforcement, e.g. wires, coils, braids
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0108 using radio-opaque or ultrasound markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10 Balloon catheters A61M25/0125 takes precedence; embolectomy A61B17/22032; retractors A61B17/02; inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts A61F2/958 ; stomach balloons for treatment of obesity A61F5/0003; oesophagal tubes A61J15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A catheter is described having one or more markers and one or more marker sections.

Claims

1. A marked catheter comprising:

an inner layer;

a reinforcement layer disposed around said inner layer and constructed as an open, single-layer coil defining evenly-spaced gaps;

a marker element disposed in said gaps of said reinforcement layer so as to not increase a thickness of the catheter; and

,

at least one marker band longitudinally aligned with said marker element and said reinforcement layer.

2. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement layer is selected from the group consisting of round wire, ribbon wire, elliptical wire.

3. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Nitinol.

4. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said marker element comprises a material selected from the group consisting of tantalum, gold, platinum, tungsten, and radiopaque alloys.

5. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said marker element comprises a coil.

6. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said at least one marker band comprises a first marker band disposed around said reinforcement layer.

7. The marked catheter of claim 6 wherein said at least one marker band comprises at least one additional marker band disposed around said first marker band.

8. The marked catheter of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional marker element disposed between said gaps of said reinforcement layer.

9. The marked catheter of claim 1 wherein said at least one marker band is disposed around at least one of said marker elements.

10. A marked catheter comprising:

an inner layer;

at least one reinforcement coil wrapped around said inner layer to form an open, evenly spaced coil;

at least one marker coil wrapped around said inner layer and interspersed with said at least one reinforcement coil such that said marker coil does not increase a thickness of the catheter; and

,

at least one circumferential marker band longitudinally aligned with said marker coil and said reinforcement coil.

11. The marked catheter of claim 10 wherein said at least one circumferential marker band comprises a first marker band disposed around said reinforcement layer.

12. The marked catheter of claim 11 wherein said at least one circumferential marker band comprises at least one additional marker band disposed around said first marker band.

13. The marked catheter of claim 10 wherein said at least one reinforcement coil and said at least one marker coils are interspersed such that filars of said coils are arranged in a repeating marker-marker-reinforcement pattern.

14. The marked catheter of claim 10 wherein said at least one reinforcement coil and said at least one marker coils comprise filars of unequal diameters.