Electrodes for tissue treatment

• US 9,592,086 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Hu, Eric Y., Webster, Noah, Dalbec, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peffley, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vahdat, Khadijeh
• Application Number:
  US13/895,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 606 41- 50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/082 Probes or electrodes therefor
• 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 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00541 Lung or bronchi

Abstract

An energy delivery device is disclosed. The energy delivery device may include an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end, and an energy emitting portion coupled to the distal end of the elongate member. The energy emitting portion may be configured to transition between a first, collapsed configuration and a second, expanded configuration. In addition, the energy emitting portion may include a plurality of legs forming a basket, such that when the energy emitting portion is in the second, expanded configuration a central portion of at least one of the legs includes a substantially straight configuration.

Claims

1. An energy delivery device, comprising:

an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end; and

an energy emitting portion coupled to the distal end of the elongate member, wherein the energy emitting portion is configured to transition between a first, collapsed configuration and a second, expanded configuration;

wherein the energy emitting portion includes a plurality of legs forming a basket, wherein a central longitudinal axis passes through a radial center of the basket, and wherein, when the energy emitting portion is in the second, expanded configuration, a central portion of at least one of the plurality of legs includes (a) a first substantially straight section that is positioned at a first distance from the central longitudinal axis when in the second, expanded configuration, and (b) a second substantially straight section that is positioned at a second distance from the central longitudinal axis when in the second, expanded configuration, wherein the first distance and the second distance are different, wherein the central portion of the at least one leg further includes a connecting portion that extends proximally from a distal end of the first substantially straight section to a proximal end of the second substantially straight section, and wherein the first substantially straight section and the second substantially straight section are spaced apart from one another by a third distance in the first, collapsed configuration, and by a fourth distance in the second, expanded configuration, wherein the fourth distance is larger than the third distance.

2. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the central portion of the at least one leg is between proximal and distal portions of the at least one leg, and wherein the central portion is stiffer than each of the proximal and distal portions.

3. The energy delivery device of claim 2, wherein the central portion of the at least one leg includes a modulus of elasticity that is greater than a modulus of elasticity of each of the proximal and distal portions.

4. The energy delivery device of claim 2, wherein the central portion of the at least one leg includes a cross-section dimension that is larger than a corresponding cross-section dimension of each of the proximal and distal portions.

5. The energy delivery device of claim 2, wherein the proximal portion extends distally from the distal end of the elongate member and radially outward from the central longitudinal axis.

6. The energy delivery device of claim 5, wherein the first substantially straight section of the central portion extends distally from a distal end of the proximal portion of the at least one leg.

7. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the central portion includes a folded configuration.

8. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein the first substantially straight section is substantially parallel to the second substantially straight section.

9. The energy delivery device of claim 1, wherein a longitudinal axis of the connecting portion is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of each of the first substantially straight section and the second substantially straight section in the first, collapsed configuration, and intersects the longitudinal axis of each of the first substantially straight section and the second substantially straight section, in the second, expanded configuration.

10. The energy delivery device of claim 9, wherein the first substantially straight section, the connecting portion, and the second substantially straight section form a z-shape in the second, expanded configuration.

11. An energy delivery device, comprising:

an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end; and

an energy emitting portion coupled to the distal end of the elongate member, wherein the energy emitting portion is configured to transition between a first, collapsed configuration and a second, expanded configuration;

wherein the energy emitting portion includes a plurality of legs forming a basket, wherein a central longitudinal axis passes through a radial center of the basket, wherein each leg of the plurality of legs includes a proximal portion extending radially outward away from the central longitudinal axis, a central portion extending distally from a distal end of the of the proximal portion, and a distal portion extending distally from the central portion and radially inward toward the central longitudinal axis, wherein the central portion includes a first substantially straight portion, a second substantially straight portion, and third substantially straight portion, wherein the first substantially straight portion is collinear with and spaced apart from the third substantially straight portion, and the second substantially straight portion is substantially parallel to the first and third substantially straight portions, and wherein the central portion is stiffer than each of the proximal and distal portions such that when the energy emitting portion is in the second, expanded configuration the central portion includes a substantially linear configuration, and wherein the first substantially straight portion and the second substantially straight portion are spaced apart from one another by a first distance in the first, collapsed configuration, and by a second distance in the second, expanded configuration, wherein the second distance is larger than the first distance.

12. The energy delivery device of claim 11, wherein the central portion of at least one leg of the plurality of legs includes a cross-section dimension that is larger than a corresponding cross-section dimension of both the proximal and distal portions.

13. The energy delivery device of claim 11, wherein a central portion of each of the plurality of legs includes a substantially straight configuration.

14. The energy delivery device 11, wherein the central portion further includes a first connecting portion that extends proximally from a distal end of the first substantially straight portion and away from the central longitudinal axis, to a proximal end of the second substantially straight portion, and a second connecting portion that extends proximally from a distal end of the second substantially straight portion and toward the central longitudinal axis to a proximal end of the third substantially straight portion, when in the second, expanded configuration.

15. The energy delivery device of claim 14, wherein the second substantially straight portion is disposed further from the central longitudinal axis than the first substantially straight portion and the third substantially straight portion.

16. The energy delivery device of claim 15, wherein:

a longitudinal axis of the first connecting portion is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of each of the first substantially straight portion and the second substantially straight portion when in the first, collapsed configuration, and intersects the longitudinal axis of each of the first substantially straight portion and the second substantially straight portion, when in the second, expanded configuration, and

a longitudinal axis of the second connecting portion is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the third substantially straight portion and the longitudinal axis of the second substantially straight portion when in the first, collapsed configuration, and intersects the longitudinal axis of each of the third substantially straight portion and the second substantially straight portion, when in the second, expanded configuration.

17. The energy delivery device of claim 16, wherein the first substantially straight portion, the first connecting portion, and the second substantially straight portion form a first z-shape, when in the second, expanded configuration, and the second substantially straight portion, the second connecting portion, and the third substantially straight portion form a second z-shape when in the second, expanded configuration, wherein the first z-shape and the second z-shape are mirror images of one another about an axis that is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis.