Catheter markers

• US 9,764,111 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• 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:
  US15/243,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20160354578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 604524, 604526, 604529
• 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 method of marking a catheter comprising:

providing a catheter having;

an inner layer;

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

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

,

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

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a catheter with an inner layer and a reinforcement layer around said inner layer and constructed as an open, single-layer coil defining evenly-spaced gaps comprises providing a catheter with a reinforcement layer selected from the group consisting of round wire, ribbon wire, elliptical wire.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a catheter with an inner layer and a reinforcement layer around said inner layer and constructed as an open, single-layer coil defining evenly-spaced gaps comprises providing a catheter with a reinforcement layer of a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Nitinol.

4. The method 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 method of claim 1 wherein placing a marker element in said gaps of said reinforcement layer so as to not increase a thickness of the catheter comprises placing a coil in said gaps.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein placing at least one marker band around said catheter longitudinally aligned with said marker element and said reinforcement layer comprises placing a first marker band around said reinforcement layer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein placing at least one marker band around said catheter longitudinally aligned with said marker element and said reinforcement layer comprises placing at least one additional marker band around said first marker band.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing at least one additional marker element between said gaps of said reinforcement layer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein placing at least one marker band around said catheter longitudinally aligned with said marker element and said reinforcement layer comprises placing at least one marker band around at least one of said marker elements.

10. A method of marking a catheter comprising:

providing a catheter having;

an inner layer;

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

wrapping at least one marker coil 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

,

placing at least one circumferential marker band around said catheter such that the circumferential marker band is longitudinally aligned with said marker coil and said reinforcement coil.

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

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

13. The method of claim 10 wherein wrapping at least one marker coil around said inner layer comprises interspersing said marker coil within said reinforcement coil such that filars of said coils are arranged in a repeating marker-marker-reinforcement pattern.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein wrapping at least one marker coil around said inner layer comprises wrapping a marker coil with filars having diameters that are unequal to diameters of filars of said reinforcement coil.