Electrosurgical Balloons

• US 20130085493A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Advanced Energy LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Salient Surgical Technologies Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Bloom, Eliot F., Podany, Vaclav O., Greenlaw, Chad M., Conley, Brian M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,750,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• 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 2018/00255 arranged one inside another
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00511 Kidney
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/126 bipolar
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1472 for use with liquid electrolyte, e.g. virtual electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation

Abstract

An electrosurgical balloon includes an inflatable balloon body formed of a non-conductive substrate material. One or more electrodes are disposed on an exterior surface of the balloon body. The electrodes can include a pair of bipolar electrodes, and the balloon body can have at least one fluid outlet hole configured to provide fluid to the pair of bipolar electrodes. A second inflatable balloon body can be disposed inside the first inflatable balloon body. The electrosurgical balloon can be incorporated into a catheter assembly, in which the electrosurgical balloon is a balloon electrode tip at a distal end of a catheter.

Claims

1. A catheter assembly, comprising:

a catheter including an elongated body having a distal end portion; and

a balloon electrode tip attached to the distal end portion of the catheter, the balloon electrode tip including;

an inflatable balloon body formed of a non-conductive substrate material,

a pair of bipolar electrodes disposed on an exterior surface of the balloon body, the pair of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode in a bipolar electrode configuration, and

at least one fluid outlet hole in the balloon body configured to provide a fluid from a fluid source to the pair of bipolar electrodes.

2. The catheter assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second catheter including a second elongated body having a second distal end portion and a lumen, wherein the first catheter is disposed within the lumen.

3. The catheter assembly of claim 2, the balloon electrode tip further including a second inflatable balloon body disposed inside the first balloon body.

4. The catheter assembly of claim 3, wherein the second balloon body has a proximal end and distal end each coupled to the distal end portion of the first catheter.

5. The catheter assembly of claim 4, wherein the first balloon body has a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being coupled to the distal end portion of the first catheter, and the proximal end being coupled to the distal end portion of the second catheter.

6. The catheter assembly of claim 3, wherein the first balloon body is configured to be adjustably inflated with the fluid from the fluid source, wherein the fluid is a conductive fluid.

7. The catheter assembly of claim 6, wherein the second balloon body is configured to be inflated with a fluid, wherein the fluid comprises one of a gas and a liquid.

8. The catheter assembly of claim 3, wherein the first balloon body is made of one of a compliant material and a non-compliant material, and wherein the second balloon body is made of the other of a non-compliant material and a compliant material.

9. The catheter assembly of claim 2, wherein the first catheter is slidably disposed within the lumen of the second catheter, and wherein the distal end portion of the first catheter is configured to be moveable relative to the distal end portion of the second catheter such that at least a portion of the balloon electrode tip is selectively extendable out of and retractable into the lumen at the distal end portion of the second catheter.

10. The catheter assembly of claim 9, wherein the balloon body is made of a compliant material, wherein the compliant material includes silicone, and wherein the movement of the distal end portion of the first catheter relative to the distal end portion of the second catheter is configured to adjust a separation distance between the first and second electrodes.

11. The catheter assembly of claim 2, wherein the balloon body has a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being coupled to the distal end portion of the first catheter, and the proximal end being coupled to the distal end portion of the second catheter.

12. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the distal end portion of the catheter has at least one fluid outlet configured to provide the fluid from the fluid source into a chamber formed by the balloon body so as to inflate the balloon body with the fluid.

13. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the balloon body is made of a compliant material, wherein the compliant material includes silicone.

14. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the fluid from the fluid source is a conductive fluid, and wherein the conductive fluid is saline.

15. The catheter assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one fluid outlet hole comprises a plurality of fluid outlet holes located in the balloon body in a region extending between the pair of bipolar electrodes so as to provide a conductive pathway of saline that electrically connects the pair of bipolar electrodes.

16. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the balloon body has a proximal end and a distal end each coupled to the distal end portion of the catheter.

17. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein the balloon body has a side and a distal end, the pair of electrodes being disposed on the exterior surface at one of the side and the distal end of the balloon body.

18. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is formed of a conductive ink disposed on the substrate material forming the balloon body.

19. The catheter assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is formed of a wire disposed on the substrate material forming the balloon body.

20. A catheter assembly, comprising:

a first catheter including a first elongated body having a first distal end portion;

a second catheter including a second elongated body having a second distal end portion and a lumen, wherein the first catheter is disposed within the lumen; and

a balloon electrode tip attached to the first distal end portion, the balloon electrode tip including;

an outer inflatable balloon body formed of a non-conductive substrate material,

an inner inflatable balloon body disposed inside the outer inflatable balloon body, and

an electrode disposed on an exterior surface of the outer balloon body.

21. The catheter assembly of claim 20, further comprising a second electrode disposed on an exterior surface of the outer balloon body, the first electrode and the second electrode having a bipolar electrode configuration.

22. The catheter assembly of claim 21, further comprising at least one fluid outlet hole in the outer balloon body configured to provide a fluid from a fluid source to the first and second electrodes.

23. The catheter assembly of claim 21, wherein the first catheter is slidably disposed within the lumen of the second catheter, wherein the first distal end portion is configured to be moveable relative to the second distal end portion so that at least a portion of the first distal end portion is selectively extendable out of and retractable into the lumen at the second distal end portion, wherein the movement of the first distal end portion relative to the second distal end portion adjusts a separation distance between the first and second electrodes.

24. An electrosurgical balloon, comprising:

an inflatable balloon body, wherein the balloon body is formed of a non-conductive substrate material;

a pair of bipolar electrodes disposed on an exterior surface of the balloon body, the pair of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode in a bipolar electrode configuration; and

at least one fluid outlet hole in the balloon body configured to provide a conductive fluid from a fluid source to the pair of bipolar electrodes.

25. The electrosurgical balloon of claim 24, wherein the balloon body is configured to be adjustably inflated with the conductive fluid from the fluid source.

26. The electrosurgical balloon of claim 25, wherein adjustment of an amount of inflation of the balloon body is configured to adjust a separation distance between the first and second electrodes.

27. A method for treating tissue using electrical energy, comprising:

providing radio-frequency energy to a bipolar balloon electrode tip attached to a distal end portion of a catheter, wherein the balloon electrode tip includes an balloon body inflated with a conductive fluid and having a pair of bipolar electrodes disposed on an exterior surface of the balloon body, the balloon body being formed of a non-conductive substrate material;

contacting targeted tissue with the energized bipolar balloon electrode tip; and

discharging a portion of the conductive fluid from a fluid outlet hole in the balloon body to electrically couple the pair of electrodes disposed on an exterior surface of the balloon body, wherein the fluid provides a conductive pathway for energy to flow between the pair of electrodes.