Magnetic fixation apparatus for percutaneous catheter
AssigneeABIOMED, Inc.
InventorVincent Barry
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A catheter apparatus can include a first magnet coupled to a catheter and a second magnet configured to couple to a patient's skin. When the catheter and the first magnet are positioned within a patient's body, the second magnet can exert a magnetic force on the first magnet that stabilizes the catheter relative to the second magnet. The second magnet can be directly attached to the patient's skin or secondary devices such as straps can be used to place the second magnet in a fixed position relative to the patient's body. In some implementations, a plurality of magnets can facilitate holding the catheter in a substantially fixed position within the patient.
Claims19
A catheter apparatus comprising:
- a catheter;
- a heart pump coupled to a distal end portion of the catheter;
- a first magnet coupled to an exterior surface of the catheter;
- and
- a second magnet configured to couple to a patient's skin;
- wherein the second magnet exerts a magnetic force on the first magnet that stabilizes the catheter relative to the second magnet when the catheter and the first magnet are positioned inside of the patient's body, and
- wherein the first magnet is spaced from the heart pump along the catheter so as to prevent interference of the first and second magnets with the operation of the heart pump.
A method for percutaneously inserting a catheter into a patient comprising:
- inserting a catheter into the patient's vasculature, the catheter having a first magnet coupled to an exterior surface of the catheter and a heart pump coupled to a distal end portion of the catheter;
- and
- positioning a second magnet in a fixed position relative to the patient such that the first and second magnets are aligned and exert a force on each other, thereby stabilizing the position of the catheter relative to the second magnet,
- the first magnet being spaced from the heart pump along the catheter so as to prevent interference of the first and second magnets with the operation of the heart pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.