Catheter with variable radius loop
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.
InventorsLinda Kay Nemec, Fos Ulus Kuehn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A catheter includes a body having a proximal region that extends along a longitudinal axis, a distal region predisposed into a loop via shaping wire, and a neck region between the proximal and distal regions. The loop is disposed in a plane generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. An activation wire is coupled to the distal region and to an actuator in a manner that allows a user to adjust the radius of the loop. The activation and shaping wires are contained within a tube-shaped constraint, such as a spring coil, within the neck in order to the neck from nodding when the activation wire is activated.
Claims20
A catheter comprising:
- a catheter body having a proximal region, a neck region, and a distal region predisposed into at least a partial loop disposed in a plane;
- a handle joined to the proximal region and including an actuator;
- an activation wire coupled to the actuator, extending through the proximal region and neck region and into the at least a partial loop of the distal region, and coupled to the distal region such that, when a user actuates the actuator, the activation wire is activated to cause the at least a partial loop of the distal region to vary in radius;
- a shape memory wire, separate from the activation wire, extending through the neck and at least a portion of the distal region and shaping the portion of the distal region into the at least a partial loop;
- and
- a tube-shaped constraint within the neck, wherein the activation wire is detached from the shape memory wire and disposed within the tube-shaped constraint such that when tension is applied to the activation wire to vary the radius of the partial loop, the tube-shaped constraint prevents nodding of the neck by keeping the activation wire and the shaping wire in close proximity to each other.
A catheter comprising:
- a catheter body having a proximal region that extends along an axis, a distal region predisposed into at least a partial loop disposed in a plane orthogonal to the axis of the proximal region, and a neck region between the proximal region and the distal region;
- a handle joined to the proximal region and including an actuator;
- an activation wire coupled to the actuator, extending through the proximal region and neck region and into the at least a partial loop of the distal region, and coupled to the distal region such that, when a user actuates the actuator, the activation wire is activated to cause the at least a partial loop of the distal region to vary in radius;
- a shape memory wire, separate from the activation wire, extending through the neck region and at least a portion of the distal region to shape the portion of the distal region into the at least a partial loop;
- and
- an undeformable constraint within the neck region,
- wherein the activation wire is detached from the shape memory wire and the activation wire and the shape memory wire are positioned within the undeformable constraint such that when tension is applied to the activation wire to vary the radius of the partial loop, the undeformable constraint minimizes nodding of the neck by keeping the activation wire and the shaping wire in close proximity to each other.
A method of manufacturing a medical device, the method comprising:
- forming an elongate body having a distal region and a proximal region;
- disposing a shape memory wire within a distal region of the body to predispose the distal region of the body into at least a partial loop disposed in a plane, wherein the plane is orthogonal to an axis of the proximal region, thereby forming a neck region between the proximal region and the distal region;
- disposing an activation wire, separate from the shape memory wire, through the elongate body from the proximal region into the at least a partial loop of the distal region;
- securing the activation wire to the distal region;
- and
- forming an undeformable constraint about the shape memory wire and the activation wire within the neck region, wherein the shape memory wire and the activation wire are detached from each other within the neck region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.