Catheter with a double balloon structure to generate and apply an ablative zone to tissue
OwnerVirender K Sharmainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Ablation catheters and systems include coaxial catheter shafts with an inner lumen for delivering an ablative agent and an outer lumen for circulation of a cooling element about the catheter. Induction heating is used to heat a chamber and vaporize a fluid within by wrapping a coil about a ferromagnetic chamber and providing an alternating current to the coil. A magnetic field is created in the area surrounding the chamber which induces electric current flow in the chamber, heating the chamber and vaporizing the fluid inside. Positioning elements help maintain the device in the proper position with respect to the target tissue and also prevent the passage of ablative agent to normal tissues.
Claims20
A catheter adapted to ablate a body tissue comprising:
- an outer balloon integrated into the catheter and having an exterior surface defining an interior volume;
- an inner balloon integrated into the catheter and configured to expand within the interior volume of the outer balloon;
- a first lumen within the catheter and in fluid communication with an interior volume of the inner balloon, wherein the first lumen is configured to direct an ablative agent to the interior volume of the inner balloon and wherein the ablative agent is defined by a first temperature;
- and
- a second lumen within the catheter and in fluid communication with the interior volume of the outer balloon, wherein the second lumen is configured to direct a fluid to the interior volume of the outer balloon and wherein the fluid is defined by a second temperature that is different from the first temperature, wherein, when said fluid inflates the interior volume of the outer balloon and the ablative agent inflates the interior volume of the inner balloon, an ablative zone is created at an area of contact between said outer balloon and inner balloon such that ablative zone is at a temperature sufficient to ablate the body tissue while portions of said outer balloon excluding said ablative zone remain a temperature different from the ablative zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.