Shock wave catheter with shock absorber

A catheter system for treating lesions in a body lumen, the system comprising:

• a catheter comprising:
• an elongate member;
• at least one shock wave emitter assembly mounted over a distal portion of the elongate member, the at least one shock wave emitter assembly comprising:
• an inner electrode;
• a shock absorber at least partially surrounding the inner electrode and having a shock absorber aperture aligned with the inner electrode, wherein the shock absorber comprises a polymer material having a Shore A hardness value between 20 and 75, the shock absorber is between 0.25 millimeters and 1.0 millimeters thick;
• and
• a conductive band comprising an outer electrode that is aligned with the shock absorber aperture, the inner electrode and the outer electrode forming an electrode pair;
• and
• a power supply electrically connected to the at least one shock wave emitter assembly and configured to supply a voltage no less than 10 kV to the at least one shock wave emitter assembly.

A catheter for treating lesions in a body lumen, the catheter comprising:

• an elongate member;
• at least one shock wave emitter assembly located at a distal portion of the elongate member, the at least one shock wave emitter assembly comprising:
• an electrode pair comprising:
• a first electrode electrically connected to a high voltage power source configured to supply a voltage no less than 10 kV to the electrode pair;
• and
• a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and electrically connected to the high voltage power source, the at least one shock wave emitter assembly configured to generate a shock wave when a voltage is applied across the electrode pair;
• and
• a shock absorber at least partially located between the first electrode and the second electrode,
• wherein:
• the shock absorber comprises a polymer material having a Shore A hardness value between 20 and 75 and is between 0.25 millimeters and 1.0 millimeters thick, and
• the first electrode comprises an edge of a conductive sheath, wherein an overall length of the shock absorber is no less than 3.0 millimeters and an overall length of the conductive sheath is no more than 2.0 millimeters.

A catheter for treating lesions in a body lumen, the catheter comprising:

• an elongate member;
• a plurality of axially aligned shock wave emitter assemblies located at a distal portion of the elongate member, each of the plurality of shock wave emitter assemblies comprising:
• an electrode pair comprising:
• a first electrode electrically connected to a high voltage power source configured to supply a voltage no less than 10 kV to the electrode pair;
• and
• a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and electrically connected to the high voltage power source, the plurality of shock wave emitter assemblies configured to generate a shock wave when a voltage is applied across the electrode pair;
• and
• a shock absorber at least partially located between the first electrode and the second electrode,
• wherein:
• the shock absorber comprises a polymer material having a Shore A hardness value between 20 and 75 and the shock absorber is between 0.25 millimeters and 1.0 millimeters thick.