US 2001/0049502 A1 · GUIDE SHEATH FOR REPEATED PLACEMENT OF A DEVICE

Abstract

A guide sheath is implanted to facilitate repeated access to a treatment site in a patient's body by a treatment device such as a probe for administering light therapy. The guide sheath reduces the risk of track contamination with bacteria, bleeding during insertion of the treatment device or a treatment evaluation probe, track metastasis, and inadvertent puncture of structures and tissues within the patient's body. The guide sheath is disposed so that its distal end is at or adjacent to the internal treatment site, and the proximal end of the guide sheath is either percutaneous or subcutaneous. The guide sheath is a thin-walled hollow tube that may be optically transparent or opaque. In one embodiment, the guide sheath has a flared opening on the proximal end to assist in inserting the treatment device into the guide sheath. This opening is covered with an self-sealing, elastomeric membrane. It is preferable to fabricate the guide sheath from a biodegradable material that will not require surgical removal. After it is no longer needed to facilitate advancing a treatment device toward the treatment site, the guide sheath can then be left in the patient's body and simply biodegrades and is absorbed. A method for inserting and a method for using the guide sheath are also disclosed.

Claims43

Dependent claims

Apparatus for enabling a medical device to repeatedly access an internal treatment site within a patient's body, said apparatus being adapted to be implanted and left within the patient's body for an extended period of time, comprising:

(a) a hollow guide sheath having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being adapted to be disposed adjacent to said internal treatment site;
and
(b) a self-sealing, puncturable, elastomeric membrane disposed adjacent to the proximal end of the guide sheath, said elastomeric membrane closing the guide sheath to prevent bodily fluids from freely flowing through the guide sheath while enabling a medical device to be inserted through said elastomeric membrane by puncturing said elastomeric membrane, said guide sheath guiding the medical device to and from the internal treatment site.

A method for implanting a guide sheath used for accessing an internal treatment site within a patient's body, to facilitate repeated access to the internal treatment site by a treatment device, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a needle;
(b) providing a guide sheath having a proximal end and a distal end;
(c) inserting the needle through the guide sheath;
(d) inserting the needle transcutaneously into the patient's body and advancing the needle toward the internal treatment site through tissue in the patient's body;
(e) forcing the distal end of the guide sheath into the patient's body over the needle and advancing the guide sheath toward the internal treatment site, the proximal end of the guide sheath being disposed percutaneously, and the distal end of the guide sheath being disposed adjacent to the internal treatment site;
(f) removing the needle, leaving the guide sheath in place for guiding the treatment device to the internal treatment site;
and
(g) affixing the guide sheath in place, to prevent its movement relative to the treatment site and to facilitate repetitively guiding the treatment device to the internal treatment site over an extended period of time.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Guide sheath for repeated placement of a device

Life of this patent

Guide sheath for repeated placement of a device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims43