Drug Delivery Catheter With Soluble Balloon Coating Containing Releasable Microspheres and Delivery Method
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorsPeiwen Cheng, Justin Peterson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drug delivery catheter and method for delivering microcapsules or microspheres containing a drug, pharmacological or other bioactive agent includes a balloon catheter having a coating on the balloon of a soluble biocompatible polymer containing a plurality of microcapsules or microspheres containing a drug or other agent. The balloon is porous to allow it to be inflated with a solvent fluid that passes through the porous wall of the balloon and dissolves the polymer, releasing the microspheres.
Claims8
A delivery catheter for delivering pharmacological, chemical, or bioactive agents at a selected location within a patient's body comprising:
- a shaft having proximal and distal ends and a first lumen extending through the shaft;
- a balloon mounted about a distal region of the shaft, the balloon being expandable and having a porous wall adapted to enable fluid directed under pressure through the first lumen into an interior of the balloon to be forced through the porous balloon wall;
- and
- a coating covering an external surface of the balloon and blocking the pores therein, the coating comprising a matrix formed from a biocompatible polymer soluble in a selected biocompatible fluid solvent and a plurality of microspheres carrying a selected agent;
- whereby the balloon is adapted to be inflated with the selected fluid solvent to dissolve the coating polymer and thereby release the microspheres from the matrix.
A method for delivering a pharmacological, chemical or bioactive agent to a selected location within a patient's body comprising the following steps, in order:
- receiving a balloon catheter having an elongate shaft and an inflatable balloon mounted about a distal portion of the shaft, the balloon having a porous wall and being coated with a matrix formed from a biocompatible polymer soluble in a selected solvent and a plurality of microspheres containing a selected agent;
- advancing the catheter to a selected target site within a patient's body where the balloon may be inflated against a selected target tissue;
- and
- inflating the balloon with the selected solvent fluid under a pressure and for a sufficient time to enable the solvent fluid to permeate the porous wall of the balloon to dissolve the matrix polymer thereby releasing of the microspheres therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.