Catheter With Deflectable Cap
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorErik Griswold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A catheter system for delivery of a medical implant, the system including a cap removably covering an open distal end of a catheter. An elongate actuator wire is fixedly attached to the cap, extends through a lumen of the catheter, and has a distal region that can assume a pre-formed shape when unconstrained by the catheter lumen. The pre-formed shape of the wire distal region defines a bend adapted to laterally deflect the cap from the catheter distal end when assuming the pre-formed shape. At least a portion of the lumen adjacent the catheter distal end is sized and shaped to slidably receive the medical implant alongside the actuator wire. A push rod extends through the catheter lumen for ejecting the medical implant from the catheter distal end. Methods of using the invention are also disclosed.
Claims17
A catheter system for intraluminal delivery of a medical implant, the system comprising:
- an elongate catheter having an inner surface defining a lumen extending from a catheter proximal end to an open catheter distal end;
- a cap disposed at the catheter distal end and having a proximal end removably disposed within the catheter lumen and a rounded distal end extending distally of the catheter distal end;
- and
- an elongate actuator wire slidably disposed within the catheter lumen and having a distal end fixedly attached to the cap, the actuator wire having a distal region with a pre-formed shape, the distal region having a substantially straightened shape different from the pre-formed shape when constrained within the catheter lumen and being adapted to assume its pre-formed shape when exposed distally beyond the catheter distal end, the pre-formed shape defining a bend adapted to laterally displace the cap from the catheter distal end when assuming the pre-formed shape;
- wherein at least a portion of the lumen adjacent the catheter distal end is sized and shaped to slidably receive the medical implant alongside the actuator wire.
A method for delivering a medical implant to a treatment site in a patient, the method comprising:
- inserting a catheter system into a vasculature in the patient, the system including:
- an elongate catheter having an inner surface defining a lumen extending from a catheter proximal end to an open catheter distal end;
- a cap removably disposed at the catheter distal end and having a proximal end disposed within the catheter lumen and an rounded distal end extending distally of the catheter distal end;
- an elongate actuator wire slidably disposed within the catheter lumen and having a distal end fixedly attached to the cap, the actuator wire having a distal region with a pre-formed shape, the distal region being constrained within the catheter lumen to have a substantially straightened shape different from the pre-formed shape;
- and
- a medical implant slidably disposed alongside the actuator wire within a portion of the lumen adjacent the catheter distal end;
- advancing the catheter through the vasculature to a location near the treatment site;
- causing relative movement between the actuator wire and the catheter to expose the wire distal region beyond the catheter distal end and to permit the distal region to assume its pre-formed shape thereby laterally displacing the cap from the catheter distal end;
- and
- ejecting the medical implant from the open catheter distal end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.