Adjustable stiffness catheter
AssigneeBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
InventorsLeo Lee Tsai, Yuyin Chen, Vyas Ramanan
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a catheter that has adjustable stiffness that enables a user to select the stiffness of at least one region of the catheter during insertion and navigation through a body lumen. A preferred embodiment of the invention works in combination with a guidewire to enable placement of the catheter at a position within the vascular system, for example, to enable treatment of a variety of medical conditions. The catheter can include segments that undergo relative movement in response to actuation by the user to adjust the flexibility of the at least one region, preferably located at or near the distal end of the catheter.
Claims44
An adjustable catheter comprising:
- an inner tube having a first plurality of spaced regions having a first stiffness separated by a first plurality of spaced segments having a greater stiffness than the plurality of spaced regions;
- an outer tube extending around the inner tube such that the outer tube and the inner tube undergo relative longitudinal translation, the outer tube having a second plurality of spaced regions having a second stiffness separated by a second plurality of spaced segments having a greater stiffness than the second plurality of spaced regions;
- and
- an actuator configured to provide relative longitudinal motion of the inner tube and the outer tube.
A method for guiding a catheter to a treatment site within a body comprising:
- inserting a catheter into a body lumen, the catheter having a flexible distal region including a plurality of movable segments;
- actuating relative movement between the plurality of movable segments to alter a stiffness of the flexible distal region;
- and
- advancing the catheter within the body lumen.
A method of manufacturing a catheter, comprising,
- forming an inner tube having a first plurality of spaced regions having a first stiffness separated by a first plurality of spaced segments having a greater stiffness than the plurality of spaced regions;
- and
- forming an outer tube extending around the inner tube such that the outer tube and the inner tube undergo relative longitudinal translation, the outer tube having a second plurality of spaced regions having a second stiffness separated by a second plurality of spaced segments having a greater stiffness than the second plurality of spaced regions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.