# US 2023/0056415 A1 · Catheter and catheter system

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- Number: US 2023/0056415 A1
- Document ID: US20230056415A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/981,513
- Filed: 2022-11-07
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-15
- Assignees: Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Satoshi NAMIMA; Fumiyoshi OSHIMA; Yuta KUBO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230056415A1

## CPC

- A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
- A61B 17/2202: {the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter}
- A61B 8/445: {Details of catheter construction}
- A61B 8/4488: {the transducer being a phased array}
- A61B 8/52: {Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves}
- A61B 2017/22021: {electric leads passing through the catheter}
- A61B 2017/22038: {with a guide wire}
- A61B 2090/3784: {both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A catheter having a lumen includes a tube, a sensor unit disposed at a distal end of the tube and capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasound, and an irradiation unit disposed at the distal end of the tube and capable of emitting the ultrasound toward a guide wire which passes through the lumen and protrudes from the distal end of the tube. The shape of the biological tissue can be observed by transmitting the ultrasound from the sensor units toward the biological tissue and receiving the reflection wave reflected by the biological tissue at the sensor units. Irradiating the guide wire with the ultrasound transmitted from the irradiation unit causes the guide wire to vibrate. The vibration of the guide wire can facilitate the passage through an occlusion site of the biological tissue.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A catheter comprising:
a tube having a lumen configured to accommodate a medical device extending therethrough;
a sensor unit disposed at a distal end of the tube and configured to transmit and receive ultrasound; and
an irradiation unit disposed at the distal end of the tube and configured to emit ultrasound toward a target position corresponding to a position of the medical device when the medical device extends through the lumen and protrudes from the distal end of the tube.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The catheter according to claim 1, wherein:
the irradiation unit comprises a plurality of oscillators arranged in a row in an arrangement direction; and
the medical device is disposed on a line extending in the arrangement direction of the plurality of oscillators.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The catheter according to claim 2, wherein:
the irradiation unit includes a first transmission unit and a second transmission unit disposed so as to sandwich the lumen; and
the plurality of oscillators constitute the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit and are aligned in a straight line.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit and the sensor unit each comprises oscillators, and the oscillators of the irradiation unit are configured to be controlled independently of the oscillators of the sensor unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit and the sensor unit each comprises oscillators, and the oscillators of the sensor unit and the oscillators of the irradiation unit are composed of a same kind of component.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit comprises oscillators configured to transmit the ultrasound toward the target position.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The catheter according to claim 6, wherein the sensor unit is configured to switch between the following modes:
a mode of emitting the ultrasound toward the lesion, in which the sensor unit is controlled to switch between transmission and reception of the ultrasound in a predetermined period; and
a mode of emitting the ultrasound toward the target position, in which the sensor unit is controlled to continuously transmit the ultrasound for a period longer than the predetermined period.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The catheter according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit comprises oscillators configured to transmit and receive the ultrasound.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The catheter according to claim 8, wherein, the irradiation unit is configured such that, in a mode of transmitting and receiving the ultrasound, the irradiation unit performs the transmission and reception of the ultrasound intermittently and alternately.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A catheter system comprising:
the catheter according to claim 1; and
an emission control unit configured to connect to the catheter and control:
ultrasound transmitting of the sensor unit and the irradiation unit, and
display on a display device on a basis of the ultrasound received by the sensor unit.