Ultrasonically enhanced RF ablation catheter
AssigneeEverest Medical Corporation
InventorPeter Stasz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrosurgical angioplasty catheter with ultrasonic enhancement is described. It comprises an elongated, flexible plastic tubular body having located at its distal tip an electrode structure for effecting rf cutting along with a transducer for ultrasonically driving the rf cutting electrodes and the support thereof. The electronics module for driving the cutting electrodes and the ultrasonic transducer also includes means for receiving echo signals picked up by the transducer whereby Doppler flow readings and ultrasound imaging of the blood vessel being worked upon can be obtained.
Claims15
An electrosurgical angioplasty catheter, comprising:
- (a) an elongated, flexible, plastic tubular body member having a proximal end, a distal end and at least one lumen extending from said proximal end to said distal end;
- and
- (b) a tip member secured to the distal end of said tubular body member, said tip member including
- (i) means for effecting rf cutting;
- and
- (ii) means for ultrasonically driving said rf cutting means with vibratory forces.
An electrosurgical rf angioplasty catheter for removal of atherostenotic lesions comprising:
- (a) an elongated flexible, plastic catheter body having an outer diameter sufficiently small to pass through portions of the vascular system of a living being, a proximal end, a distal end and a central lumen extending between said proximal end and said distal end;
- (b) a tip member bonded to said distal end of said catheter body, said tip member including a proximally disposed back-up plate, a distally disposed ceramic member supporting first and second spaced part electrodes comprising a bipolar electrode pair, and piezoelectric crystal transducer means disposed between said back-up plate and said ceramic member for imparting vibrational forces to said ceramic member;
- (c) electronic means disposed at said proximal end of said catheter body and coupled to said transducer means for generating pulses of ultrasonic energy in a medium in which said tip member is immersed and for receiving electrical signals produced by said transducer means upon receipt of reflected energy whereby low rates of said medium can be measured and features of said vascular system displayed;
- and
- (d) means including said electronic means for simultaneously energizing said transducer means and said bipolar electrode pair with rf power whereby electrosurgical cutting of said atherostenotic lesions occurs as ultrasonic energy impinges on said lesions.
A method of removing unwanted tissue deposits from the interior walls of a selected blood vessel of a patient's vascular system comprising the steps of:
- (a) inserting an rf electrosurgical catheter into said patient's vascular system, said catheter comprising an elongated flexible tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end and a tip member attached to said distal end of said tubular member, said tip member including a non-conductive base supporting a pair of bipolar electrodes and ultrasonic transducer means positioned to impart vibrational forces to said base;
- (b) advancing said catheter until said tip member is positioned adjacent said tissue deposit;
- and
- (c) applying rf energy across said bipolar electrodes to produce a high current flow between said electrodes while simultaneously driving said ultrasonic transducer means with rf energy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.