Balloon catheter with improved pressure source

Abstract

A balloon catheter which has an elongate shaft with an inflatable balloon connected to its distal end and a manifold connected to its proximal end. The manifold may be fixedly or removably attached to the shaft and includes a barrel with a plunger movably disposed inside it. The manifold may be held with one hand and the plunger may be actuated with one finger or thumb on the same hand. The barrel may have an internal volume of less than 5 cc and an internal diameter of less than 0.25 inches. The catheter also has a prep port which may be connected at or near the proximal end of the catheter. The prep port facilitates prepping of the catheter system. A seal (e.g. a releasable cap or a valve) may be connected to the prep port for sealing off the prep port during use. A pressure transducer may be mounted to the catheter (e.g. on the shaft, the manifold, the prep port, or the seal) to permit measurement of the pressure within the inflation lumen and the balloon. The pressure transducer may be operably connected to a pressure display and the display may be connected to the proximal end of the catheter or may be remotely located from the catheter. Data may be transmitted to the remote display by wire or wireless transmission (e.g. infrared, radio frequency, or magnetic transmission). Alternate embodiments and methods of use are also disclosed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.