Variable stiffness balloon catheter
AssigneeTarget Therapeutics, Inc.
InventorErik T. Engelson
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Abstract
This invention is a single-lumen balloon catheter and assembly having a variable stiffness shaft that allows for greater guidewire trackability and proximal pushability than previous designs. The catheter has an elongate tubular body that is made of inner and outer coaxial tubes, the inner tube being made of proximal and distal sections, the proximal section being stiffer than the distal section and the distal section being stiffer than the outer tube.
Claims15
A single lumen valved balloon catheter for use in combination with a guidewire, said catheter comprising an elongate tubular body having a proximal end a distal end and a lumen extending between said ends for receiving the guidewire, said body comprising:
- (a) an inflatable balloon segment intermediate said ends, proximate said distal end;
- (b) an outer coaxial tube extending continuously between the proximal end and the balloon;
- and
- (c) proximal and distal inner coaxial polymeric tube sections positioned contiguously in tandem proximal to the inflatable balloon segment and located within a portion of the outer coaxial tube;
- wherein a distal end of the distal inner coaxial tube section is proximal said balloon, the distal inner coaxial tube section being less stiff than the proximal inner coaxial tube section but stiffer than the portion of the outer coaxial tube extending from the distal inner coaxial tube section to the balloon.
A single lumen balloon catheter assembly comprising in combination:
- (a) a single lumen catheter comprising an elongate tubular body having a proximal end, an open distal end and a lumen extending between said ends for receiving a flexible guidewire, said body comprising:
- (i) an inflatable balloon segment intermediate said ends;
- (ii) an outer coaxial tube extending continuously between the proximal end and the balloon;
- and
- (iii) proximal and distal inner coaxial polymeric tube sections positioned contiguously in tandem proximal to the inflatable balloon segment and located within a portion of the outer coaxial tube;
- wherein a distal end of the distal inner coaxial tube section is proximal said balloon, the distal inner coaxial tube section being less stiff than the proximal inner coaxial tube section but stiffer than the portion of the outer coaxial tube extending from said distal inner coaxial tube section to the balloon;
- (b) said flexible guidewire extending axially through the lumen beyond said open distal end, said guidewire being axially moveable within the lumen;
- and
- (c) a valve plug carried on the guidewire and being axially moveable by axial movement of the guidewire between a first position in which the valve plug is axially spaced from the open distal end of the catheter to a second position in which the valve plug blocks the open distal end of the catheter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.