Kink-free spiral-wound catheter
AssigneeTarget Therapeutics, Inc.
InventorGene Samson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention is a surgical device. In particular, it is a catheter suitable for treating a tissue target within the body, which target is accessible through the vascular system. Central to the invention is the use of stiffener ribbons, typically metallic, wound within the catheter body in such a way as to create a catheter having controllable stiffness.
Claims15
A catheter comprising an elongate tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having:
- a relatively stiff proximal segment comprising an inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an outer tubular cover, and a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner proximal tubular liner and covered by said outer tubular cover;
- and
- a relatively flexible distal segment comprising an inner distal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with said outer tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer tubular cover, the distal segment having a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm;
- said first ribbon stiffener having a pitch in the proximal segment different from a pitch in the distal segment.
A catheter comprising an elongate tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having:
- a relatively stiff proximal segment comprising an inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an outer proximal tubular cover, and a first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner proximal tubular liner and covered by said outer proximal tubular cover;
- a relatively flexible distal segment comprising an inner distal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an outer distal tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover, the distal segment having a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm;
- and
- an intermediate segment defining a passageway between the relatively stiff proximal segment and the relatively flexible distal segment, said intermediate segment comprising an extension of said inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an extension of said outer distal tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound between said inner proximal tubular liner and said outer distal tubular cover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.