US 5,904,657 A · System for guiding devices in body lumens

Abstract

A system for guiding devices or materials into body lumens includes a guidewire made of a shape memory alloy (SMA) or other shape memory material and having a lumen; an energy guide, preferably an optical fiber, received in the lumen; and a catheter or device slidably attached to the guidewire. The guidewire has a memorized shape and is in a martensitic (deformable) state during insertion into the body lumen. During or after insertion of the guidewire into the body lumen, the energy guide produces localized heating of the inner surface of the distal end of the guidewire, to cause the guidewire to at least partially recover its memorized shape, thereby selectively changing the shape, radii of curves, and rigidity of part or all of the guidewire. This selective shaping of the guidewire reduces fouling and facilitates delivery of devices along the guidewire.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for guiding devices or materials into body lumens, comprising:

a guidewire having a proximal end, a distal end spaced from the proximal end, and one or more lumens extending through the guidewire from the proximal end to approximately the distal end, wherein said guidewire is comprised of a shape memory alloy (SMA) or other shape memory material and has a memorized shape which is relaxed by the extraction of thermal energy and is at least partly recovered with the application of thermal energy;
heating means adapted for selective, localized heating of said guidewire to thereby straighten and stiffen all or part of said guidewire;
and
a catheter or device, that is slidably attached to said guidewire, and that is adapted to be slid along said guidewire into a body lumens;
and wherein said heating means comprises an optical fiber extending through one of the lumens of the guidewire, said optical fiber having a proximal end and a distal end, said optical fiber being adapted to deliver photo-thermal energy along the optical fiber.

2 more elements

A system for guiding devices or materials into body lumens, comprising:

a guidewire having a proximal end, a distal end spaced from the proximal end, and one or more lumens extending through the guidewire from the proximal end to approximately the distal end, wherein said guidewire is comprised of an inner tube enclosed within an outer tube along at least a part of its length, each of the inner tube and the outer tube comprising a shape memory alloy (SMA) or other shape memory material and having a memorized shape which is relaxed by the extraction of thermal energy and is at least partly recovered with the application of thermal energy wherein, during shape recovery, one of said tubes is in compression radially, normal to its longitudinal axis, and the other of said tubes is in tension radially, normal to its longitudinal axis;
heating means adapted for selective, localized heating of said guidewire to thereby change the shape, the radii of its curves and the rigidity of all or part of said guidewire;
and
a catheter or device, that is slidably attached to said guidewire, and that is adapted to be slid along said guidewire into a body lumens.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for guiding devices in body lumens

Life of this patent

System for guiding devices in body lumens

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20