US 6,200,305 B1Granted

Catheter having a variable length shaft segment and method of use

AssigneeMedtronic AVE, Inc.

InventorsWilliam A. Berthiaume, John Hudson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The invention relates to a catheter device and guidewire system to enable the catheter to be exchanged over a conventional length guidewire without the use of a guidewire extension or exchange wire. The catheter device includes an elongated inflation shaft having a longitudinal inflation lumen, an extension shaft having a longitudinal extension lumen coupled in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, a balloon member disposed at the distal end of the extension shaft and in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, a guidewire shaft having a longitudinal guidewire lumen which extends from the distal end of the balloon member, through the balloon member and extension shaft, to the proximal end of the extension shaft, and a variable length shaft coupled to the proximal end of the extension shaft. The variable length shaft comprises an elastomeric material which may be rolled about its outside surface such that the shaft may selectively extend from a rolled up state having a length of about 1 centimeters to a fully unrolled state having a length of about 140 centimeters.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A catheter device having a variable length guidewire lumen adapted for use with a conventional length guidewire, comprising:

(a) an elongated inflation shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and an inflation lumen extending longitudinally throughout its length;
(b) an extension shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and an extension lumen extending longitudinally throughout its length, the extension shaft proximal end being disposed adjacent the distal end of the inflation shaft such that the inflation lumen and the extension lumen are in fluid communication and form a continuous passageway therethrough;
(c) a guidewire shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and a guidewire lumen extending throughout its length, the guidewire shaft disposed longitudinally throughout the length of the extension shaft, the distal end of the guidewire shaft extending beyond the distal end of the extension shaft, and the guidewire lumen dimensioned to slidably receive the guidewire;
(d) a balloon member having a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end of the balloon member being coupled to the distal end of the extension shaft, the distal end of the balloon member being coupled to the guidewire shaft adjacent the distal end of the guidewire shaft, the balloon member defining an interior cavity in fluid communication with the extension lumen;
and
(e) a variable length shaft formed of an elastomeric material and having a proximal end, a distal end, an outside surface and a variable length guidewire lumen, wherein the distal end of the variable length shaft is coupled to the extension shaft and the proximal end of the variable length shaft may be rolled and unrolled about the outside surface thereof to selectively vary the length of the variable length guidewire lumen.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.