Lubricious catheters
AssigneeTarget Therapeutics, Inc.
InventorsErik T. Engelson, Robert Hergenrother, Joseph Eder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention is in the general field of surgical instruments. It relates specifically to catheters which may be used in cardiovascular and endovascular procedures to deliver diagnostic, therapeutic, or vaso-occlusive agents to a target site within a human or animal body which is accessible by a system of natural passageways within that body. The catheters are coated in such a way that they are exceptionally slippery and the coating is very durable. The invention also relates to methods of coating the catheters and to methods of applying lubricious coatings.
Claims11
A catheter assembly, said catheter comprising an elongate tubular member having proximal and distal ends and an inner lumen extending between said ends, said member comprising:
- (a) a relatively stiff proximal segment comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, Nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terepthalate, polyester elastomer tubing, a polymer outer core with a metallic mesh inner core, and laminates thereof;
- (b) a relatively flexible distal segment;
- and
- (c) a transition section between said proximal and said distal segments that is less flexible than the distal segment but more flexible than the proximal segment,
- wherein at least the distal segment has been coated with a lubricious coating consisting essentially of a lubricity-causing polymer or oligomer comprising monomers of polysaccharides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.