Circumferential ablation device assembly and methods of use and manufacture providing an ablative circumferential band along an expandable member

An ablation device assembly for ablating a circumferential region of tissue at a location within a body space where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon located along the distal end portion and having a balloon skin that forms a chamber and also a working length and which is inflatable with an ablation medium in order to expand from a radially collapsed condition to a radially expanded condition,
• wherein the working length comprises first and second end portions and an intermediate region extending between the first and second end portions relative to the longitudinal axis, the working length enclosing at least in-part the chamber which is adapted to couple to a source of the ablation media, the intermediate region having an expanded outer diameter when in the radially expanded condition that is adapted to engage a substantial portion of the circumferential region of tissue, the balloon skin along the intermediate region comprising a porous fluoropolymer which is sufficiently permeable to allow a volume of the ablation medium within the chamber to be ablatively coupled to the substantial portion of the circumferential region of tissue, and the balloon skin along the first and second end portions comprises an elastomer which is substantially non-permeable for substantially preventing the volume of the ablation medium within the chamber from ablatively coupling to tissue directly across the first and second end portions.

An ablation device assembly for ablating a circumferential region of tissue at a location within a body space where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion, a distal end potion, and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• an expandable member located along the distal end portion and having a working length that is expandable from a radially collapsed condition to a radially expanded condition;
• wherein in the radially expanded condition, the working length has a proximal end and a distal end and also has a tapered shape with a distally reducing outer diameter from the proximal end to the distal end, the working length enclosing at least in-part a chamber which is adapted to couple to a source of an ablation medium and having first and second end portions and an intermediate region extending between the first and second end portions relative to the longitudinal axis, the intermediate region having an expanded outer diameter adapted to engage a substantial portion of the circumferential region of tissue, the intermediate region being sufficiently permeable to allow a volume of the ablation medium within the chamber to be ablatively coupled to the substantial portion of the circumferential region of tissue, and the first and second end portions being substantially non-permeable to substantially prevent the volume of the ablation medium within the chamber from ablatively coupling to tissue direly across the first and second end portions.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to a radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile;
• wherein the working length has a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section which is constructed at least in part of a porous polytetrafluoroethylene material having a plurality of nodes which are interconnected by a plurality of fibrils, the porous polytetrafluoroethylene material including a plurality of pores formed by voids located between the nodes and fibrils, the plurality of pores comprising an inherent void volume adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly trough and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile;
• wherein the working length has a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section which is constructed at least in part of a porous polytetrafluoroethylene material having a plurality of pores comprising an inherent void volume adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, the porous polytetrafluoroethylene material extending along both the non-permeable and permeable sections and having a length with the plurality of pores located along the length, and wherein the pores along the non-permeable section are substantially blocked and non-permeable to the pressurized fluid within the chamber and the pores along the permeable section are substantially open and permeable to pressurized fluid within the chamber.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to a radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile,
• wherein the working length has a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section which is constructed at least in part of a porous polytetrafluoroethylene material including a plurality of pores comprising an inherent void volume and adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, the porous polytetrafluoroethylene material formed from a tape which is oriented with adjacent windings which are secured to each other to form a continuous porous tube that defines at least in part the chamber.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to a radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile;
• wherein the working length comprises a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section having a plurality of pores adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, the working length comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene material having a length which extends along both the non-permeable and permeable sections, the polytetrafluoroethylene material being substantially non-porous along the non-permeable section and porous along the permeable section.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to a radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile;
• wherein the working length has a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section which is constructed at least in part of a porous fluoropolymer material including a plurality of pores adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, the permeable and non-permeable sections being located longitudinally adjacent each other along the working length relative to the longitudinal axis, the working length having a proximal section and a distal section and a tapered region with a distally reducing outer diameter from the proximal section to the distal section, and the permeable section is located along the tapered region.

A medical catheter assembly, comprising:

• an elongate body with a proximal end portion and a distal end portion and a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a balloon positioned along the distal end portion and which defines a chamber that is adapted to fluidly couple to a pressurizable fluid source, the balloon having a working length relative to the longitudinal axis which is expandable with a volume of pressurized fluid from the pressurizable fluid source from a radially collapsed condition having a radially collapsed profile to a radially expanded condition having a radially expanded profile which is larger than the radially collapsed profile;
• wherein the working length has a non-permeable section which is constructed to substantially prevent the pressurized fluid from passing from within the chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, and a permeable section which is constructed at least in part of a porous fluoropolymer material including a plurality of pores adapted to substantially allow the pressurized fluid to pass from within the enclosed chamber and outwardly through and from the balloon when in the radially expanded condition, the working length having a proximal section and a distal section and a tapered region with a distally reducing outer diameter from the proximal section to the distal section, and the permeable section is located along the tapered region.