US 6,602,241 B2 · Methods and apparatus for acute or chronic delivery of substances or apparatus to extravascular treatment sites

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for delivery of substances or apparatus to target sites located outside blood vessels within the body of a human or animal patient. A vessel wall penetrating catheter is inserted into the vasculature, positioned and oriented within a blood vessel near the target extravascular site and a penetrator is advanced from the catheter so as to penetrate outwardly through the wall of the blood vessel in the direction of the target site. Thereafter, a delivery catheter is passed through a lumen of the penetrator to the target site. A desired substance or apparatus is then delivered to or obtained from the target site. In some applications, the penetrator may be retracted into the vessel wall penetrating catheter and the vessel wall penetrating catheter may be removed, leaving the delivery catheter in place for chronic or continuous delivery of substance(s) to and/or obtaining of information or samples from the target site. Alternatively, a delivery catheter having an occlusion member or balloon may be advanced into a vein or venule and the occlusion member or balloon may be used to occlude the lumen of the vein or venule during and after injection of a substance through the catheter, such that the substance will not be carried away by normal venous blood flow and will remain in the vein or venule for a sufficient period of time to have its intended effect (e.g. to enter adjacent tissues through capillary beds drained by that vein or venule).

Claims137

Dependent claims

A system for delivering substances or apparatus to an extraluminal target site within the body of a human or veterinary patient, said system comprising:

a. a vessel wall penetrating catheter that comprises i) a catheter body that is insertable into a blood vessel lumen of the patient and ii) a vessel wall penetrating member having a penetrator lumen extending longitudinally therethrough, said penetrating member extending from the catheter body positioned within the blood vessel lumen to a target site located outside the blood vessel lumen;
and
b. a delivery catheter having a catheter lumen extending longitudinally therethrough, said delivery catheter being advanceable through the penetrator lumen to the target site;
said vessel wall penetrating member being retractable into the catheter body and the vessel wall penetrating catheter being removable from the patient's body such that the delivery catheter remains indwelling with the distal end of the delivery catheter located at the target site.

1 more element

A method for delivering a substance or apparatus to an extraluminal target site within the body of a human or veterinary patient, said method comprising:

(A) providing a vessel wall penetrating catheter that is insertable into a blood vessel of the patient, said vessel wall penetrating catheter having a catheter body and a penetrating member that is advanceable through the wall of a blood vessel in which the catheter body is positioned, said vessel wall penetrating member having a penetrator lumen extending longitudinally therethrough;
(B) inserting the vessel wall penetrating catheter into a blood vessel lumen of the patient;
(C) positioning the vessel wall penetrating catheter within the blood vessel lumen of the patient such that the penetrating member, when advanced, will pass through the wall of a blood vessel to a location near the target site;
(D) advancing the penetrating member through the wall of a blood vessel and to a location near the target site;
and
(E) advancing through the lumen of the penetrating member and to the target site, a second apparatus selected from the group consisting of:
i. an elongate delivery catheter having a lumen through which a substance may be injected or withdrawn;
ii. an elongate member that comprises a therapeutic apparatus operative to deliver a therapy to the target site;
and
iii. an elongate member that comprises an information-obtaining apparatus operative to obtain information from the target site.

7 more elements

A system for delivery of a substance to a target site located a spaced distance from a blood vessel within the body of a human or animal patient, said system comprising:

a vessel wall penetrating catheter that has a vessel wall penetrator advanceable therefrom, said vessel wall penetrating catheter being insertable into the vasculature and positionable in the blood vessel near the target site and said penetrator being thereafter advanceable from the catheter and trough the wall of the blood vessel in the direction of the target site;
a delivery catheter that is advanceable through the penetrator and to the target site, said delivery catheter being of sufficient length and constructed such that, after the delivery catheter has been advanced through the penetrator and to the target site, the penetrator may be retracted into the vessel wall penetrating catheter and the vessel wall penetrating catheter may be removed, leaving the delivery catheter in place such that the delivery catheter extends through the patient's vasculature into the blood vessel near the target site, outwardly through the wall of the blood vessel and to the target site.

A method for delivery of substances or apparatus to a target site located a spaced distance from a blood vessel within the body of a human or animal patient, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) Inserting a vessel wall penetrating catheter into the vasculature of the patient, said vessel wall penetrating catheter having a penetrator advanceable therefrom;
(B) positioning the vessel wall penetrating catheter in the blood vessel near the target site;
(C) advancing the penetrator from the vessel wall penetrating catheter and through the wall of the blood in the direction of the target site;
(D) advancing a delivery catheter through the penetrator and to the target site;
(E) retracting the penetrator into the vessel wall penetrating catheter;
and,
(F) withdrawing and removing the vessel wall penetrating catheter, leaving the delivery catheter indwelling such that it extends through the patient's vasculature into the blood vessel near the target site, outwardly through the wall of the blood vessel and to the target site.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and apparatus for acute or chronic delivery of substances or apparatus to extravascular treatment sites

Life of this patent

Methods and apparatus for acute or chronic delivery of substances or apparatus to extravascular treatment sites

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims137