Image guided catheter having deployable balloons and pericardial access procedure

An image guided catheter comprising:

• an elongate body having a center and an exterior surface and configured for direct access from an exterior surface of a human body to an internal human body wall by a selected approach angle during use of the catheter;
• distal ultrasound imaging transducer,
• first and second indentations of the elongated body, each indentation surrounding and being radially within the exterior surface of said elongate body, each indentation having a distal wall and a proximate wall, the first and second indentations being proximate to one another along and radially within the exterior surface of said elongate body as measured from the center of the elongate body;
• first and second balloon material, the first balloon material being respectively fixed to distal and proximate walls of said first indentation and the second balloon material being respectively fixed to distal and proximate walls of said second indentation;
• one inflation/deflation channel running from a proximal end of the elongate body to a vicinity of each of said first and second indentations;
• and
• valve apparatus for said at least one inflation/deflation channel, the valve apparatus for receiving inflation fluid for separately feeding each indentation to cause said first and second balloon material to separately inflate,
• the inflated first and second balloon material of each indentation being located proximate to one another and configured to sandwich the internal human body wall during use of the catheter, said first and second balloon material configured, when inflated, to seal and to lock the catheter to an internal human body wall during use of the catheter;
• wherein said first and second balloon material and indentations comprise an assembly which is slidably moveable along the elongate body, the assembly being radially within the predetermined length of the elongate body and said first and second balloon material being configured to communicate with a single inflation/deflation channel of the elongate body.

A sheath configured to introduce a medical devices into a human body directly through the chest cavity to an internal human structure during use of the sheath, the sheath having a hollow center, and further comprising:

• first and second indentations, each indentation of said sheath surrounding said sheath, each indentation having a distal wall and a proximate wall, the first and second indentations being proximate to one another and at a predetermined depth radially within an exterior surface of and along said sheath;
• first and second balloon material being fixed to the distal and proximate walls of each of said first and second indentations;
• one inflation/deflation channel running from a proximal end of the sheath to a position approximately intermediate said first and second indentations;
• and
• valve apparatus for said one inflation/deflation channel, the valve apparatus for receiving inflation fluid for separately feeding each indentation to cause each of said first and second balloon material to inflate,
• the inflated first and second balloon material of each indentation being located proximate to one another configured to form a sandwich to seal and lock a sheath part to the internal human body wall during use of the sheath;
• wherein said first and second balloon material and indentations comprise an assembly which is slidably moveable along the sheath, the assembly being radially within the predetermined length of the sheath, said first and second balloon material and indentations of the assembly being configured to slidably move to communicate with the one inflation/deflation channel of the sheath.

A medical device comprising:

• an elongate body having an inflation channel and an exterior surface;
• an ultrasound imaging transducer at a distal end;
• first distal and second proximal balloons at a position intermediate a length of the elongate body such that the balloons reside in a deflated state within respective indentations within round sides of the elongate medical device body having the inflation channel, the elongate body of the medical device configured to directly access the interior of a human organ from an exterior surface of a human body to a wall of the organ during use of the device, the first distal and second proximal balloons in an inflated state configured to seal the human organ wall at a point of human wall puncture and configured to lock a part of the medical device in place at the human organ wall during use of the device, said first distal and second proximal balloons and respective indentations comprising an assembly which is slidably moveable along the elongate body and being located within a radial cavity of the smooth external surface of the elongate body and at a predetermined radial depth from the exterior surface, such that in a first position of the slidably moveable assembly, the first distal balloon is located over an inflation channel of the elongate body and, in a second position, the second proximal balloon is located over the inflation channel of the elongate body.