Rapid exchange catheter with depressable channel
AssigneeBoston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
InventorsOscar Carrillo, James E. Windheuser, M. Kevin Richardson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rapid exchange catheter extends from a proximal portion which remains outside of a patient's body during use to a distal portion which, during use, is located within a body lumen adjacent to a target area to be treated, wherein the proximal and distal portions are coupled by a medial portion. The catheter comprises a guide wire lumen extending longitudinally through the distal portion and a guide wire receiving channel formed by an outer surface of the medial portion, wherein the guide wire lumen is open to a distal end of the channel.
Claims19
A rapid exchange catheter comprising:
- a guide wire lumen;
- and
- first and second slits separated from one another longitudinally along a portion of the catheter forming a depressible portion of a wall of the catheter therebetween, the depressible portion being movable between a depressed configuration in which an inner surface of the depressible portion is moved a predetermined distance radially inward toward an inner surface of an opposite side of the guide wire lumen to form a guide wire receiving channel and a non-depressed configuration, the predetermined distance being selected so that, when a guide wire is received in the guide wire receiving channel, a combined diameter of the guide wire and the catheter is no greater than a diameter of the catheter in the non-depressed configuration;
- wherein the depressible portion has a continuous wall surface having a substantially uniform wall thickness when in the non-depressed configuration.
A rapid exchange catheter comprising:
- a guide wire lumen;
- a depressible portion of a wall of the catheter biased toward a depressed configuration in which the depressible portion is moved radially inward a predetermined distance to form a guide wire receiving channel, a first opening from a first end of the guide wire receiving channel to the guide wire lumen is formed so that, in a non-depressed configuration, an outer surface of the first end of the guide wire receiving channel forms a substantially continuous outer surface with an outer surface of an adjacent portion of the catheter wall.
A method for treating tissue, comprising:
- configuring a depressible portion of a wall of a catheter in a depressed configuration to form a guide wire receiving channel with an opening from the guide wire receiving channel to a guide wire lumen, the catheter having a non-depressed configuration in which the depressible portion of the wall of the catheter is moved radially outward a predetermined distance relative to the depressed configuration;
- inserting a guide wire into the guide wire receiving channel so that a combined diameter of the guide wire and the catheter is no greater than a diameter of the catheter in the non-depressed configuration;
- inserting the guide wire through the opening of the guide wire receiving channel into the guide wire lumen;
- and
- advancing the guide wire through the body lumen to a desired location therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.