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US 8,956,371 B2Granted
Shockwave balloon catheter system
AssigneeShockwave Medical, Inc.
InventorsDaniel Hawkins, Clifton A. Alferness, John M. Adams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for breaking obstructions in body lumens includes a catheter including an elongated carrier, a balloon about the carrier in sealed relation thereto, the balloon being arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon, and an arc generator including at least one electrode within the balloon that forms a mechanical shock wave within the balloon. The system further includes a power source that provides electrical energy to the arc generator.
Claims17
An angioplasty catheter comprising:
- an elongated carrier sized to fit within a blood vessel, said carrier having a guide wire lumen extending therethrough;
- an angioplasty balloon located near a distal end of the carrier with a distal end of the balloon being sealed to the carrier near the distal end of the carrier and with a proximal end of the balloon defining an annular channel arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon;
- and
- an arc generator including a pair of electrodes, said electrodes being positioned within and in non-touching relation to the balloon, said arc generator generating a high voltage pulse sufficient to create a plasma arc between the electrodes resulting in a mechanical shock wave within the balloon that is conducted through the fluid and through the balloon and wherein the balloon is arranged to remain intact during the formation of the shock wave.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- an angioplasty catheter including an elongated carrier sized to fit within a blood vessel, said carrier having a guide wire lumen extending therethrough, an angioplasty balloon located near a distal end of the carrier with a distal end of the balloon being sealed to the carrier near the distal end of the carrier and with a proximal end of the balloon defining an annular channel arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon, and an arc generator including a pair of electrodes being positioned within and in non-touching relation to the balloon;
- and
- a power source configured to provide a high voltage pulse to the arc generator, said high voltage pulse sufficient to create a plasma arc between the electrodes resulting in a mechanical shock wave within the balloon that is conducted through the fluid and through the balloon and wherein the balloon is arranged to remain intact during the formation of the shock wave.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.