Catheter apparatus

A catheter apparatus, comprising:

• a catheter that is adapted to be inserted into a lumen of a human body, the catheter having a center hole extending from a front end portion to a base end portion thereof for passing therethrough a guide wire when inserting the catheter into the lumen of the human body;
• an embolus trapping part adapted to trap an embolus inside the lumen of the human body, provided on an outer surface near the front end portion of the catheter, the embolus trapping part including:
• a net member including a weaved elastic or shape memory wire material having a net shape, and
• proximal side and distal side tie portions each being disposed respectively on a proximal end and a distal end of the wire material, for tying the proximal and distal ends of the wire material to the outer surface of the catheter;
• a carrier catheter to carry the catheter and the embolus trapping part stored therein to a lesion area inside the lumen of the human body and to retrieve the catheter and the embolus trapping part stored therein from the lesion area;
• a liquid introducing portion for introducing a liquid including a drug solution into the catheter, and including:
• a tube communicating with the catheter,
• an introduction opening for introducing the liquid into the catheter through the tube,
• a delivery opening adapted to deliver body fluid collected from the center hole at the front end portion of the catheter through the catheter and the tube, and
• a switch portion for selectively switching a connection between the tube and the introduction opening or the delivery opening;
• and
• a branch portion which is connected to the base end portion of the catheter and the tube of the liquid introducing portion, and is provided with:
• an insertion hole communicating to the center hole at the base end portion of the catheter and adapted to pass only the guide wire,
• a connection portion connecting and communicating the tube to the center hole at the base end portion of the catheter for introducing the liquid into and delivering the body fluid from the lumen of the human body through the center hole, and
• a seal member disposed in the branch portion, for preventing the liquid supplied from the tube through the catheter to the lumen of human body, or the body fluid collected from the lumen of the human body to the tube through the catheter from leaking from the insertion hole to outside of the branch portion;
• wherein the embolus trapping part is structured so that at least one of the proximal side tie portion or the distal side tie portion shifts along the catheter to reduce or increase a distance between the proximal and distal side tie portions to open and close the net member, and when the carrier catheter is moved rearward in relation to the catheter so that the net member is released from a front end of the carrier catheter into the lumen of the human body, the net member expands from the outer surface of the catheter to trap the embolus, and when the carrier catheter is moved forward in relation to the catheter so that the net member is retrieved into the carrier catheter from the front end thereof, the net member is retracted to the outer surface of the catheter to be stored into the carrier catheter, and
• the seal member includes a guide wire insertion hole adapted to pass only the guide wire therethrough.