Patent EP0486157A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0486157A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Improvements in guidewires and catheters usable therewith
Assignee: CR Bard Inc
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Filing: 1991-10-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-10-15
Abstract
Abstract A guidewire for use in guiding a catheter is provided with an expandable element at its distal region. The element may be expanded from a contracted configuration having a diameter corresponding to that of the guidewire and an expanded configuration larger than that diameter. A control element, such as a pull wire, extends through the guidewire from the proximal end of the guidewire and is associated with the expandable element to control expansion and contraction of the expandable element. The guidewire may be used in a number of modes. In one mode, the guidewire may be used to enhance the pushability of a catheter by locating the expandable element in the distal end of the lumen of the catheter and expanding the element at that location to lock the expandable element to the distal end of the catheter. Thereafter, the guidewire and catheter may be advanced in unison with the guidewire enhancing the pushability of the combination. In another mode of operation, the guidewire may be used with a single lumen balloon catheter in which the expandable element may be used both to enhance the pushability of the combination as well as to seal the distal end of the catheter to enable the balloon to be inflated and deflated through the catheter lumen.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael D. Barbere
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:14
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/01; A61M25/09; A61M2025/09058; A61M2025/09083; A61M2025/09125; A61M25/0067; A61M25/0074; A61M25/0075
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
76 words
A guidewire for use with a catheter comprising: an elongate flexible tubular shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; a control element extending through the shaft from a proximal end toward the distal end; a radially expandable member mounted on the shaft and being controllable so as to be expanded radially from said contracted configuration to a diameter greater than the diameter of the shaft, the expandable member being controllable by the control element.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
76 words
A guidewire for use with a catheter comprising: an elongate flexible tubular shaft having a proximal end and a distal end; a control element extending through the shaft from a proximal end toward the distal end; a radially expandable member mounted on the shaft and being controllable so as to be expanded radially from said contracted configuration to a diameter greater than the diameter of the shaft, the expandable member being controllable by the control element.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 1 wherein the distal portion of the guidewire is more flexible than the proximal portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 1 wherein the control element comprises a pull wire extending through the tubular shaft, the distal end of the pull wire being operatively associated with the expandable member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 3 wherein the expandable element comprises an elastomeric sleeve mounted along the shaft and where operation of the control wire is operative to compress or relax the sleeve.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 3 wherein the expandable element comprises a tubular braided mesh and where the control wire is operative to axially compress or relax the mesh element.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 3 wherein the expandable element is normally in a relaxed contracted configuration.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
102 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 1 wherein the shaft comprises: an elongate flexible length of substantially torsionally rigid tubing adapted to transmit rotation from the proximal end to the distal end; a helical coil attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the tube, the pull wire extending through the tube and through the coil; a distal coil carried by the distal end of the pull wire, the distal end of the pull wire being attached to the distal end of the distal coil; the expandable member being mounted about the pull wire between the proximal and distal coils.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 7 wherein the distal end of the pull wire is of reduced diameter configuration as to be more flexible.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 8 wherein the distal end of the pull wire is step tapered.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 3 further comprising means at the proximal end of the shaft for adjusting the pull applied to the pull wire.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
89 words
In a guidewire for use with a catheter, the improvement comprising: an expandable element mounted on the distal end of the guidewire, the expandable element being radially expandable from a contracted configuration in which the element is not greater in diameter than the diameter of the guidewire and an expanded configuration in which the diameter of the element is greater than that of the guidewire; and a control element extending from the proximal to the distal end of the shaft for controlling expansion and contraction of the expandable element.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
89 words
In a guidewire for use with a catheter, the improvement comprising: an expandable element mounted on the distal end of the guidewire, the expandable element being radially expandable from a contracted configuration in which the element is not greater in diameter than the diameter of the guidewire and an expanded configuration in which the diameter of the element is greater than that of the guidewire; and a control element extending from the proximal to the distal end of the shaft for controlling expansion and contraction of the expandable element.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 11 wherein the expandable element is elastomeric and compressible.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 11 wherein the expandable element is in the form of a flexible tubular mesh braid.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 1 wherein the diameter of the guidewire shaft is no greater than about 0.020 inches and the expandable member has an unexpanded diameter not greater than that of the guidewire and an expanded diameter several thousandths of an inch greater than the unexpanded diameter.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
101 words
A method for advancing a catheter comprising: providing a catheter having a guidewire lumen; providing a guidewire having an expandable element carried at its distal end; inserting the guidewire into the catheter lumen so that the expandable element is disposed within the distal portion of the catheter lumen; expanding the expandable element to cause the expandable element to securely engage the catheter by engagement with the surface of the catheter lumen; and while the catheter and guidewire are so engaged, advancing the catheter by advancing the guidewire whereby the connection between the guidewire and catheter will cause advancement of the catheter.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
101 words
A method for advancing a catheter comprising: providing a catheter having a guidewire lumen; providing a guidewire having an expandable element carried at its distal end; inserting the guidewire into the catheter lumen so that the expandable element is disposed within the distal portion of the catheter lumen; expanding the expandable element to cause the expandable element to securely engage the catheter by engagement with the surface of the catheter lumen; and while the catheter and guidewire are so engaged, advancing the catheter by advancing the guidewire whereby the connection between the guidewire and catheter will cause advancement of the catheter.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
89 words
A catheter and guidewire therefor, in combination, comprising: the catheter having an elongate flexible shaft having at least one lumen extending lengthwise through the shaft; the guidewire having an expandable element mounted on its distal end, the element being expandable to a dimension such that when it is disposed in the lumen of the catheter, it can be expanded to interfere with and securely engage the surface of the lumen; a control element at the proximal end of the guidewire for controlling the expansion and contraction of the element.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
89 words
A catheter and guidewire therefor, in combination, comprising: the catheter having an elongate flexible shaft having at least one lumen extending lengthwise through the shaft; the guidewire having an expandable element mounted on its distal end, the element being expandable to a dimension such that when it is disposed in the lumen of the catheter, it can be expanded to interfere with and securely engage the surface of the lumen; a control element at the proximal end of the guidewire for controlling the expansion and contraction of the element.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
The combination as defined in claim 16 wherein the expandable element locks to the catheter to enable the catheter to be pulled and advanced under tension by pushing on the proximal end of the guidewire.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
52 words
A combination as defined in claim 16 wherein the catheter has a single lumen and a balloon mounted on the distal end of the catheter shaft, the interior of the balloon being in communication with the lumen, the lumen being open at the distal end of the shaft, distally of the balloon.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
155 words
A method for guiding and inflating a balloon catheter through a body lumen comprising: providing a catheter having an elongate flexible shaft open at its distal end and a balloon mounted adjacent the distal end of the catheter shaft and in communication with the lumen; providing a guidewire as defined is claim 1; advancing the guidewire through the body lumen while manipulating the guidewire to locate the distal end of the guidewire in a predetermined location in the body lumen; locating the catheter on the guidewire such that the expandable member of the guidewire is disposed distally of the proximal end of the balloon; expanding the expandable member on the guidewire to occlude the lumen of the shaft to prevent flow of inflation liquid out of the distal end of the lumen; thereafter applying liquid under pressure to the interior of the lumen and the balloon while maintaining the distal end of the lumen sealed.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method as defined in claim 19 further comprising: thereafter contracting the expandable element.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
111 words
A registration system for a catheter and a second member movable longitudinally with respect to the catheter comprising: one of said catheter or member having a radiopaque segment; the other of the member or catheter having radiopaque segments spaced by a non-radiopaque segment, the non-radiopaque segment being of a length corresponding to the radiopaque segment on the other of the catheter or member; the non-radiopaque segment on one of the catheter or member and the radiopaque segment on the other of the catheter or member being located so that when the radiopaque segment is in registry with the non-radiopaque segment, the catheter and member will be in a predetermined relative position.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
111 words
A registration system for a catheter and a second member movable longitudinally with respect to the catheter comprising: one of said catheter or member having a radiopaque segment; the other of the member or catheter having radiopaque segments spaced by a non-radiopaque segment, the non-radiopaque segment being of a length corresponding to the radiopaque segment on the other of the catheter or member; the non-radiopaque segment on one of the catheter or member and the radiopaque segment on the other of the catheter or member being located so that when the radiopaque segment is in registry with the non-radiopaque segment, the catheter and member will be in a predetermined relative position.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
58 words
A guidewire as defined in claim 3 wherein a portion of each of the tubular shaft and pull wire are non-circular in cross-section and are constructed to permit relative axial movement between the pull wire and the tubular shaft thereby to preclude relative rotation between the pull wire and the proximal shaft while permitting relative axial movement therebetween.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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