Patent EP0737487A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0737487A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steerable electrode catheter
Assignee: Medtronic Inc
•
Filing: 1993-04-08
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2013-04-08
Abstract
Abstract A steerable catheter 8 suitable for radiofrequency ablation of cardiac tissue comprises a catheter shaft 10 with a deflectable tip at the distal end 12 of the shaft. The tip may be deflected by means of a shapable handle coupled to pull wires 44 fastened to the distal end of the deflectable tip. A core wire 42 extends from the handle to the distal tip, providing fine positioning of the deflectable tip by applying torque through the core wire to the tip. A spring tube may be further provided in the deflectable tip for improved torque transmission and kink-resistance. The catheter may have an electrode 20 at the distal end of the deflectable tip for positioning at a target site and applying RF power to accomplish ablation.
Inventors
- 👤 Scott West
- 👤 Richard Jaraczweski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:54
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/01; A61M25/0105; A61M25/0133; A61M25/0138; A61B; A61B18/00; A61B18/04; A61B18/12; A61B18/14; A61B18/1492; A61M25/0147; A61B17/00; A61B2017/00017; A61B2017/00022; A61B2017/00084; A61B2017/00092; A61B17/00234; A61B2017/00292; A61B2017/003; A61B2018/00636; A61B2018/00773; A61B2018/00839; A61B18/18; A61B18/1815; A61B2018/1861; A61M2025/015
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A steerable catheter (8) comprising: a catheter shaft (10) having a distal end (12), a proximal end (14), and a central lumen (40) extending therebetween, wherein a distal portion of the shaft is deflectable; and means (44) extending from the proximal end (14) to the distal end (12) for deflecting a distal portion of the shaft about a transverse axis; a core wire (42) extending through the central lumen (40) and attached to the distal end (12) of the shaft (10); and means (30,96,100) for applying torque to a proximal end of the core wire (42) to rotate the proximal end of the core wire relative to said catheter shaft (10) to deflect the distal portion of the shaft about its longitudinal axis; characterized in that the catheter shaft (10) is reinforced with a braid or coil layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
35 words
A steerable catheter as in claim 1, further comprising at least one electrode (20) at the distal end of the shaft (10), and means (46,66) for connecting the electrode (20) to an external radiofrequency generator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A steerable catheter as in claim 1 or 2, further comprising at least one additional electrode (22) disposed on the shaft (10) and located proximaly of the electrode (20) disposed at the distal end, and means (32) for connecting the additional electrode (22) to external monitoring equipment.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
A steerable catheter as in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the means for deflecting the distal portion comprises at least three pull wires (44) which are attached to radially offset locations at the distal end of the deflectable portion of the shaft (10), and means (24) at the proximal end of the shaft (10) for selectively applying tension to the pull wires (44) to cause deflection of the deflectable portion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
A steerable catheter as in claim 4, wherein the distal portion of the shaft includes at least three radially offset lumens (56), and wherein the pull wires (44) are disposed in the central lumen (54) of the catheter shaft (10) over a proximal portion thereof and disposed in the radially offset lumens (56) over the distal portion thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A steerable catheter as in claim 4, wherein the means for selectively applying tension comprises a shapable handle (24).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A steerable catheter as in any preceding claim, wherein the core wire (42) is tapered to have a reduced diameter in the distal direction.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
A steerable catheter as in any preceding claim, wherein the means for applying torque comprises a torquer ring (30) rotatably mounted at the proximal end of the shaft (10) and coupled to the core wire (42).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
A steerable catheter according to any preceding claim wherein said distal portion comprises a spring tube (58).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
A steerable catheter as in any preceding claim, wherein the means for applying torque comprises a torquer ring (100) rotatably mounted to said shapable handle (24) and coupled to the core wire (42).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.