Valved catheter device and method

Claim 1

A catheter device for accessing an internal tissue site along a vessel path from an external body access site, comprising a catheter having an inner lumen extending between proximal and distal ends, an inflatable balloon disposed adjacent the distal end, means communicating the catheter lumen with the balloon, a guide wire having proximal and distal ends and carried in said catheter for axial sliding movement therein, an annular ring mounted within the lumen distal to the communicating means, said ring defining an aperture through which the guide wire is received and which when partially blocked causes fluid supplied through the lumen to be forced into the balloon, valve means defined by said aperture and an annular enlargement on the guide wire dimensioned to partially block the aperture when the enlargement is advanced against the ring.

Claim 7

A method of accessing an internal body site along a narrow-vessel tortuous path which includes some branch points in which the path follows the larger-diameter of two branch vessels, and some in which the path follows the smaller diameter of two branch vessels, said method comprising, providing a catheter device composed of (a) a catheter having an inner lumen extending between proximal and distal ends, an inflatable balloon disposed adjacent the distal end means communicating the catheter lumen with the balloon, and means defining an aperture disposed distally to the communicating means such that when the aperture is partially blocked, fluid supplied through the lumen is forced into the balloon, (b) a guide wire having proximal and distal ends and carried in said catheter for axial sliding movement therein, and (c) valve means defined by said aperture and guide wire designed to partially block the aperture at one or more selected guide wire positions, to permit the catheter balloon to be inflated by supplying fluid through the catheter lumen at a rate greater than fluid escape through the partially blocked aperture, advancing the wire along the path, when a branch point at which the vessel path follows the larger-diameter of two branch vessels is reached, placing the guide wire axially in a position effective to partially block said aperture, and infusing fluid through the catheter to inflate the balloon, whereby the distal end of the catheter can be carried by fluid flow into the larger-diameter vessel, and when a branch point at which the vessel path follows the smaller diameter of two branch vessels is reached, placing the said guide wire to orient the guide wire distal end in the direction of the smaller-diameter vessel, and advancing the catheter into such vessel.

Claim 8

A method of accessing an internal body site along a narrow-vessel tortuous path which includes some branch points in which the path follows the larger-diameter of two branch vessels, and some in which the path follows the smaller diameter of two branch vessels, said method comprising, providing a catheter device composed of (a) a catheter having an inner lumen extending between proximal and distal ends, an inflatable balloon disposed adjacent the distal end means communicating the catheter lumen with the balloon, and means defining an aperture disposed distally to the communicating means such that when the aperture is partially blocked, fluid supplied through the lumen is forced into the balloon, (b) a guide wire having proximal and distal ends and carried in said catheter for axial sliding movement therein, and (c) valve means defined by said aperture and guide wire designed to partially block the aperture at one or more selected guide wire positions, to permit the catheter balloon to be inflated by supplying fluid through the catheter lumen at a rate greater than fluid escape through the partially blocked aperture, advancing the wire along the path, when a branch point at which the vessel path follows the larger-diameter of two branch vessels is reached, placing the guide wire axially in a position effective to partially block said aperture, and infusing fluid through the catheter to inflate the balloon, whereby the distal end of the catheter can be carried by fluid flow into the larger-diameter vessel, and when a branch point at which the vessel path follows the smaller diameter of two branch vessels is reached, placing the said guide wire to orient the guide wire distal end in the direction of the smaller-diameter vessel, and advancing the catheter into such vessel.