Shock wave balloon catheter with multiple shock wave sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10682178-B2
Application number	US-201815979182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2018
Priority date	Jun 27, 2012
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus includes a balloon adapted to be placed adjacent a calcified region of a body. The balloon is inflatable with a liquid. The apparatus further includes a shock wave generator within the balloon that produces shock waves that propagate through the liquid for impinging upon the calcified region adjacent the balloon. The shock wave generator includes a plurality of shock wave sources distributed within the balloon.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device for generating shock waves for treating a calcified lesion within a blood vessel or calcified aortic valve comprising:
an elongated support;
a chamber mounted on the support, said chamber being fillable with a conductive liquid;
a first wire extending along the support and into the chamber, wherein the distal end of the first wire defines a first electrode of a first pair of electrodes, there being at least two pairs of electrodes extending along support;
a second wire extending along the support and into the chamber, wherein the distal end of the second wire defines a second electrode in the most distal of the at least two pairs of electrodes, wherein one electrode in each electrode pair has a surface area greater than the surface area of the other electrode in the electrode pair, with the first and second electrodes in each electrode pair being spaced apart to define a gap that is filled with a common conductive liquid, with the at least two electrode pairs being arranged such that when a sufficiently high voltage pulse is applied to the proximal ends of the first and second wires, arcs are generated in the conductive liquid adjacent each electrode pair thereby creating a low impedance current path across the gaps of the at least two pairs of electrodes whereby the current will flow in a series path between the first and second wires and the at least two pairs of electrodes, with a shock wave being generated from each electrode pair.

2. The device of claim 1 further including a conductive element, with one portion of the conductive element defining a second electrode of the first pair of electrodes and another portion of the conductive element defining a first electrode of a second pair of electrodes.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the conductive element is a wire.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein there is one additional electrode pair of the at least two electrode pairs located between the first pair of electrodes and the most distal pair of electrodes, with the first and second electrodes of the additional electrode pair being spaced apart to define a gap that is filled with the conductive liquid and wherein when arcs are generated between the electrodes of the pairs of electrodes, current will flow in a series path through all the electrode pairs.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the elongated support includes a guide wire lumen.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the chamber is in the form of an inflatable angioplasty balloon.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the elongated support includes a guide wire lumen.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the chamber is in the form of an inflatable angioplasty balloon.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the voltage of the voltage pulse is between 100 and 3000 volts.

10. A device for generating shock waves for treating a calcified lesion within a blood vessel or calcified aortic valve comprising:
an elongated support;
a chamber mounted on the support, said chamber being fillable with a conductive liquid;
a first wire extending along the support and into the chamber, wherein the distal end of the first wire defines a first electrode of a first pair of electrodes, there being at least two pairs of electrodes extending along the support;
a second wire extending along the support and into the chamber, wherein the distal end of the second wire defines a second electrode in a second pair of electrodes of the at least two pairs of electrodes, wherein one electrode in each electrode pair of the at least two pairs of electrodes has a surface area greater than the surface area of the other electrode in the electrode pair, with the first and second electrodes in each electrode pair being spaced apart to define a gap that is filled with a common conductive liquid with the at least two pairs of electrodes being arranged such that when a sufficiently high voltage pulse is applied to the proximal ends of the first and second wires, arcs are generated in the conductive liquid adjacent each electrode pair thereby creating a low impedance current path across the gaps of the at least two pairs of electrodes whereby substantially all the current will flow in a series path between the first and second wires and the at least two pairs of electrodes, with a shock wave being generated from each electrode pair.

11. The device of claim 10 further including a conductive element, with one portion of the conductive element defining a second electrode of the first pair of electrodes and another portion of the conductive element defining a first electrode of the second pair of electrodes.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the conductive element is a wire.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein there is at least one additional electrode pair connected between the first and second wires with the first and second electrodes in the at least one additional electrode pair being spaced apart to define a gap that is filled with the conductive liquid and wherein when arcs are generated between the electrodes of the pairs of electrodes, current will flow in a series path through all the electrode pairs.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the elongated support includes a guide wire lumen.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the chamber is in the form of an inflatable angioplasty balloon.

16. The device of claim 10 wherein the elongated support includes a guide wire lumen.

17. The device of claim 10 wherein the chamber is in the form of an inflatable angioplasty balloon.

18. The device of claim 10 wherein the voltage of the voltage pulse is between 100 and 3000 volts.

19. An apparatus for controllably producing shockwaves along a length of a balloon of an angioplasty catheter, the apparatus comprising:
a fluid channel for inflating the balloon with a conductive liquid;
a guidewire sheath extending axially through the balloon and adapted to carry the angioplasty catheter along a guidewire to a treatment location in a vasculature of a patient; and
a shockwave generating circuit comprising
at least two electrode pairs each disposed in the balloon and upon or proximate to the guidewire sheath, each electrode pair comprising a respective first electrode and a respective second electrode wherein one of the respective first electrode and the respective second electrode has a greater surface area than another of the respective first electrode and the respective second electrode,
a first connector for connecting a first electrode of a first electrode pair of the at least two electrode pairs to a positive terminal of a voltage source,
a second connector for connecting a second electrode of a last electrode pair of the at least two electrode pairs to a return terminal of a voltage source, and
at least one conductive structure electrically coupling a second electrode of the first electrode pair to the first electrode of a next electrode pair, wherein
the at least one conductive structure is not connected to the first connector or the second connector by a conductor other than the conductive liquid such that the at least one conductive structure serves as at least one floating electrode positioned between the first electrode of the first electrode pair and the second electrode of the last electrode pair,
wherein the electrodes of each electrode pair of the at least two electrode pairs are separated by a respective gap such that the respective electrode pair is configured, upon application of a pulse from the voltage source, to generate a plasma arc in the gap, wherein, together, the plasma arcs generated in the gap

Assignees

• Shockwave Medical Inc

Inventors

• Adams John M
• Goff Thomas G
• Hakala Doug

Classifications

• A61B17/22022 Primary

  using electric discharge · CPC title

• A61B2017/22098

  Decalcification of valves · CPC title

• A61B18/1492 Primary

  having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation (A61B18/1477 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/320725

  with radially expandable cutting or abrading elements (A61B17/32075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B17/2202

  the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter · CPC title