Apparatus and method for advancing catheters or other medical devices through a lumen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10821267-B1
Application number	US-202016888219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	Aug 14, 2019
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed that help deliver catheters or other medical devices to locations within a patient's body. The device comprises a transporter catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, at least a first balloon located at the distal end, substantially at a tip of the transporter catheter, and at least a second balloon located between the distal end and the proximal end of the transporter catheter. The first balloon is an orienting balloon and the second balloon is an anchor balloon. The transporter catheter may include a single lumen or more than one lumen. The transporter catheter may include a shaft comprising an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer may be made of a material more flexible than the material of the outer layer. The outer layer may also comprise a braided-wire assembly, said braided-wire assembly being formed by braiding a plurality of flat wires or circular wires. The braided-wire assembly may wrap around the inner layer. The transporter catheter may comprise a shaft that may include a plurality of segments of varying degrees of hardness. The degree of hardness of the segment of the shaft of the transporter catheter located between the first balloon and the second balloon may be less than the degree of hardness of the segment of the shaft between the second balloon and the proximal end of the catheter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transporter catheter comprising:
a shaft, said shaft comprising a proximal end, a distal end, at least one orienting balloon and at least one anchoring balloon;
the at least one orienting balloon positioned on the shaft adjacent to the distal end of the shaft, the at least one orienting balloon configured to slidably engage an inner surface of a patient's vasculature when the at least one orienting balloon is pressurized;
the at least one anchoring balloon positioned on the shaft between the at least one orienting balloon and the proximal end of the shaft, the at least one anchoring balloon configured to non-slidably engage and anchor the transporter catheter to an inner surface of an outer catheter when the at least one anchoring balloon is pressurized;
the shaft comprising at least one lumen for a guidewire;
at least a portion of the at least one lumen for the guidewire configured not to constrict under pressure when the anchoring balloon is pressurized, whereby the transporter catheter is not locked to the guidewire when the anchoring balloon is pressurized; and
the outer catheter is configured to slidably engage a vessel wall in the patient's vasculature as the transporter catheter is pushed and/or torqued to advance through the patient's vasculature with both the at least one orienting balloon pressurized to slidably engage the inner surface of the patient's vasculature and the at least one anchoring balloon pressurized to non-slidably engage the inner surface of the outer catheter.

2. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lumen for the guidewire is reinforced by a tube covering over at least a portion of the at least one lumen for the guidewire underlying the anchoring balloon, a material of the tube covering being more rigid than a material of a core of the shaft.

3. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lumen for the guidewire is reinforced by a braided-wire plait matrix over at least a portion of the at least one lumen for the guidewire underlying the anchoring balloon.

4. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one orienting balloon comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion of the at least one orienting balloon being contoured to assist with smooth advancing of the transporter catheter through the patient's vasculature.

5. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one orienting balloon comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion, a surface of at least the distal portion of the at least one orienting balloon is coated with a friction-reduction coating.

6. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one orienting balloon comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion, a diameter of the distal portion of the at least one orienting balloon, upon full inflation, is about same or greater than an outer diameter of the outer catheter.

7. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , further comprising a stiffening stylet to stiffen the shaft.

8. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises a torque-transfer layer comprising a helical coil and/or a plait-matrix.

9. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one anchoring balloon comprises a coating and/or a material configured to provide frictional resistance thereby reducing slippage.

10. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is tapered and the proximal end of the shaft has a diameter greater than a diameter of the distal end of the shaft.

11. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a lumen configured to inflate and deflate the orienting balloon is reinforced.

12. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the orienting balloon is compliant or semi-compliant and the anchoring balloon is semi-compliant or non-compliant.

13. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the at least one anchoring balloon uses a friction-based mechanism between an outer surface of the at least one anchoring balloon and the inner surface of the outer catheter.

14. The transporter catheter of claim 13 , wherein the friction-based mechanism comprises at least serrations and/or raised projections.

15. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , further comprising at least one radio-opaque marker.

16. The transporter catheter of claim 15 , wherein the at least one radio-opaque marker is disposed on the transporter catheter at one or more locations selected from a group including the at least one orienting balloon, the at least one anchoring balloon, a length of the shaft, the distal end of the shaft, an area proximate to a front-end portion of the orienting balloon.

17. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises a plurality of segments having varying degrees of stiffness.

18. The transporter catheter of claim 17 , wherein a degree of stiffness of the varying degrees of stiffness at the proximal end of the shaft is greater than a degree of stiffness of the varying degrees of stiffness at the distal end of the shaft.

19. The transporter catheter of claim 18 , wherein the varying degrees of stiffness of the shaft gradually reduces from the proximal end to the distal end.

20. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises at least an inner layer and an outer layer.

21. The transporter catheter of claim 20 , wherein the outer layer comprises a braided-wire assembly, said braided-wire assembly being formed by braiding a plurality of flat wires, circular wires, or combinations thereof.

22. The transporter catheter of claim 21 , wherein the braided-wire assembly has a proximal portion and a distal portion, and wherein the braided wire assembly has a first density at the proximal portion and a second density at the distal portion, and wherein the first density is greater than the second density.

23. The transporter catheter of claim 1 , wherein the transporter catheter is steerable using at least one pull-wire disposed longitudinally along a length of the transporter catheter.

24. The transporter catheter of claim 23 , further comprising at least one radio-opaque marker.

25. The transporter catheter of claim 23 , further comprising a steering ring mechanically coupling a distal end of the at least one pull-wire to a distal end portion of the transporter catheter.

26. The transporter catheter of claim 25 , wherein the steering ring is disposed at a location on the shaft, said location selected from a group including (a) at or near the distal end of the anchoring balloon, (b) under the anchoring balloon, (c) near the proximal of the orienting balloon and (d) near the distal end of the orienting balloon.

27. A transporter catheter comprising:
a shaft, said shaft comprising a proximal end, a distal end, at least one orienting balloon and at least one anchoring balloon;
the at least one orienting balloon positioned on the shaft adjacent to the distal end of the shaft, the at least one orienting balloon configured to slidably engage an inner surface of a patient's vasculature when the at least one orienting balloon is pressurized;
the at least one anchoring balloon positioned on the shaft between the at least one orienting balloon and the proximal end of the shaft, the at least one anchoring balloon configured to non-slidably engage and anchor the transporter catheter to an inner surface of a

Assignees

• Sardesai Rajendra Gurudas
• Pancholy Samir Bipin
• Patel Tejas Madhusudan
• Vasoinnovations Inc

Inventors

• Sardesai Rajendra Gurudas
• Pancholy Samir Bipin
• Patel Tejas Madhusudan

Classifications

• A61M2025/1088

  having special surface characteristics depending on material properties or added substances, e.g. for reducing friction · CPC title

• A61M2025/1086

  having a special balloon surface topography, e.g. pores, protuberances, spikes or grooves · CPC title

• A61M2025/0293

  Catheter, guide wire or the like with means for holding, centering, anchoring or frictionally engaging the device within an artificial lumen, e.g. tube · CPC title

• A61M2025/015

  Details of the distal fixation of the movable mechanical means · CPC title

• A61M2025/0063

  having means, e.g. stylets, mandrils, rods or wires to reinforce or adjust temporarily the stiffness, column strength or pushability of catheters which are already inserted into the human body · CPC title