Catheter apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11207171-B2
Application number	US-201916397621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2019
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods and/or apparatuses involving the deployment and coupling of catheters. As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, each of first and second catheters extend from a proximal end to a distal end and has a magnet. The catheters may be deployed, and the distal ends of the respective catheters can be aligned and connected via magnetic coupling of the magnets to one another. A shaft structure is configured and arranged to extend within the first catheter and into the second catheter, through the connected distal ends of the respective catheters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising: a first catheter extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the distal end having a magnet; a second catheter extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the distal end having a magnet, the second catheter being configured and arranged with the first catheter to align and directly connect the distal ends of the respective catheters via magnetic coupling of the magnets to one another; and a shaft structure configured and arranged with the first catheter and the second catheter to, with the first catheter aligned to and connected to the second catheter via the magnetic coupling, extend within the first catheter and into the second catheter, through the directly connected distal ends of the respective catheters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first catheter and the second catheter are configured and arranged to, with the shaft structure extending from the first catheter into the second catheter through the distal ends of the respective catheters, disconnect at the magnets and retract along the shaft structure to expose the shaft structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first catheter and the second catheter are configured and arranged to disconnect from one another at the magnets and, with the shaft structure extending from the proximal end of the first catheter to the proximal end of the second catheter through the distal ends of the respective catheters, retract along the shaft structure to expose the shaft structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first catheter has a bend that faces the distal end of the first catheter toward the proximal end of the first catheter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first catheter has a bend that directs the distal end of the first catheter back toward the proximal end of the first catheter with the bend extending further than the distal end, relative to the proximal end; and
the shaft is configured and arranged to flexibly extend within the bend of the first catheter as the shaft is extended through the first catheter and into the second catheter via the distal ends of the respective catheters while the distal ends are magnetically connected, therein forming a loop.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the respective magnets of the catheters are axially aligned with poles relative to the respective distal ends, and are configured and arranged to magnetically couple to one another with respective surfaces of the distal ends of the catheters in contact with one another and with the magnets axially aligned to one another.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the first catheter has a surface that mates flush with a surface of the distal end of the second catheter when the respective distal ends are magnetically coupled to one another.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second catheters are configured and arranged to extend around a graspable feature of a medical device located within vascular tissue in which the catheters are deployed, and to form a loop around the graspable feature upon connection of the distal ends via the magnetic coupling;
the shaft structure is configured and arranged to extend through the respective catheters and the distal ends thereof to loop around the graspable feature while the respective catheters are connected to one another;
the first and second catheters are configured and arranged to, with the shaft structure extended through the respective catheters and the distal ends thereof, disconnect at the magnets and retract along the shaft structure to expose the shaft structure in the vascular tissue; and
the shaft structure is configured and arranged to, in response to a tension force applied in the direction of the proximal ends of the shaft, engage with and forcibly remove the medical device from its location within the vascular tissue.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a sheath configured and arranged to house the first and second catheters, the first and second catheters being configured and arranged to extend from the sheath with each of the distal ends extending freely and separate from one another, prior to connection of the first catheter to the second catheter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the magnet at the distal end of the first and second catheters each include different portions having opposite magnetic poles; and
the first and second catheters are configured to disengage using magnetic repulsion in response to rotation of the first and second catheters relative to one another that aligns magnetic portions of a common magnetic pole in each of the first and second catheters with one another.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second catheter is configured and arranged with the first catheter to connect the distal ends of the respective catheters by physically contacting surfaces of the distal ends to one another with the catheters extending away from one another and aligned with each other along a common direction.

12. A method comprising: deploying a first catheter extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the distal end having a magnet; deploying a second catheter extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the distal end having a magnet; aligning and directly connecting the distal ends of the respective catheters via magnetic coupling of the magnets to one another; and with the first catheter aligned to and directly connected to the second catheter via the magnetic coupling, extending a shaft structure within the first catheter and into the second catheter, through the directly connected distal ends of the respective catheters.

13. The method of claim 12 , further including:
disconnecting the distal ends of the first catheter and the second catheter from one another, with the shaft structure extending from the first catheter into the second catheter through the distal ends of the respective catheters, and
retracting the first catheter and the second catheter along the shaft structure to expose the shaft structure.

14. The method of claim 12 , further including:
disconnecting the distal ends of the first catheter and the second catheter from one another, with the shaft structure extending from the proximal end of the first catheter to the proximal end of the second catheter through the distal ends of the respective catheters; and
retract the first catheter and the second catheter along the shaft structure to expose the shaft structure.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein deploying the first catheter includes deploying a bend at the distal end of the first catheter facing back toward the proximal end of the first catheter.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
deploying the first catheter includes deploying a bend near the distal end of the first catheter facing back toward the proximal end of the first catheter with the bend extending further than the distal end, relative to the proximal end; and
extending the shaft structure includes flexibly extending the shaft structure through the bend of the first catheter back toward the proximal end of the first catheter, and into the second catheter via the distal ends of the respective catheters while the distal ends are magnetically connected, therein forming a loop.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the respective magnets of the catheters are axially aligned with poles relative to the respective distal ends and the catheters, and
aligning and connecting the distal ends of the respective catheters includes magnetically coupling the magnets to one another with respective surface

Assignees

• Wisconsin Alumni Res Found

Inventors

• Laeseke Paul
• Woods Michael
• Foran Emily Rae
• Flanigan Will Robert
• Doersch Alexandra Nicol
• Struthers Brett Conor
• Ashley Joseph Alexander

Classifications

• A61F2/011 Primary

  Instruments for their placement or removal · CPC title

• A61F2/0105

  Open ended, i.e. legs gathered only at one side · CPC title

• A61M25/09

  Guide wires · CPC title

• A61F2210/009

  magnetic · CPC title

• A61M2025/0163

  Looped catheters · CPC title