Direct visualization catheter and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11723518-B2
Application number	US-201816169752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2017
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A direct visualization catheter includes a handle, a balloon, an elongate shaft, and a camera assembly. The elongate shaft has a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end. The proximal end is coupled to the handle. The distal end is coupled to the balloon and defines a longitudinal axis. The camera assembly is coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft and is disposed within the balloon. The camera assembly includes a camera and an adjustment mechanism for varying a configuration of the camera relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration. The camera faces primarily in a radial direction in the delivery configuration and the camera faces primarily in an axial direction in the deployed configuration.

First claim

We claim:

1. A direct visualization catheter comprising:
a handle;
a balloon;
an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the proximal end coupled to the handle, the distal end coupled to the balloon and defining a longitudinal axis; and
a camera assembly coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft and disposed within the balloon, the camera assembly including:
a camera; and
an adjustment mechanism for varying a configuration of the camera relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, the camera facing primarily in a radial direction in the delivery configuration and the camera facing primarily in an axial direction in the deployed configuration;
wherein the adjustment mechanism includes:
a hinge coupling the camera to the distal end of the elongate shaft, the hinge configured to permit the camera to move relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft;
a biasing element configured to apply a first force about the hinge and arranged such that the camera is biased about the hinge in the delivery configuration to thereby bias a viewing direction of the camera radially inward toward the longitudinal axis.

2. The direct visualization catheter of claim 1 , wherein in the delivery configuration, the camera does not extend radially beyond the elongate shaft, and in the deployed configuration, the camera extends radially beyond the elongate shaft.

3. The direct visualization catheter of claim 1 , wherein the elongate shaft has a diameter from 3.1 mm to 3.5 mm, the elongate shaft further including a lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the lumen having a lumen diameter from 2.2 mm to 2.5 mm.

4. The direct visualization catheter of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment mechanism further includes a control element configured to apply a second force about the hinge opposite the first force.

5. The direct visualization catheter of claim 4 , wherein the control element includes an actuation thread extending to the handle, the actuation thread coupled to the camera.

6. A system for direct visualization within a blood pool, the system comprising:
an image processing device; and
a direct visualization catheter electrically connected to the image processing device, the direct visualization catheter including:
a handle;
a transparent balloon;
an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the proximal end coupled to the handle, the distal end coupled to the balloon and defining a longitudinal axis, the elongate shaft including a plurality of lumens extending from the proximal end to the distal end; and
a camera assembly coupled the distal end of the elongate shaft and disposed within the balloon, the camera assembly including:
a camera;
a hinge connecting the camera to the elongate shaft at the distal end of the elongate shaft;
a biasing element configured to apply a first force about the hinge and arranged such that the camera is biased about the hinge in the delivery configuration to thereby bias a viewing direction of the camera radially inward toward the longitudinal axis; and
a control element configured to apply a second force about the hinge opposite the first force to vary a configuration of the camera relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, the camera facing primarily in a radial direction in the delivery configuration and the camera facing primarily in an axial direction in the deployed configuration.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the control element includes:
an actuation thread extending through one of the plurality of lumens; and
a position switch disposed within the handle, the actuation thread physically connecting the camera to the position switch.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the hinge includes a plurality of electrical conductors configured to electrically connect the camera to electrical lines electrically connected to the image processing device for at least one of: image storage, image display, and image analysis.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein in the delivery configuration, the camera does not extend radially beyond the elongate shaft, and in the deployed configuration, the camera extends radially beyond the elongate shaft.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the elongate shaft has a diameter from 3.1 mm to 3.5 mm and one of the plurality of lumens has a lumen diameter from 2.2 mm to 2.5 mm.

11. A method for visualizing tissue within a body, the method comprising:
inserting a catheter within the body, the catheter having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the distal end defining a longitudinal axis;
inflating a transparent balloon at the distal end of the catheter;
adjusting a configuration of a camera between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, the camera facing primarily in a radial direction in the delivery configuration and the camera facing primarily in an axial direction in the deployed configuration, the camera connected to the distal end of the catheter such that the camera is biased, via a biasing member, in the delivery configuration with a viewing direction of the camera facing radially inward toward the longitudinal axis and disposed within the transparent balloon; and
contacting the tissue to be visualized with a portion of the inflated balloon.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the configuration of the camera between the delivery configuration and the deployed configuration includes pulling an actuation thread connected to the camera to move the camera about a hinge connecting the camera to the catheter.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein in the delivery configuration, the camera does not extend radially beyond the catheter, and in the deployed configuration, the camera extends radially beyond the catheter.

Assignees

• Boston Scient Scimed Inc
• Mayo Found Medical Education & Res

Inventors

• Anderson James M
• Grovender Adam D
• Petersen Eric M
• Raab David
• Smith Mark S
• Hanson Cass A
• Ostroot Timothy A

Classifications

• A61B1/00082 Primary

  Balloons · CPC title

• A61B1/00183

  for variable viewing angles · CPC title

• A61B1/05

  characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion · CPC title

• A61B1/051

  Details of CCD assembly · CPC title

• A61B1/018

  for receiving instruments · CPC title