Catheters including radiopaque markers and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12257394-B2
Application number	US-202117367358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2021
Priority date	Jul 21, 2017
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

A catheter including a tubular catheter body defining a distal portion, a distal end and a lumen that extends to the distal end, a radiopaque marker carried within the lumen, and a non-metal tip that is bonded to distal end of the catheter body.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of making a catheter, comprising:
providing a catheter body having a distal end and defining a lumen therethrough;
inserting a radiopaque marker into the lumen of the catheter body, wherein inserting the radiopaque marker into the lumen comprises extending a portion of the radiopaque marker out from the distal end of the catheter body;
providing an abutment in the lumen of the catheter body, the abutment configured to transfer force from a stylet to the catheter body and to prevent the stylet from directly engaging the radiopaque marker; and
after the radiopaque marker has been inserted into the catheter body lumen, providing a non-metal tip on the distal end of the catheter body, wherein providing the non-metal tip on the distal end of the catheter body comprises receiving the portion of the radiopaque marker in an indentation in the non-metal tip.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein providing a tip comprises molding the tip onto the distal end of the catheter body.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the catheter body is formed from a first thermoset material; and
the tip is formed from a second thermoset material;
wherein the first and second thermoset materials are different thermoset materials.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the catheter body is formed from a first silicone thermoset material; and
the tip is formed from a second silicone thermoset material;
wherein the first and second silicon thermoset materials are different silicon thermoset materials.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the catheter body is formed from a first material having a first hardness; and
molding the tip comprises molding the tip from a second material having a second hardness that is less than the first hardness.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the catheter body is formed from a thermoplastic material; and
molding the tip comprises molding the tip from an adhesive that is chemically similar to the thermoplastic material.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the radiopaque marker is formed from a noble metal.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein providing the non-metal tip on the distal end of the catheter body comprises securing a non-metal tip to the distal end of the catheter body with adhesive.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
securing the non-metal tip further comprises securing the non-metal tip to a distal end of the radiopaque marker with the adhesive.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the catheter body is formed from a first material having a first hardness; and
securing a non-metal tip comprises securing a non-metal tip that is formed from a second material having a second hardness that is less than the first hardness.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the radiopaque marker is formed from a noble metal.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lumen of the catheter body has a longitudinal dimension and wherein the abutment substantially fills a cross-section of the lumen along a portion of the longitudinal dimension of the lumen.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein providing the abutment comprises applying a volume of non-hardened molding compound to a surface of the catheter body lumen, and hardening the molding compound at an abutment location within the catheter body lumen.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising inserting the radiopaque marker into the catheter body lumen to push the non-hardened molding compound within the lumen to the abutment location before hardening the molding compound.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the non-metal tip is made of a softer material than the catheter body.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein providing the non-metal tip on the distal end of the catheter body comprises receiving a first portion of the non-metal tip within the lumen of the catheter body and locating a second portion of the non-metal tip outside of the lumen and adjacent to the distal end of the catheter body.

Assignees

• Medtronic Minimed Inc

Inventors

• Gonzalez Juan Ramon
• Bowman Sam William
• Montalvo Rudolph A

Classifications

• B23P15/00

  Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass · CPC title

• Y10T29/4998

  Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material · CPC title

• B29C65/405

  characterised by the composition of the applied molten plastics (B29C65/425 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M25/0102

  Insertion or introduction using an inner stiffening member, e.g. stylet or push-rod · CPC title

• A61M2205/32

  with radio-opaque indicia · CPC title