Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Scimed Life Systems, Inc.

Shockwave Medical, Inc.

Asthmatx, Inc.

Cordis Corporation

Oratec Interventions, Inc.

Tangome, Inc.

Boston Scientific Corporation

Huy D Phan

David K Swanson

William Wizeman

Noah D Webster

Timothy R Dalbec

Josef Vincent Koblish

Russell B Thompson

Thomas R Jenkins

William James Evans

Christopher James Danek

Gary S Kaplan

Hoa D Nguyen

Matthew P Presta

Todd Jenkins

Anant V Hegde

Chi Long

Kevin Nunes

James G Whayne

Sidney D Fleischman

Hugh R Sharkey

John E Ashley

David L McGee

Eric Setton

Uri Raz

Edward J Snyder

Rainier Betelia

Dennis M O'Brien

Greg Eberl

Andy Uchida

Khanh Vo

John Barritt

Danielle Sheree Rond

Steven Ha

Jamie Odell

Ian Barile

Geoff Lee

Timothy Dalbec

Matthew Presta

Jonathan Gallego

Kieran Coghlan

William J Wizeman

The present invention provides a system and method for treating tight, hard-to-cross calcified lesions in which an angioplasty balloon is used to dilate the lesions and provide shock waves to restore normal blood flow in a patient's artery. An exemplary device includes an elongated tube and a balloon wrapped circumferentially around the tube and sealed to a distal end of the tube. During treatment, the device is advanced into a patient's vasculature and the balloon is inflated with conductive fluid such that the balloon is fixed to walls of the vasculature proximal to the calcified lesion. The balloon includes at least one low-profile emitter positioned near the distal end of the balloon, which may be activated to generate shock waves to break loose calcifications in the lesion. After calcium in the tight lesion has been modified, the balloon can be deflated and advanced further into the lesion to continue treatment.

Low profile electrodes for a shock wave catheter

The present invention provides a catheter for treating occlusions in blood vessels. The catheter includes at least one electrode pair positioned inside of a flexible angioplasty balloon at the distal end of the catheter. In some designs, the electrode pairs are arranged in a low-profile or coplanar configuration, reducing the diameter of the distal end of the device and permitting treatment of tight and hard-to-cross occlusions. The flexible angioplasty balloon has an extremely low profile and does need to be folded before insertion of the catheter into the cardiovascular system. During treatment, the balloon can be expanded a relatively small amount sufficient to immerse the electrode pairs in a conductive fluid before generating shock waves across the electrodes to treat the occlusion. The balloon can be made of material having elastomeric properties such that it returns to its original low profile configuration when it is deflated following treatment.

Lesion crossing shock wave catheter

The present invention provides a catheter for treating occlusions in blood vessels. An exemplary catheter for treating occlusions in blood vessels comprises a tubular inner member including a base segment with a first lumen defining a fluid inlet port, and a second lumen defining a fluid outlet port. An extension segment is distal to the base segment. The extension segment has a reduced cross-section. An emitter assembly includes a first insulated wire extending through the second lumen and a second insulated wire, and a conductive sheath wrapped circumferentially around the first insulated wire, the second insulated wire, and the extension segment. A cap or balloon is sealably attached to the distal end of the catheter and surrounds the emitter assembly, said cap or balloon being fillable with conductive fluid.

Various shock wave catheters and methods of use thereof that do not utilize a guidewire are described herein. The shock wave catheters include at least one shock wave emitter disposed within a distal portion of the shock wave catheter and configured to generate shock waves. The ends of conductive wires extending within an elongate tube can form the shock wave emitter(s). The shock wave emitter(s) can be surrounded by an enclosure fillable with a conductive fluid delivered by the lumen of the elongate tube. The elongate tube can include a coil or slits therein that enable flexibility of the shock wave catheter, which, in combination with the narrow profile of the shock wave catheters described herein, enable their use in navigating and treating small, tortuous vessels.

Guidewireless shock wave catheters

A catheter for treating an occlusion in a body lumen includes an elongate tube; a member sealed to a distal end of the elongate tube that is fillable with a conductive fluid; a cylindrical conductive sheath circumferentially mounted around the elongate tube within the member, the conductive sheath comprising a slot extending along a length of the conductive sheath; and a wire at least partially disposed in the slot, wherein a distal end of the wire is spaced apart from the conductive sheath by a gap in an arrangement such that when a voltage pulse is supplied to the insulated wire current flows across the gap to generate cavitation bubbles and/or shock waves.

Intravascular lithotripsy catheter with slotted emitter bands

Systems and methods for delivering energy to passageways in a patient, such as airways in the lung of a patient for treating asthma. One embodiment of a method for delivering energy to a passageway comprises positioning an access device in a lung airway of a patient and advancing an elongated body of a treatment device along the access device until an energy delivery unit at a distal portion of the elongated body projects from the access device. The method can further include expanding the energy delivery unit such that energy delivery elements contact a sidewall of the airway and activating an energy supply coupled to the treatment device such that energy is delivered to the sidewall of the airway. A single person physically operates both the access device and the treatment device while expanding the energy delivery unit and activating the energy supply.

Systems and methods for delivering energy to passageways in a patient

This relates to methods and devices for achieving contact between the wall of a cavity or passageway and a medical device when used in tortuous anatomy.

Energy delivery devices and methods

A method for augmenting a threaded conversation between a first device and a second device. The method includes: receiving a selection of a selectable animation, via a selection of a selectable animation representation, at the first device, wherein the selectable animation is configured for augmenting the threaded conversation; and incorporating the selection of the selectable animation into the threaded conversation such that the selectable animation appears in a conversation view of the first device and the second device.

Animation in threaded conversations

Tubing made of two or more polymers circumferentially arranged around the perimeter of the tubing in a single layer may be useful as medical tubing. Specifically, such tubing may be useful in catheters, sheaths, sheath introducers, implant delivery systems, and other medical devices having elongated tubular components. Selection of the two or more polymers based on the durometer and melting temperature permits optimization of axial strength and flexibility for particular applications. Such tubing may be extruded as a single layer tubing or a multi-layer tubing where the additional layers may be single material layers or more multi-polymer layers.

Medical tubing for catheters

A medical probe includes an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end, an ablative element mounted to the distal end of the elongate member, and a cage assembly mounted to the distal end of the elongate member, the cage assembly at least partially covers the ablative element. A method of treating tissue in a body includes inserting an ablative element in the body, placing the ablative element adjacent the tissue, and maintaining a distance between the ablative element and the tissue using a protective catheter element that circumscribes at least a portion of the ablative element.

Catheter with tissue protecting assembly

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Huy D Phan