Target Therapeutics, Inc.

Abbott Laboratories Corporation

Scimed Life Systems, Inc.

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Jeffrey A Sarge

Lex Philip Jansen

Thomas Yung-Hui Chien

Lawrence Charles Alpert

Henry Nita

Perry Alvin Fukui

John M Sperinde

Scott T Tsuchitani

Gene L Samson

Erik T Engelson

Anthony J Pantages

Timothy J Hughes

Darrell H Ogi

Gerald G Vurek

Harlow B Christianson

Peter K Park

Greg P Welsh

David A Gallup

William A Ambrisco

Simon Ngoc Huu Nguyen

A catheter comprising an elongate tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a passageway defining a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends. The elongate tubular member comprises a relatively stiff proximal section and a relatively flexible distal section. The proximal section includes an inner tubular liner, a first stiffener comprising a metal alloy, and a second stiffener comprising a non-metal alloy. The first and second stiffeners are coaxially wound exterior to the proximal inner liner. The distal section includes a distal inner tubular liner and the second stiffener coaxially wound exterior to the distal inner liner. The first stiffener terminates before reaching the distal section.

Catheter with composite stiffener

A catheter for use in vasculature or other lumens within body structures includes a shaft formed from an elongated polymeric flexible tube. A thin polymeric sleeve is placed over a proximal portion of the catheter shaft. A hub structure is injection molded over the sleeve with a polymer of the same type as the polymeric sleeve. The heat from the injection molded polymer of the hub body is sufficient to heat the polymeric sleeve, causing the polymeric sleeve to bond the hub body to the sleeve, and the sleeve to the catheter shaft. In this way, the injection molded polymeric hub structure is fused to the catheter shaft, with a unified polymeric bond, and without the use of adhesive. The plastic sleeve is sufficiently thick to protect the catheter shaft from the heat of the injection molded molten polymer while still allowing the catheter shaft and sleeve to bond to the shaft.

Catheter incorporating an insert molded hub and method of manufacturing

A reinforced intravascular catheter adapted for use in performing minimally invasive medical procedures. A catheter, in accordance with the present invention, comprising an inner tubular member having an outer surface, a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therethrough. The catheter further including a support member overlaying the inner tubular member and conforming to the outer surface thereof, the support member including at least one filament forming a plurality of turns. The support member further including at least one multi-layered portion having a first layer and a plurality of additional layers, each layer comprising a plurality of turns formed by at least one filament, the plurality of additional layers each overlaying at least the first layer. The catheter also including an outer layer overlaying both the support member and the inner tubular member. A method of fabricating a catheter in accordance with the present invention is also disclosed.

Catheter having continuous lattice and coil reinforcement

This is a catheter assembly which may be used in accessing a tissue target within the body, typically a target which is accessible through the vascular system. Central to the invention is the use of a braided metallic reinforcing member, typically of a stainless steel or super-elastic alloy ribbon, situated within the catheter body in such a way to create a catheter section having a thin wall, controlled stiffness, and high resistance to kinking. The distal-most section of the catheter is much more flexible than are other braided catheters of the genre due to choice of braid construction features of that distal-most section. The distal-most braid, and optionally, intermediate braid components are constructed to be more flexible than the more proximal sections due to deletion of ribbons from the braid structure, change of ribbon material, and change of pitch. The various sections include braids which may have a consistent pitch or may vary in pitch along the axis of the catheter or catheter section. The braided ribbon reinforcing member typically is placed between a flexible outer tubing member and an inner tubing member to produce a catheter section which is very flexible but highly kink resistant. The more proximal sections of the catheter assembly are often substantially stiffer than the more distal sections also due to the presence of stiff polymeric tubing or composited materials in the stiffer section.

Soft-tip performance braided catheter

Apparatus and a method for monitoring a percentage of the oxygen saturation in the hemoglobin of blood flowing through a blood vessel. An optical sensor that detects the percentage oxygen saturation in blood is disposed proximate a proximal end of the catheter. A thermistor is disposed adjacent to the distal end of the catheter and it is employed to detect changes in blood temperature that indicate the position of the catheter's distal end in the blood vessel. Indicia or marks visible at intervals on the outer surface of the catheter enable a medical practitioner to determine the length of the catheter that has been introduced into the blood vessel. A strain relief that is flexible and resists stretching extends along the length of the catheter. For flushing the distal end of the catheter, a fluid supply may be connected to a lumen running through the catheter to provide the flushing fluid. A removable guide wire is inserted in the lumen when positioning the distal end of the catheter at a location in the blood vessel and provides enhanced rigidity for this purpose. The catheter may be coated with an anticoagulant such as heparin, to prevent blood from coagulating on the exterior surface of the catheter.

Intravascular oximetry catheter

This invention is a surgical device. In particular, it is a catheter suitable for accessing a tissue target within the body, typically a target which is accessible through the vascular system. Central to the invention is the use of at least pair of wound or counterwound reinforcing members situated within the wall of the catheter body in such a way to achieve a catheter having an exceptionally thin wall, excellent kink-resistance, and controlled stiffness. The catheter assembly desirably is constructed of: (a) an inner, polymeric, lubricious liner, (b) a first, helically wound coil extending over at least the more distal portions of the inner liner but preferably for most of the length of the catheter, (c) a second, helically wound coil exterior to the first coil, located at least on the more proximal portion of the assembly but preferably for most of the length of the catheter, preferably wound in a direction opposite to the first coil, (d) optionally, one or more helically wound coils placed on the proximal and mid-section of the assembly, and (e) one or more polymeric layers variously exterior to the second coil and interior to the first coil. Preferably, the coils are wound from metallic ribbons or wireshaving a relatively constant pitch of from 10.degree.-15.degree. of the central catheter axis. Further polymeric layers may also be placed between the outer polymeric covering and various and the helically wound coils. The outer polymeric covering may be composed of a series of different polymeric compositions to provide suitably differing flexibilities along the length of the assembly. The catheter assembly is quite easy to produce. The helically wound coils may be bound to the assembly via the use of radio-opaque bands or coils and may be continuously wound from a single member. The distal-most portion of the catheter assembly is very flexible but highly kink resistant. Optionally, the invention includes a catheter in which only the more distal catheter section incorporates multiple coil stiffener members.

Optimized high performance multiple coil spiral-wound vascular catheter

Soft-tip high performance braided catheter

A multi-lumen, multi-purpose cardiac catheter which incorporates optical filaments and an optical coupler for use with external apparatus for determining the oxygen concentration in the blood of a patient under critical care conditions, as well as incorporating therein a thermal element useable with a second external apparatus for measurement of continuous cardiac output. The thermal element is disposed at a necked down portion of the catheter at the distal end thereof, with at least one of the lumens of the catheter substantially compressed at the necked down portion thereof. The catheter also includes a thermistor and at least one injectate port for enabling the user to also conduct thermal dilution readings and obtain intermittent measurements of cardiac output. The combination of a thermal dilution catheter with a SVO.sub.2 catheter and a continuous cardiac output catheter gives the multi-purpose catheter above described substantial versatility as well as providing the user with a versatile cardiac catheter device which enables him to conduct multiple evaluations of disparate blood-related parameters which require the use of separate apparatus. Simply by switching from one external apparatus to the other, the user can obtain readings for different blood-related parameters useful in the treatment of the cardiac patient.

Multi-purpose multi-parameter cardiac catheter

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey A Sarge