Cook Incorporated

Med Institute Incorporated

Joseph F Ely

Neal E Fearnot

John A DeFord

Frank J Miller

Leo Rothbarth

David St John

A method for predetermining the controlled and uniform discharge rate of a fluid from a single lumen tubular body having passageways radially extending through the wall of the tubular body has been developed and is described. The method involves predetermining such parameters as the transverse cross-sectional areas of the passageways extending through the wall of the tubular body, the spacing of the passageways, the pressure at each of the passageways, and the rate of flow at each of the passageways. One specific preferred application of such a tubular body is an infusion catheter for delivering various fluids to designated areas of the body for either a therapeutic treatment and/or diagnostic purposes. For example, such a catheter may be adapted to deliver controlled and uniform quantities of thrombolytic agents, chemotherapeutic agents as well as such diagnostic agents as fluorescent dyes and radioactive agents.

Method for predetermining uniform flow rate of a fluid from a tubular

A catheter, system, and method for selectively ablating prostatic tissue about the prostatic urethra. The catheter includes an elongated member having distal, proximal, and intermediate portions, the intermediate portion being shaped and sized for intimate contact with the prostatic urethra. The distal and proximal portions of the catheter include fixation and cooling balloons having an annular recess therein for positioning the internal and external sphincters therein and for maintaining the longitudinal position of the catheter in the prostatic urethra. A thermally conducted, heat-emitting element is positioned in the intermediate portion for producing a thermally conductive heat distribution to ablate the prostatic tissue. The catheter also includes irrigation and aspiration passageways therein for communicating with the interior of the distal and proximal cooling balloons. A circulating pump of the ablation system circulates coolant through the balloons to maintain the temperature of the sphincters below an injurious temperature. Sensors are positioned about the heat-emitting element as well as in the cooling balloons for supplying information to the controller of the system. The controller in response to the temperature information and the energy supplied to the heat-emitting element controls the supply of energy to the catheter as well as the pump circulating the coolant.

Transurethral ablation catheter

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West Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Joseph F Ely