Cordis Corporation

Vaser, Inc.

Cardiovascular Laser Systems, Inc.

Eli Lilly and Company

Innoventions Biomedical Inc.

Michael E Leckrone

James P Martucci

Vincent T Cutolo, Jr

Darryl A Knight

Jonathan Kagan

Larry A Gunseor

Device for use in removing undesired material, e.g., occlusion or plaque, from a duct or blood vessel within a patient's body. The device comprises a catheter (21) adapted to be disposed within a duct and an element disposed adjacent to the distal end portion of the catheter such as fiber optic (25) emitting laser energy, a heated element (51) or a knife (62) for intersecting and releasing the undesired material. An inflatable bladder (29) is provided for positioning the distal end portion of the catheter adjacent the inner surface of the duct to maintain the element for intersecting and releasing the undesired material adjacent thereto. The device can also include a pair of abutments (22,23) disposed adjacent the distal end.

Angioplasty catheter and method of use thereof

The disclosure relates to a device for use in removing undesired material, e.g., an occlusion or plaque, from a duct or blood vessel within a patient's body. The device comprises a catheter adapted to be disposed within a duct and having a distal end portion with a tip and a tapered surface extending from the tip to the side of the catheter. The catheter has a lumen extending through the length thereof. The intersection of the lumen and the tapered surface forming an elongated opening. Pulsed laser energy is applied by an optical fiber extending through the lumen to the elongated openings and thereby the undesired material. An inflatable bladder is provided for positioning the distal end portion of the catheter adjacent the inner surface of the duct to position the elongated opening adjacent the undesired material to be removed. A filament extending through the catheter and connected to the distal end portion can be rotated at the proximal end of the catheter to rotatably position the distal portion thereof.

Laser angioplasty catheter and a method for use thereof

The disclosure relates to a device for use in removing undesired material from a duct within a patient's body. The device comprises a catheter adapted to be disposed within a duct an an element disposed adjacent to the distal end portion of the catheter such as a fiber optic emitting laser energy, a heated element or a knife for intersecting and releasing the undesired material. The undesired material may be an occlusion or an accumulation of plaque within a blood vessel. An inflatable bladder is provided for positioning the distal end portion of the catheter adjacent the inner surface of the duct to maintain the element for intersecting and releasing the undesired material adjacent thereto. The device can also include a pair of abutments disposed adjacent the distal end portion of the catheter to form a chamber adjacent the inner surface of the blood vessel and prevent the escape of laser energy after it has been applied to the undesired material.

Angioplasty catheter

The disclosure relates to a device for use in removing undesired material from a duct within a patient's body. The device comprises a catheter adapted to be disposed within a duct and an element disposed adjacent to the distal end portion of the catheter such as a fiber optic emitting laser energy, a heated element or a knife for intersecting and releasing the undesired material. The undesired material may be an occlusion or an accumulation of plaque within a blood vessel. An inflatable bladder is provided for positioning the distal end portion of the catheter adjacent the inner surface of the duct to maintain the element for intersecting and releasing the undesired material adjacent thereto. The device can also include a pair of abutments disposed adjacent the distal end portion of the catheter to form a chamber adjacent the inner surface of the blood vessel and prevent the escape of laser energy after it has been applied to the undesired material.

Angioplasty catheter and method for use thereof

An implantable, microprocessor-based cardiac pacer provides physiologically adaptive pacing in four fundamental modes: ventricular-inhibited; atrial-synchronized ventricular with or without ventricular sensing; and atrial-ventricular (AV) sequential. In the AV sequential mode, the pacer automatically shifts to atrial synchronous ventricular pacing when the atrial rate exceeds the programmed minimum rate. Temporary pacing modes are available for treatment of arrhythmia and either atrial or ventricular overdrive pacing via chest wall stimulation. The pacer continuously monitors tachyarrhythmia and automatically enters and exits a special arrhythmia response mode. Eight parameters can be altered one at a time or reprogrammed to a standard set in a single programming step using pre-existing magnetic programmers. A weak battery is signified by substituting a lower frequency voltage-sensitive backup oscillator and by dropping the atrial beat in the magnet rate. Sense amplifier blanking is executed in software while rate limit is executed in both software and separate hardware circuits.

Multi-mode microprocessor-based programmable cardiac pacer

Atrial refractory and ventricular inhibit functions are independently implemented in an atrial-synchronized pacer. Spontaneous signals on the ventricular lead inhibit ventricular stimulation for a predetermined interval independent of the atria, except when there is noise on the ventricular lead. The atrial-based pacing logic establishes the usual refractory period following spontaneous P-waves, and when noise is detected on the atrial lead, the pacing logic reverts to a fixed atrial rate. The ventricular-inhibited logic includes a retriggerable noise timing circuit and a non-retriggerable inhibit timing circuit both triggered by the output of the ventricular sense amplifier. The output of the inhibit circuit disables the ventricular stimulation output circuit. However, if the output of the noise circuit stays high for an interval indicative of electromagnetic interference, the trigger input to the inhibit timing circuit is disabled to permit ventricular stimulation. Meanwhile, the pacing logic institutes fixed rate pacing due to atrial noise. In AV synchronous and atrial-synchronized AV sequential pacer embodiments, the digital pacing logic uses existing circuitry while the ventricular-inhibited logic is implemented by an add-on RC-timed circuit. In the AV sequential pacer, the AV delay circuit is separate from the pacing logic, and its input is provided by the atrial sense amplifier normally and by the output of the pacing logic during ventricular noise.

Growing community of inventors

Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Michael E Leckrone