Abbott Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Neil Burkhart

Li Fu Chen

Wouter Erik Roorda

Keif M Fitzgerald

Randolf Von Oepen

Michael L Green

Travis Richard Yribarren

Boris Anukhin

Pamela A Kramer-Brown

William E Webler, Jr

David A Mackiewicz

Karim Said Osman

Larry G Baughman

Duane M DeMorre

Gregory W Johnson

Z C Lin

The disclosed subject matter describes systems and methods of delivering a therapeutic agent, such as a sclerosing agent, to the walls of a blood vessel to perform sclerotherapy. In an exemplary embodiment a catheter includes a guidewire catheter having at least one guidewire lumen extending therethrough and a slidable concentric tube disposed over the guidewire catheter. At least one bellow is coupled to the concentric tube and configured for conversion between an unexpanded and expanded configuration wherein movement of the concentric tube in a first direction causes the at least one bellow to expand and movement of the concentric tube in a second direction causes the at least one bellow to contract. Additionally, the concentric tube contains at least one port for delivery of a therapeutic agent, e.g. a sclerosing agent. The at least one bellow expands and contracts via mechanical forces.

Double bellow occluder for sclerotherapy

Methods for making devices include providing a tubular member to be formed into a device, placing a removable sacrificial block material in the lumen of the tubular member and laser cutting the tubular member. A tubular member made from nickel-titanium alloy can be tightly adhered to a sacrificial sleeve utilizing the phase changes associated with nickel-titanium. A mandrel which includes an enlarged diameter section causes the workpiece to expand slightly within its elastic deformation range to dislodge islands from the workpiece. Such a mandrel could be formed from a tubular member which has a central lumen that can be used to deliver a pressurized medium to 'blast' islands from the workpiece.

Methods for laser cutting tubing to make medical devices

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Neil Burkhart