Controllable flexibility catheter with eccentric stiffener
US4909787A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 1988 |
| Grant date | Mar 20, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2025/0161
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A guiding catheter 20 of variable, operator-controlled flexibility to be used in the performance of a percutaneous translumenal coronary angioplasty procedure is described which includes an elongate housing 42 suitable for insertion into an artery, as well as an operator-controlled variable stiffener coupled to the distal aspect of the catheter to permit the operator performing the angioplasty procedure to increase the rigidity of the catheter. In a preferred embodiment the stiffening apparatus consists of a fluid-filled chamber eccentrically displaced along the longitudinal axis of the catheter housing nearly encompassing the housing that contains a segment capable of asymmetric elongation when subjected to hydrostatic pressure resulting in the development of torque and increased rigidity of the distal end as desired by the operator. Increasing the rigidity of the guiding catheter, once installed within the coronary ostium, precludes disengagement of the guiding catheter, thus expediting the performance and enhancing the safety of the procedure.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.