Patent · US Expired

Angioplastic technique employing an inductively-heated ferrite material

US5098429A · kind A · utility

241Cited by
11References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 17, 1990
Grant dateMar 24, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 17, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B2018/00422
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Disclosed are three forms of an angioplastic instrument employing a ferrite material inductively-heated from outside a patient's body to soften plaque occluding a lumen of a vas of the patient. In a first form, the angioplastic instrument is comprised solely of a thin guide wire having a ferrite-coated tip at its distal end. Each of the other two forms of the angioplastic instrument heats the liquid filling the balloon of an angioplastic balloon catheter with the inductively-heated ferrite material. By utilizing ferrite materials having different Curie temperatures, the amount of heating can be adjusted for a particular treatment protocol. Also, by limiting the value of the Curie temperature of the ferrite material to a safe value, the tissue underlying the vas is inherently protected from undue injury due to overheating.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.