Patent · US Expired

Heating catheters

US5151100A · kind A · utility

443Cited by
3References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 3, 1990
Grant dateSep 29, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 3, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61M2205/366
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A catheter device and method for heating tissue, the device having a catheter shaft constructed for insertion into a patient's body, and at least one chamber mounted on the catheter shaft. The catheter shaft has at least one lumen for fluid flow through the shaft. The chambers are defined by walls that are at least in part expandable. Fluid flows, through the lumens, between the chambers and a fluid source outside the body. The chambers can be filled with the fluid after they have been placed within the body. A heating device heats liquid within at least one of the chambers, so that heat is transmitted from the liquid to surrounding tissue by thermal conduction through the wall of the chamber. Means are provided for selectively directing heat transmission toward a selected portion of surrounding tissue. The chambers are fillable with fluid separately from each other, so that the chambers can occupy any of a plurality of possible total volumes. By selecting the total volume of chambers, compression of the tissue can be controlled, and hence the effectiveness of transfer of heat to the tissue can be controlled. According to the method, the catheter device is used to heat tissue from …

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