Methods and devices for improving blood flow to a heart of a patient
US5989274A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 20, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/00392
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
One device in accordance with the present invention includes a surgical device for creating channels in tissue of a patient. The device includes a catheter defining a lumen and a transducer assembly carried by the catheter along a lengthwise dimension of the catheter. An end effector is operatively coupled to the transducer assembly and extends distally relative to the transducer assembly. The end effector has a vibrating channel-forming tip wherein the channel-forming tip is adapted to create channels in the heart of a patient. A method in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of inserting an end effector having a tip into a patient, placing the tip of the end effector in direct contact with a surface of the heart, energizing the end effector to cause the tip to vibrate, piercing through the surface of the heart with the tip to create a channel, and removing the end effector.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.