Catheter
US6074361A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61M2025/0161
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A description is given of a catheter (1) which comprises at least one flexible tubular catheter body (2) with a proximal end and a distal end, and an element interacting with the tubular catheter body, which element produces bending or stretching of the distal end by means of axial movement. Said element comprises a rigid shaping wire (4) with a predetermined intrinsic shape of at least the distal end, which wire is accommodated in the tubular body (2) and is slidable back and forth inside the tubular catheter body (2). The distal end of tubular catheter body (2) also has a predetermined intrinsic shape. An axial movement of the shaping wire (4) produces a specific change of shape in at least the distal end of the tubular catheter body (2), the specific shape being determined by the intrinsic shape of the shaping wire when it is present in the distal end, or by the intrinsic shape of the tubular catheter body (2) in the absence of the shaping wire (4).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.