Self-aligning catheter
US6083170A · kind A · utility
364Cited by
39References
31Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 14, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 4, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 14, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61N1/05
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A flexible, elongate probe having a distal end for insertion through physiological tissue, preferably through a lumen in the tissue. The probe includes a sensor, which generates signals indicative of a characteristic of the tissue in a vicinity of the probe, and an alignment mechanism, which deflects the distal end of the probe in response to the signals. The signals may be indicative of obstructions or of the direction of a clear channel in the lumen. The sensor preferably comprises one or more ultrasound transducers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.