Catheter
US6270476A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 23, 1999 |
| Grant date | Aug 7, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 23, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/0262
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A catheter for ablating tissue, for example to treat a cardiac arrhythmia, includes a handle, a shapeable shaft and a distal ablation segment. The shaft retains a first position until manipulated to a further position with the application of moderate manual pressure. The shaft incorporates plastically deformable elements and is shapeable to conform to an insertion path or the particular anatomy of a patient for accessing a site to be ablated. Once shaped, the shaft retains its shape as the catheter is inserted or manipulated to the predetermined tissue treatment location and the distal segment is urged into contact with the tissue site. A deflection mechanism may be provided to facilitate navigation to, or to deflect the ablation segment into conformal contact with, the tissue target. In a further or alternative embodiment, a second or auxiliary shaft member extends distally from the ablation segment, allowing the segment to be threaded by or pulled past occluding tissue to a remote target tissue site. By gripping the end of the second shaft, the flexible ablation segment may be either tensioned or pulled inward against, or flexed and pushed outward against a treatment site, such a…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.