Endovascular cryotreatment catheter
US6283959A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 23, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 4, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 23, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2018/0268
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A catheter is attached to an elongated catheter body adapted for endovascular insertion with a balloon assembly at its distal end. Coolant injected through the catheter body may, in different embodiments, directly cool tissue contacting the balloon, or may cool a separate internal chamber. In the first case, the coolant also inflates the balloon, and spent coolant is returned to the handle via a return passage extending through the body of the catheter. A valve may regulate back pressure in the return passage to coordinate the flow of coolant into and out of the balloon so as to both inflate the balloon and achieve cryogenic cooling at the surface of the balloon. The coolant is biologically safe, and may be liquid carbon dioxide. Plural balloons may be provided adjacent the cooling segment, and one balloon may be shaped to treat the ostium of a vessel. Preferably, thermal conductivity of the balloon wall is enhanced by inclusion of thermally conductive material, such as metal, which may be introduced as a component of a composite elastomer material, or as a patterned metal layer that defines a pattern of thermally conductive treatment regions of the balloon surface. Patterns formed…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.