U.S. patent application number 09/775708 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-01 for collapsible guidewire lumen.
Invention is credited to Kramer, Hans W..
Application Number | 20020103472 09/775708 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25105238 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020103472 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kramer, Hans W. |
August 1, 2002 |
COLLAPSIBLE GUIDEWIRE LUMEN
Abstract
A wire guided fluid catheter assembly having a collapsible
guidewire lumen. Pressurization of a fluid lumen in the catheter
assembly collapses the guidewire lumen, thereby increasing the
fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly.
Inventors: |
Kramer, Hans W.; (Temecula,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GERALD W SPINKS
P. O. BOX 2330
PORT ORCHARD
WA
98366
US
|
Family ID: |
25105238 |
Appl. No.: |
09/775708 |
Filed: |
February 1, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/507 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 25/0023 20130101;
A61M 2025/0025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/507 |
International
Class: |
A61M 031/00; A61M
025/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A catheter assembly comprising: a flexible elongated catheter
body; a longitudinal fluid supply lumen encompassed within said
catheter body; and a longitudinal guidewire lumen formed within
said catheter body, said guidewire lumen being separated from said
fluid supply lumen by a guidewire conduit wall; wherein said
guidewire conduit wall is adapted to move toward said guidewire
lumen, to collapse said guidewire lumen, upon pressurization of
said fluid supply lumen.
2. The catheter assembly recited in claim 1, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed of a material sufficiently soft, and with a
thickness sufficiently thin, to cause said guidewire lumen to
collapse when said fluid supply lumen is pressurized to its normal
operating pressure.
3. The catheter assembly recited in claim 1, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed of a material sufficiently soft, and with a
thickness sufficiently thin, to cause said guidewire lumen to
collapse when said fluid supply lumen is pressurized to at least
about 30 psig.
4. The catheter assembly recited in claim 1, wherein said fluid
supply lumen is at least partially defined by a wall of said
catheter body.
5. The catheter assembly recited in claim 4, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed as a longitudinal partition across said
catheter body, thereby partitioning said guidewire lumen from said
fluid supply lumen.
6. The catheter assembly recited in claim 4, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed as a flexible elongated tube within said
catheter body, thereby defining said guidewire lumen substantially
surrounded by said fluid supply lumen.
7. The catheter assembly recited in claim 1, wherein said fluid
supply lumen is at least partially defined by a fluid supply
conduit within said catheter body.
8. The catheter assembly recited in claim 7, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed as a longitudinal partition across said
fluid supply conduit, thereby partitioning said guidewire lumen
from said fluid supply lumen.
9. The catheter assembly recited in claim 7, wherein said guidewire
conduit wall is formed as a flexible elongated tube within said
fluid supply conduit, thereby defining said guidewire lumen
substantially surrounded by said fluid supply lumen.
10. A method for supplying a fluid through a vascular system of a
patient, said method comprising: providing a catheter having a
longitudinal fluid supply lumen and longitudinal guidewire lumen
therein; introducing said catheter into a vascular system of a
patient over a guidewire, said guidewire passing through said
guidewire lumen of said catheter; withdrawing said guidewire from
said guidewire lumen; and pressurizing said fluid supply lumen,
thereby moving a guidewire conduit wall into said guidewire lumen,
to collapse said guidewire lumen.
11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein: said fluid supply
lumen is at least partially defined by the body of said catheter;
said guidewire conduit wall is formed as a longitudinal partition
across said catheter body, thereby partitioning said guidewire
lumen from said fluid supply lumen; and said pressurization of said
fluid supply lumen flexes said guidewire conduit wall to
substantially conform to said catheter body, thereby expanding said
fluid supply lumen to occupy substantially the entirety of said
catheter body.
12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein: said fluid supply
lumen is at least partially defined by the body of said catheter;
said guidewire conduit wall is formed as a flexible elongated tube
within said catheter body, thereby defining said guidewire lumen
substantially surrounded by said fluid supply lumen; and said
pressurization of said fluid supply lumen collapses said guidewire
conduit tube, thereby expanding said fluid supply lumen to occupy
substantially the entirety of said catheter body.
13. The method recited in claim 10, wherein: said fluid supply
lumen is at least partially defined by a fluid supply conduit
within said catheter body; said guidewire conduit wall is formed as
a longitudinal partition across said fluid supply conduit, thereby
partitioning said guidewire lumen from said fluid supply lumen; and
said pressurization of said fluid supply lumen flexes said
guidewire conduit wall to substantially conform to said fluid
supply conduit, thereby expanding said fluid supply lumen to occupy
substantially the entirety of said fluid supply conduit.
14. The method recited in claim 10, wherein: said fluid supply
lumen is at least partially defined by a fluid supply conduit
within said catheter body; said guidewire conduit wall is formed as
a flexible elongated tube within said fluid supply conduit, thereby
defining said guidewire lumen substantially surrounded by said
fluid supply lumen; and said pressurization of said fluid supply
lumen collapses said guidewire conduit tube, thereby expanding said
fluid supply lumen to occupy substantially the entirety of said
fluid supply conduit.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] This invention is in the field of wire guided fluid catheter
assemblies.
[0005] 2. Background Art
[0006] In conventional wire guided fluid catheter assemblies
intended for insertion into a vascular system of a patient, such as
into blood vessels, the tubular catheter body has at least one
lumen provided for the passage of a guidewire. This guidewire lumen
usually passes either through the main lumen of the catheter or
along the outer surface of the main catheter body. Where the
guidewire lumen passes through the main lumen of the catheter, the
guidewire lumen occupies space within the catheter body that would
otherwise be available for the flow of fluid, thereby reducing the
fluid flow capacity of a given diameter catheter body. Put
differently, a catheter assembly having a given fluid flow capacity
must have a larger diameter catheter body, because of the presence
of the guidewire lumen.
[0007] Similarly, where the guidewire lumen is positioned along the
outer surface of the main catheter body, the presence of the
guidewire lumen reduces the space available for the fluid lumen, in
a catheter assembly having a given overall diameter. Said
differently, the outer diameter of a catheter assembly having a
given fluid flow capacity is increased by the presence of the
guidewire lumen on the outer surface of the catheter body.
[0008] In either case, either the fluid flow capacity of the
catheter assembly is reduced, or the minimum size blood vessel in
which the catheter assembly can be used is increased, thereby
limiting its usefulness.
[0009] It would be beneficial to have a catheter assembly in which
the guidewire lumen does not reduce or limit the available space
for the fluid lumen, and which does not add to the overall diameter
of the catheter assembly. Such an assembly would maximize the fluid
flow capacity of a catheter sized for insertion into any given size
blood vessel.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention is a wire guided catheter assembly in
which the guidewire lumen is adapted to collapse upon
pressurization of the fluid lumen, thereby maximizing the size of
the flow path available for fluid flow. The guidewire lumen is
formed within the main catheter body, and within the fluid flow
lumen. The entire catheter body can be used as a fluid flow lumen,
or a separate fluid flow lumen may be established within a portion
of the catheter body. In either case, the guidewire lumen is within
the fluid flow lumen. In its expanded state, the guidewire lumen
occupies a significant portion of the fluid flow lumen. In its
collapsed state, the guidewire lumen occupies a very insignificant
portion, or almost none, of the fluid flow lumen.
[0011] The novel features of this invention, as well as the
invention itself, will be best understood from the attached
drawings, taken along with the following description, in which
similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in
which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a transverse section view of a first embodiment of
a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the
guidewire lumen attached to the inside of the main body of the
catheter;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown
in FIG. 1, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a transverse section view of a second embodiment
of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the
guidewire lumen separately formed within the main body of the
catheter;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown
in FIG. 3, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a transverse section view of a third embodiment of
a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the
fluid lumen separately formed within the main body of the catheter,
and the guidewire lumen attached to the inside of the fluid
lumen;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown
in FIG. 5, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a transverse section view of a fourth embodiment
of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the
fluid lumen separately formed within the main body of the catheter,
and the guidewire lumen separately formed within the fluid lumen;
and
[0019] FIG. 8 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown
in FIG. 7, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] As seen in FIG. 1, the first embodiment of the catheter
assembly 10 according to the present invention has a main catheter
body 12, which encompasses a fluid flow lumen 14. Further, the main
catheter body 12 encompasses a guidewire lumen 18, which is formed
in part by a guidewire lumen wall 16 and in part by a portion of
the main catheter body 12. The guidewire lumen wall 16 is
constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a
relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range
of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The guidewire lumen wall 16 is shown
fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen 18 being in its
expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen 18 is best
suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the
insertion of the catheter assembly 10 through a vascular system of
a patient. It can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen 18 is in
its expanded state, the guidewire lumen 18 occupies a significant
portion of the cross sectional area of the catheter body 12,
thereby significantly reducing the cross sectional area which would
be available for the fluid flow lumen 14. Therefore, for a given
diameter of the catheter body 12, the available fluid flow capacity
through the fluid flow lumen 14 is significantly limited by the
expansion of the guidewire lumen 18.
[0021] Once the catheter assembly 10 has been inserted to a desired
point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen
14 can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause
the guidewire lumen wall 16 to flex or move toward the guidewire
lumen 18, thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen 18 as shown in
FIG. 2. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the
guidewire lumen 18 may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can
be removed from the guidewire lumen 18 before pressurization of the
fluid flow lumen 14, thereby allowing the guidewire lumen 18 to
fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen 18
collapsed, the cross sectional area of the catheter body 12
available for the fluid flow lumen 14 has significantly increased,
essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter
assembly 10 for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to
again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen 18, the
guidewire lumen 18 can be returned to its expanded state, shown in
FIG. 1, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen 18 with a fluid such as
a saline solution.
[0022] As seen in FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the catheter
assembly 20 according to the present invention has a main catheter
body 22, which encompasses a fluid flow lumen 24. Further, the main
catheter body 22 encompasses a guidewire lumen 28, which is formed
entirely by a tubular guidewire passageway 26 separately formed
within the fluid flow lumen 24 of the main catheter body 22. The
tubular guidewire passageway 26 is constructed of a relatively
flexible material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness,
preferably for example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch.
The tubular guidewire passageway 26 is shown fully distended,
resulting in the guidewire lumen 28 being in its expanded state. In
this condition, the guidewire lumen 28 is best suited for the
passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the insertion of
the catheter assembly 20 through a vascular system of a patient. It
can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen 28 is in its expanded
state, the guidewire lumen 28 occupies a significant portion of the
cross sectional area of the catheter body 22, thereby significantly
reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the
fluid flow lumen 24. Therefore, for a given diameter of the
catheter body 22, the available fluid flow capacity through the
fluid flow lumen 24 is significantly limited by the expansion of
the guidewire lumen 28.
[0023] Once the catheter assembly 20 has been inserted to a desired
point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen
24 can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause
the tubular guidewire passageway 26 to flex or move into the
guidewire lumen 28, thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen 28 as
shown in FIG. 4. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of
the guidewire lumen 28 may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire
can be removed from the guidewire lumen 28 before pressurization of
the fluid flow lumen 24, thereby allowing the guidewire lumen 28 to
fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen 28
collapsed, the cross sectional area of the catheter body 22
available for the fluid flow lumen 24 has significantly increased,
essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter
assembly 20 for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to
again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen 28, the
guidewire lumen 28 can be returned to its expanded state, shown in
FIG. 3, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen 28 with a fluid.
[0024] As seen in FIG. 5, a third embodiment of the catheter
assembly 30 according to the present invention has a main catheter
body 31, which encompasses a main catheter lumen 33. The main
catheter lumen 33 can be utilized for the return of fluid through
the catheter assembly 30, or for any other purpose. The main
catheter body 31 also encompasses a fluid flow lumen 34, which is
formed by a separate tubular fluid flow passageway 32 within the
main catheter lumen 33. Further, the main catheter body 31 and the
tubular fluid flow passageway 32 both encompass a guidewire lumen
38, which is formed in part by a guidewire lumen wall 36 and in
part by a portion of the tubular fluid flow passageway 32. The
guidewire lumen wall 36 is constructed of a relatively flexible
material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for
example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The guidewire
lumen wall 36 is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire
lumen 38 being in its expanded state. In this condition, the
guidewire lumen 38 is best suited for the passage of a guidewire
(not shown), facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly 30
through a vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when
the guidewire lumen 38 is in its expanded state, the guidewire
lumen 38 occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area
of the tubular fluid flow passageway 32, thereby significantly
reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the
fluid flow lumen 34. Therefore, for a given diameter of the
catheter body 31, and for a given diameter of the tubular fluid
flow passageway 32, the available fluid flow capacity through the
fluid flow lumen 34 is significantly limited by the expansion of
the guidewire lumen 38.
[0025] Once the catheter assembly 30 has been inserted to a desired
point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen
34 can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause
the guidewire lumen wall 36 to flex or move toward the guidewire
lumen 38, thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen 38 as shown in
FIG. 6. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the
guidewire lumen 38 may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can
be removed from the guidewire lumen 38 before pressurization of the
fluid flow lumen 34, thereby allowing the guidewire lumen 38 to
fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen 38
collapsed, the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow
passageway 32 available for the fluid flow lumen 34 has
significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow
capacity of the catheter assembly 30 for a given overall diameter.
When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire
lumen 38, the guidewire lumen 38 can be returned to its expanded
state, shown in FIG. 5, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen 38 with
a fluid such as a saline solution.
[0026] As seen in FIG. 7, a fourth embodiment of the catheter
assembly 40 according to the present invention has a main catheter
body 41, which encompasses a main catheter lumen 43. The main
catheter lumen 43 can be utilized for the return of fluid through
the catheter assembly 40, or for any other purpose. The main
catheter body 41 also encompasses a fluid flow lumen 44, which is
formed by a separate tubular fluid flow passageway 42 within the
main catheter lumen 43. Further, the main catheter body 41 and the
tubular fluid flow passageway 42 both encompass a guidewire lumen
48, which is formed entirely by a tubular guidewire passageway 46
separately formed within the fluid flow lumen 44 of the tubular
fluid flow passageway 42. The tubular guidewire passageway 46 is
constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a
relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range
of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The tubular guidewire passageway 46
is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen 48 being
in its expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen 48 is
best suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown),
facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly 40 through a
vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when the
guidewire lumen 48 is in its expanded state, the guidewire lumen 48
occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area of the
tubular fluid flow passageway 42, thereby significantly reducing
the cross sectional area which would be available for the fluid
flow lumen 44. Therefore, for a given diameter of the catheter body
41, and for a given diameter of the tubular fluid flow passageway
42, the available fluid flow capacity through the fluid flow lumen
44 is significantly limited by the expansion of the guidewire lumen
48.
[0027] Once the catheter assembly 40 has been inserted to a desired
point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen
44 can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause
the tubular guidewire passageway 46 to flex or move into the
guidewire lumen 48, thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen 48 as
shown in FIG. 8. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of
the guidewire lumen 48 may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire
can be removed from the guidewire lumen 48 before pressurization of
the fluid flow lumen 44, thereby allowing the guidewire lumen 48 to
fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen 48
collapsed, the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow
passageway 42 available for the fluid flow lumen 44 has
significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow
capacity of the catheter assembly 40 for a given overall diameter.
When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire
lumen 48, the guidewire lumen 48 can be returned to its expanded
state, shown in FIG. 7, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen 48 with
a fluid.
[0028] While the invention as herein shown and disclosed is fully
capable of providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to
be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative of the
presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no
limitations are intended other than as described in the appended
claims.
* * * * *