Conduit guiding tip
Inventors
Assignees
Publication Number
US-10232142-B2
Publication Date
2019-03-19
Expiration Date
2035-06-10
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Abstract
A catheter tip for guiding the catheter through a patient's blood vessels and keeping the catheter in large vessels and preventing entry into smaller branch vessels.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a catheter guiding tip designed to facilitate the navigation of a catheter through a patient’s blood vessels. The catheter guiding tip extends distally at the catheter’s end and features at least one guiding member that expands to a tip portion with a shape, in its uncompressed state, larger than the catheter’s outer dimension along at least one axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The guiding tip is deformable for insertion through a sheath, being compressed during passage, but is resilient enough to resume its larger, guiding shape when not compressed.
The catheter guiding tip addresses the problem of navigating catheters through the complex and branched structure of blood vessels, especially avoiding accidental entry into smaller side branches. Current methods often require special imaging equipment or guiding balloons, which limit use in emergent settings and complicate bedside procedures. The invention permits controlled navigation without the need for advanced imaging, thus increasing versatility and enabling procedures in wider contexts.
The guiding tip’s various embodiments—such as coiled, bulbous, or multi-membered designs—are disclosed, each preventing the tip from entering smaller blood vessels while remaining atraumatic. The tip can be manufactured from compressible plastics or metals like nitinol, with its softness and resilience mitigating the risk of vessel damage. This structural approach ensures that the catheter stays within larger vessels and enhances the safety and ease of catheter placement.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains two independent claims, each defining major inventive features related to the structure and function of the catheter guiding tip.
Catheter guiding tip with expandable, shape-resilient distal portion
A catheter guiding tip extends distally from the catheter and initially matches the outer dimension of the catheter, but expands distally to at least one guiding member with a tip portion. This tip portion, in its uncompressed state, is larger than the catheter’s outer dimension along at least one axis perpendicular to the catheter’s axis. The tip can be deformed for sheath insertion and is resilient to return to its shape when uncompressed. The tip is structured as a member extending distally and radially to form a substantially hook-shaped portion that transitions into a flattened cross-section as it curves toward the most distal point.
Catheter guiding tip with multiple radial guiding members
A catheter guiding tip expands distally with a tip portion that, in its uncompressed state, is larger than the catheter along at least one perpendicular axis. The tip portion features a first plurality of guiding members extending radially from a part that continues past the guiding members to a distal extension, and a second plurality of guiding members positioned distal to the first and proximal to the distal extension. This arrangement creates a tip portion with multiple radial projections for effective vessel navigation while remaining shape-resilient and deformable for sheath insertion.
The inventive features focus on catheter guiding tips that are larger than the catheter along key axes to prevent entry into small vessels, are deformable and resilient, and can feature hook-shaped, bulbous, or multi-member designs for atraumatic guidance.
Stated Advantages
The catheter guiding tip facilitates placement of catheters in a patient's blood vessels without requiring special imaging equipment or facilities.
The tip prevents the catheter from entering smaller branch vessels, improving navigation through tortuous vascular pathways.
The design creates an atraumatic tip to reduce the risk of vessel perforation or tearing during deployment and advancement.
The invention enables catheter procedures to be performed in a wider variety of settings, including emergency and bedside environments.
Documented Applications
Placement of intravascular catheters for procedures such as stent delivery, angioplasty, atherectomy, embolic filtering, and aortic occlusion.
Use in vascular occlusion, drug delivery, imaging, and vascular interventions in both venous and arterial blood vessels.
Deployment via access sites including the femoral artery, brachial artery, subclavian artery, or any suitable blood vessel.
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