Expandable balloon
Inventors
McMahon, Tony • Burke, Martin G. • Heraty, Kevin B. • Yeo, Nicholas
Assignees
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Abstract
An expandable balloon, for insertion in a vessel of the human or animal body, is movable between a collapsed condition and an expanded condition. The balloon includes a plaque disrupting formation arranged to be on an outer surface of the balloon when in the expanded condition. When in the expanded condition, the balloon has a centre line which follows a substantially helical path.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an expandable balloon for insertion in a vessel of the human or animal body that is movable between a collapsed condition and an expanded condition to expand the vessel. In the expanded condition, a plaque disrupting member is disposed on an outer surface of the balloon and extends over a lengthwise portion of the balloon, and the balloon is configured so that its centre line follows a substantially helical path.
The plaque disrupting member is arranged helically on the balloon outer surface with substantially the same pitch as the helical centre line of the balloon. The plaque disrupting member is fixed at one end relative to the balloon outer surface and is not attached to the balloon outer surface over a lengthwise extending portion of the balloon, and the holder at the other end is movable relative to the balloon outer surface.
The balloon enables plaque treatment by applying pressure to plaque while the balloon expands the vessel at a treatment site. The helical arrangement includes the expanded-condition helical centre line and helical path, and the plaque disrupting member exerts pressure on the plaque when the balloon is in the expanded condition.
Claims Coverage
The document includes two independent claims. Across these claims, the inventive features are a helical expandable balloon with a helical plaque disrupting member having matched pitch and a movable holder at one end, together with a treating method that deploys and expands the balloon so the member exerts pressure on plaque.
Helical expanded balloon with outer-surface plaque disrupting member
An expandable balloon for insertion in a vessel of the human or animal body is movable between a collapsed condition and an expanded condition to expand the vessel, and has a plaque disrupting member disposed on an outer surface of the balloon when in the expanded condition, the plaque disrupting member extending over a lengthwise portion and the balloon having, when in the expanded condition, a centre line which follows a substantially helical path.
Helical pitch-matched, end-fixed plaque disrupting member with movable holder
The plaque disrupting member is arranged helically on the balloon outer surface with substantially the same pitch as a helical centre line of the balloon, is fixed at one end relative to the balloon outer surface and is not attached to the balloon outer surface over a lengthwise extending portion of the balloon, and comprises a holder at its other end which is movable relative to the balloon outer surface.
Deploy-and-expand plaque treating method using helical balloon and pressure on plaque
A method of treating a plaque in a vessel of the human or animal body comprises deploying a balloon in a collapsed condition to a treatment site and expanding the balloon to expand the vessel, wherein a plaque disrupting member is disposed on an outer surface of the balloon, the plaque disrupting member extending over a lengthwise portion such that when the balloon is in the expanded condition the plaque disrupting member exerts pressure on the plaque, and the balloon has, when in the expanded condition, a centre line which follows a substantially helical path.
The independent claims share the same core inventive structure: a balloon that expands into a substantially helical geometry, carrying a plaque disrupting member arranged helically with substantially the same pitch as the balloon helical centre line, with one end fixed relative to the balloon outer surface and a holder at the other end movable relative to the balloon outer surface.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
No documented applications found
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