Catheter capable of being easily placed into in-vivo deep target position

Abstract

The invention provides a catheter capable of being easily placed in a deep target position in a body. The catheter comprises a guiding catheter, a working catheter and an inflatable balloon located between the working catheter and the guiding catheter. The inflatable and deflatable balloon is of a double-layer structure, the inflatable and deflatable balloon is further connected with a medium tube, and when the inflatable and deflatable balloon is filled with a medium, the guide catheter is connected with the working catheter through the inflatable and deflatable balloon; the outer end of the medium pipe is connected with a medium pump; a detection device is arranged at the in-vivo end of the guide catheter and is connected with an in-vitro detection equipment host through a signal transmission line; the working catheter or the guiding catheter is further provided with a catheter head end direction adjusting structure. According to the technical scheme, linkage of the guiding catheter and the working catheter can be achieved through the inflatable balloon, and therefore the working catheter can be conveniently conveyed to the preset position under the guidance of the detection device and the assistance of the catheter head end direction adjusting structure, and the working efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical equipment, and in particular to a catheter that can be easily placed in a target position deep inside a body. Background Art

[0002] In the medical field, catheters are delivered to target locations through inherent cavities such as the blood vessels, respiratory tract, and digestive tract for sampling, monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment. Accurately and conveniently delivering catheters through cavities to the target site is key to meeting these needs. Traditional catheter insertion methods include: external X-ray guidance, metal guidewire guidance, blind catheter insertion, and balloon-floating catheterization. However, these methods lack real-time positioning and remain difficult to achieve effective results when placed within the complex pathways of the human body's inherent cavities. Furthermore, X-ray guidance methods are inconvenient for bedside use. Therefore, how to accurately position the catheter in real time and smoothly place it at the desired location within the cavity is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a catheter, in particular a catheter which is easy to be placed in a deep target position in the body, and is used for accurately and conveniently delivering the catheter to a predetermined position in a natural cavity.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a catheter that is easily inserted into a target position deep inside the body, comprising a guide catheter, a working catheter sheathed on the outside of the guide catheter, and an inflatable balloon located between the working catheter and the guide catheter, wherein the inner diameter of the working catheter is larger than the outer diameter of the guide catheter; the inflatable balloon is a double-layer structure consisting of an inner wall and an outer wall of the balloon, a cavity is formed between the inner wall and the outer wall of the balloon, and the cavity is connected to a medium pump located outside the patient's body through a medium tube; when the inflatable balloon is filled with medium, the guide catheter is connected to the working catheter through the inflatable balloon; a detection device is also provided at the internal end of the guide catheter, and the detection device is connected to a detection device host located outside the patient's body through a signal transmission line (which can be used to transmit acoustic or optical signals between the detection device host and the detection device).

[0005] Furthermore, the guiding catheter can be an ultrasound-guided catheter, in which case the detection device is an ultrasound probe, and the detection device host is an ultrasound host; alternatively, the guiding catheter can also be optically guided, in which case the detection device is an optical probe, and the detection device host is a light source generator, wherein the light source can be one of the following: near-infrared imaging, fluorescence imaging, autofluorescence imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and photoacoustic imaging.

[0006] Furthermore, the inflatable balloon can be set up in two ways: the inner wall of the balloon is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the guide catheter, and the outer wall of the balloon is used to press against the inner wall of the working catheter after inflation; or, the outer wall of the balloon is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the working catheter, and the inner wall of the balloon is used to press against the outer wall of the guide catheter after inflation.

[0007] Furthermore, the catheter that is easy to be placed into the body also includes a catheter head end direction adjustment structure, and the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is arranged in the working catheter or in the guiding catheter.

[0008] Furthermore, the catheter tip direction adjustment structure includes a traction wire arranged along the long axis of the catheter, and the traction wire runs within a cavity provided in the catheter wall; the cavity is provided in the catheter wall along the long axis of the catheter (i.e., when the catheter tip direction adjustment structure is provided in the working catheter, the cavity is provided in the working catheter wall; if the catheter tip direction adjustment structure is provided in the guide catheter, the cavity is provided in the guide catheter wall). The cavity is a small cavity with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the traction wire, and the traction wire can slide within the cavity.

[0009] Furthermore, the catheter, which is easily placed at a target location deep within the body, further includes a pull ring coaxially disposed within the wall of the guide catheter or the working catheter tip, with the in-vivo end of the traction wire fixedly connected to the pull ring (wherein the pull ring can be made of various tough materials suitable for in-vivo application, such as polymers or stainless steel). In the present invention, the in-vivo end of the traction wire is fixedly connected to the pull ring disposed within the wall of the catheter tip, the in-vivo end of the traction wire is fixedly connected to the adjustment handle, and the middle portion of the traction wire passes through a cavity defined in the wall.

[0010] Furthermore, the traction steel wire may be single or multiple; when there are multiple traction steel wires, the multiple traction steel wires are evenly distributed circumferentially.

[0011] Furthermore, the traction wire extends to the external end of the catheter and is connected to the adjustment handle.

[0012] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] In this technical solution, in addition to the working catheter used for operation or treatment, a guide catheter for auxiliary positioning is also configured, and the linkage of the two catheters is achieved through an inflatable balloon. When the inflatable balloon is full, the working catheter and the guide catheter are connected as one through the squeezing effect of the inflatable balloon, so that the real-time situation inside the cavity can be viewed through the detection device on the head of the guide catheter, providing a basis for decision-making for the operator. For complex cavity passages, the working catheter can also be smoothly placed in the predetermined position, greatly improving work efficiency. In addition, after being placed in the predetermined position, the inflatable balloon is contracted and reset by the backflow of the medium, thereby achieving separation of the two catheters. The guide catheter can then be removed to avoid interfering with the operation of the working catheter. Therefore, the catheter that is easy to place into the body of this technical solution has completely changed the placement method of catheters in the prior art, which has greatly improved the accuracy and efficiency of catheter positioning.

[0014] At the same time, this technical solution also has the following characteristics:

[0015] In this technical solution, a head end direction adjustment structure is set at the tip of the catheter, which can adjust the bending angle of the distal end of the catheter as needed, and can adapt to the physiological and anatomical morphology of different cavities, so that the catheter can be accurately placed in the predetermined working position through the bifurcation and bend of the inherent cavity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a catheter of the present invention that is easily placed into a target location deep within the body;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of adjusting the direction of the tip of a catheter that is easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an inflatable balloon disposed on a guide catheter;

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an inflatable balloon disposed on a working catheter;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the catheter tip direction adjustment structure being arranged on the working catheter;

[0022] Figure 6Schematic diagram of the catheter tip direction adjustment structure provided on the guide catheter;

[0023] Figure numbers: 1. Working catheter; 2. Guide catheter; 3. Inflatable balloon; 4. Detection device; 5. Fixed handle; 6. Adjustment handle; 7. Signal transmission line; 8. Detection device host; 9. Medium tube; 10. Medium pump; 11. Traction wire; 12. Cavity; 13. Fiber layer; 14. Pull ring; 15. Medium passage in the tube wall. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In order to solve the above problems, in this application, Figure 1 As shown, in the present technical solution, the overall structure is set as a double-tube combination structure, that is, the outer side is a working catheter 1 for performing work tasks (such as extracting samples, monitoring physical and chemical indicators, etc.), and the inner side is a guide catheter 2 for auxiliary positioning. There is enough gap between the inner diameter of the working catheter 1 and the outer diameter of the guide catheter 2. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the two catheters cannot be connected together. Only when the insertion operation of the working catheter 1 is performed, the two are connected by the inflatable balloon 3 (that is, the two catheters are temporarily fixed together by the squeezing effect of the inflated inflatable balloon 3. After the inflatable balloon 3 is reset, the two catheters can be separated). The inflatable balloon 3 is a commonly used device in the existing medical industry. The inflatable balloon 3 in the embodiment of the present invention follows the structural form of the existing technology.

[0026] The operation process is:

[0027] The working catheter 1 is sheathed on the outside of the guide catheter 2, and the inner end (also called the head end or the distal end) of the guide catheter 2 is slightly protruded from the distal end of the working catheter 1 to avoid the detection device 4 provided at the distal end of the guide catheter 2 being blocked; then, the medium pump 10 located outside the patient's body is started, so that the working medium (liquid or gas) is transported along the medium tube 9 to the cavity between the inner wall and the outer wall of the balloon, so that the inflatable balloon 3 is filled with the medium and bulges. At this time, the working catheter 1 and the guide catheter 2 are connected to each other as a whole by the squeezing action of the filled inflatable balloon (see Figure 3 、 Figure 4), that is, when the working catheter 1 is delivered into the patient's body through a cavity (such as a blood vessel, respiratory tract or digestive tract), the guide catheter 2 will move into the cavity together with it. During this process, the detection device host 8 communicates with the detection device 4 through the signal transmission line 7, so that the detection device 4 detects the internal shape of the cavity around itself (see Figure 1 The directional arrows around the detection device 4 in the middle) and transmit the internal morphology information of the cavity back to the detection device host 8, so that the operator can see the real-time morphology of the cavity on the display of the detection device host 8, thereby understanding the position of the distal end of the current working catheter 1 and the situation inside the cavity, which is convenient for the operator to make the next operation decision and avoids the situation of cavity damage caused by misoperation. In this solution, the guide catheter 2 can adopt the existing ultrasound guide catheter or optical guide catheter. If a catheter head end direction adjustment structure is required in the guide catheter 2, it can be adjusted according to the Figure 6 Add corresponding structure in this way.

[0028] During the process of inserting the working catheter 1, when some parts are difficult to reach (for example, when there are forks and bends in the cavity), the catheter head end direction adjustment structure can be used for assistance. The catheter head end direction adjustment structure is set in the guide catheter 2 or the working catheter 1, and the extracorporeal end (also called the tail end or the proximal end) of the catheter wall provided with the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is connected to the fixed handle 5. By pulling the adjustment handle 6 connected to the traction wire 11, a relative displacement is generated between the adjustment handle 6 and the fixed handle 5, so that the traction wire 11 can slide in the cavity 12, and the distal end of the traction wire 11 is tightened with the pull ring 14. At this time, the pulling force can be converted into a lateral pulling force of the pull ring 14 on the tube wall, so that the direction adjustment section ( Figure 5 or Figure 6 The length range L in the part) is bent and turned to form Figure 2 The state shown by the middle dotted line (the angle range can be set to 0°-90°) makes it easier for the working catheter 1 to change its forward direction.

[0029] When only one traction wire 11 is provided, the pipe wall can only be bent and turned in one direction. In order to meet the diversity of actual needs, multiple traction wires 11 can be evenly distributed in the pipe wall, for example, two or four, to achieve multi-directional controllable bending, for example Figure 2 As shown, when the adjustment handle 6 on the left is pulled downward, the catheter head end bends to the left and turns to the state shown by the dotted line. When the adjustment handle 6 is released, the inner end of the catheter returns to its original state under the elastic force of the tube wall itself.

[0030] If multiple traction wires 11 are provided, attention should be paid during operation: only one traction wire 11 can be pulled at each operation (multiple adjustment handles 6 can be provided, and each adjustment handle 6 is connected to a traction wire 11), so that the tube end is turned in the direction of the traction wire 11, thereby adjusting the direction of the catheter head end, and multiple traction wires 11 cannot be pulled at the same time, otherwise the multiple traction wires 11 will interfere with each other, which may cause the steering direction to not meet the predetermined requirements, affecting the accuracy of the operation.

[0031] During the aforementioned operation of placing the catheter into the patient's body, the medium pump 10 should be in a pressure-maintaining state to keep the inflatable balloon 3 in an inflated state and avoid accidental separation of the working catheter 1 and the guiding catheter 2 .

[0032] After the working catheter 1 is placed in the predetermined position according to the above-mentioned operating method, the medium is refluxed by controlling the medium pump 10, so that the inflatable balloon 3 is contracted and reset, thereby releasing the temporary fixed connection between the working catheter 1 and the guide catheter 2, and realizing the separation of the two catheters. After that, the guide catheter 2 can be removed to avoid it interfering with the operation of the working catheter 1.

[0033] In summary, this technical solution has designed a unique double-tube combination structure, and uses an inflatable balloon 3 to act as a "connector" between the working catheter 1 and the guide catheter 2. At the same time, it combines ultrasonic detection or optical detection functions, as well as the catheter head end direction adjustment function, to achieve accurate and rapid positioning of the working catheter 1, which can greatly improve work efficiency and avoid operational errors.

[0034] In this technical solution, the specific structure can be implemented in the following four ways. When applied, corresponding configuration can be made according to actual needs:

[0035] (1) The first specific embodiment: the inflatable balloon 3 is arranged on the guide catheter 2, that is, the inner wall of the balloon is fixed on the outer wall of the guide catheter 2 (see Figure 3 ), at the same time, the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is also provided on the guide catheter 2 (see Figure 6 );

[0036] (2) The second specific embodiment: the inflatable balloon 3 is arranged on the guide catheter 2 (see Figure 3 ), at the same time, the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is set on the working catheter 1 (see Figure 5 );

[0037] (3) The third specific embodiment: the inflatable balloon 3 is arranged on the working catheter 1, that is, the outer wall of the balloon is fixed on the inner wall of the working catheter 1 (see Figure 4 ), at the same time, the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is also set on the working catheter 1 (see Figure 5 );

[0038] (4) The fourth specific embodiment: the inflatable balloon 3 is arranged on the working catheter 1 (see Figure 4 ), at the same time, the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is set on the guide catheter 2 (see Figure 6 ).

[0039] In addition, if the medium tube 9 is placed directly in the working catheter 1, it is likely to affect the operation. Therefore, a more preferred method is to open an additional cavity (i.e., a tube wall medium passage 15) on the working catheter 1 or the guide catheter 2. The head end of the tube wall medium passage 15 is connected to the inflatable balloon 3, and the tail end is opened at the tail end of the catheter, and its tail end is connected to the medium tube 9. When the inflatable balloon 3 is set on the guide catheter 2, Figure 3 As shown, the tube wall medium passage 15 is opened on the guide catheter 2, and at the tail end of the guide catheter 2, the medium tube 9 is connected to the tail end of the tube wall medium passage 15; when the inflatable balloon 3 is set on the working catheter 1, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the tube wall medium passage 15 is opened on the working conduit 1 , and at the tail end of the working conduit 1 , the medium pipe 9 is connected to the tail end of the tube wall medium passage 15 .

[0040] In addition, in order to better achieve controlled steering of the catheter head end direction adjustment structure at a specific position, the catheter can be specially configured so that the wall strength of the catheter (the catheter with the head end direction adjustment structure) within the direction adjustment section is lower than the strength of other areas. Alternatively, the following configuration can be made in the present technical solution: an annular fiber layer 13 is provided in the wall of the catheter where the catheter head end direction adjustment structure is located. The fiber layer 13 is coaxial with the catheter, and the hardness of the fiber layer 13 is inconsistent in the long axis direction of the catheter: the hardness of the fiber layer 13 within the direction adjustment section is lower than the hardness of the fiber layer 13 outside the direction adjustment section. By the difference in the strength of the fiber layer 13, the steering function of the catheter head end direction adjustment structure can be limited to the length range of the direction adjustment section, while other parts are not affected.

[0041] In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment to simplify the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. On the contrary, as reflected in the appended claims, the invention comprises less than all the features of any individual disclosed embodiment. The appended claims are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0042] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented herein but is intended to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0043] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A catheter that is easily placed into a target location deep within the body, characterized in that: It comprises a guide catheter (2), a working catheter (1) sleeved outside the guide catheter (2), and an inflatable balloon (3) located between the working catheter (1) and the guide catheter (2), wherein the inner diameter of the working catheter (1) is larger than the outer diameter of the guide catheter (2); The inflatable balloon (3) is a double-layer structure consisting of a balloon inner wall and a balloon outer wall, a cavity is formed between the balloon inner wall and the balloon outer wall, and the cavity is connected to a medium pump (10) via a medium tube (9); when the inflatable balloon (3) is filled with a medium, the guide catheter (2) is connected to the working catheter (1) via the inflatable balloon (3); The in-vivo end of the guide catheter (2) is provided with a detection device (4), and the detection device (4) is connected to a detection device host (8) via a signal transmission line (7).

2. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 1, wherein: The guiding catheter (2) is an ultrasound guiding catheter, and the detecting device (4) is an ultrasound probe.

3. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 1, wherein: The guiding catheter (2) is an optical guiding catheter, and the detecting device (4) is an optical probe.

4. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 1, wherein: The inner wall of the balloon is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the guiding catheter (2).

5. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 1, wherein: The outer wall of the balloon is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the working catheter (1).

6. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a catheter head end direction adjustment structure, which is arranged in the working catheter (1) or the guiding catheter (2).

7. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 6, wherein: The catheter head end direction adjustment structure comprises a traction wire (11) arranged along the long axis direction of the catheter, and the traction wire (11) runs in a cavity (12) in the catheter wall.

8. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 7, wherein: It also includes a pull ring (14), which is coaxially arranged in the tube wall of the catheter head end, and the internal end of the traction wire (11) is fixedly connected to the pull ring (14).

9. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 8, wherein: The traction steel wire (11) is one or more; the multiple traction steel wires (11) are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

10. The catheter that can be easily placed into a target location deep inside the body according to claim 8, wherein: The traction wire (11) extends to the outer end of the catheter body and is connected to the adjustment handle (6).

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