Catheter with disruptable guidewire channel

Abstract

The present invention is a catheter device that includes a disruptable guidewire channel. The guidewire channel is configured to provide necessary trackability of the catheter along the guidewire during introduction of the catheter to a treatment site. Once treatment is completed, the guidewire channel can then be disrupted so as to free the guidewire from the catheter in situ. The apparatus of the present invention provides distinct advantages over existing over-the-wire and rapid exchange catheter introduction methods, including the ability to achieve much faster treatment implement exchanges, the ability to rapidly deliver multiple treatment implements in series, and the ability to maintain multiple treatment implements simultaneously at a treatment site using a single guidewire.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The present invention relates to catheter systems for delivery of medical devices into a patient, and particularly to medical devices that are delivered to a treatment site using a guidewire.[0003] 2. Description of Related Art[0004] Minimally invasive (or "interventional") medical procedures are commonly employed today to avoid the substantial effort and trauma inherent in traditional surgery. Instead of directly accessing a treatment site through surgical procedures, a physician will make a small incision into a remote vessel (e.g., a femoral artery) and guide the necessary tools to the treatment site using fluoroscopy or other visualization techniques. Access to the treatment site is first achieved using very low profile devices that can be "steered" through the various branches of vessels to the correct treatment location. Typically these initial small diameter devices will be a steerable guidewire or a small-diameter guiding catheter that ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Further, the threading of the entire length of the catheter along the guidewire can be somewhat difficult and time consuming.

Moreover, limiting the speed with which procedures can be completed and the types of procedures that can be easily performed, these techniques require each treatment device to be completely retracted along the guidewire before a further treatment device can be advanced along the same guidewire to the treatment site.

However, in practice these techniques also require each treatment device to be completely retracted along the guidewire before a further treatment implement can be advanced along the guidewire to the treatment site.

While these devices may deliver some of the same benefits of the conventional rapid exchange catheters, trackability may be a far greater problem since the guidewire is attached to the treatment catheter only at the very tip of the catheter.

Additionally, depending upon the dimensions and stiffness of the tube housing the guidewire lumen (or, in the case of the Solar et al. device, of the "advancement member"), its presence on the outside of the treatment device may interfere with the proper operation of the treatment device.

Again, the sleeve is disruptable to cause a guidewire placed within the sleeve to free, in whole or in part, from the implement upon disruption of the sleeve.

However, the present inventor has realized that once the treatment implement is correctly positioned within the treatment site and treatment has occurred, there is no reason why the treatment implement must remain on the guidewire for its subsequent removal from the body.

This problem can present itself when fluoroscopy fails to detect the second distal defect prior to treatment of the first defect.

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