Heating/sensing catheter appratus for minimally invasive applications

a catheter and sensor technology, applied in the field of medical catheter devices, can solve the problems of more difficult catheter threading along narrower blood vessels in the body, sharp turns in such vessels, and other body passages, so as to reduce the loss of component insertion, prevent excessive heating of the cable, and reduce the impedance of the cable

US20140012132A1Inactive Publication Date: 2014-01-09CORAL SAND BEACH LLC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
Publication Date
2014-01-09
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

Catheter apparatus comprises a coaxial cable having proximal and distal ends. The cable includes a hollow center conductor, an outer conductor and an electrically insulating layer between the conductors. An antenna is at the distal end of the cable, and a diplexer is connected to the cable, the diplexer including a transmit path for connecting the antenna to a transmitter which transmits first frequency signals and a receive path for connecting the antenna to a receiver which detects second frequency signals the diplexer isolating the signals on the two paths from one another. A transmission line connects the cable to the diplexer, the transmission line having a segment with a tubular inner conductor one end of which is connected to the center conductor and a second end of which is adapted for connection to a coolant source, the center and inner conductors forming a continuous coolant pathway.
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Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 635,348 filed Apr. 19, 2012 by Kenneth L. Can for an INTEGRATED MICROWAVE CATHETER AND CABLE and is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 709,434, which was filed on Dec. 10, 2012, by Kenneth L. Carr for a HEATING / SENSING CATHETER APPARATUS FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE APPLICATIONS, and is hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to medical catheter apparatus for minimally invasive applications. It relates especially to catheter apparatus which utilizes electromagnetic radiation to simultaneously controllably heat, and detect the temperature of, fluid or tissue in a human or animal body. The apparatus includes an antenna catheter which is essentially a long flexible cable having a distal end or probe containing an antenna. In order to perform its function...

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0035]Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the present catheter apparatus comprises an antenna catheter shown generally at 10 connected by a cable 12 to an external control unit 14. Catheter 10 includes a relatively long, e.g. 115 cm, very flexible cable 16 which includes a center conductor 18 extending the entire length of the cable and forming an antenna A at the distal or probe end of the cable. The illustrated antenna A is a monopole, but it may have other forms such as a helix as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,336, whose contents hereby is incorporated herein by reference.

[0036]In accordance with the invention, center conductor 18 is formed as a thin-wall, e.g. 0.004 inch, tube of soft copper so that it is quite flexible and defines a fluid pathway 19 which extends the entire length of the cable. For example, that center conductor may have an OD of 0.024 inch. The larger diameter, hollow center conductor minimizes the current density thereon for a given cable diameter. This, in turn, m...