Apparatus and method for fragmenting and aspirating materials from a body lumen

Abstract

A device for insertion into a body lumen includes an operator unit which may be hand held by an operator. A cannula is operatively associated with the operator unit and the cannula includes two parallel lumens. At least one of two lumens terminates at its distal end before the distal end of the other lumen and wherein one of the two lumens is contained at most partially within the other lumen.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 927426, filed Jan. 14, 2014, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to medical devices and in particular to devices which are adapted to fragment materials contained within a body lumen, including urinary tract stones, bladder stones, kidney stones and the like, using optical energy, especially lasers, and removing fragmented materials from the body lumen.BACKGROUND[0003]Medical devices which are used to fragment and remove stones and other materials from, for example, the urinary tract, the bladder and the kidneys (hereinafter referred to as “stones”), are known in the art. An example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,531. In this patent, a dual lumen elongated member is used, respectively, for the purposes of providing a first lumen for an optical fiber and a second lumen to aspirate...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a device for insertion into a body lumen that has two parallel lumens. One of the lumens terminates before the other, and the two lumens are connected at their proximal ends. The device also includes controls for manipulating an optical fiber and for aspirating and irrigating materials in the body lumen. One control is a wheel that engages the optical fiber to move it forward. Another is a mechanism to disengage the wheel from the optical fiber for manual adjustment. The device also has a movable tube that can be positioned to prevent the optical fiber from engaging with rollers that move it. Overall, this device provides improved access and manipulation of optical fiber in body lumens.

Problems solved by technology

One of the problems associated with the foregoing patent as well as other prior art is that a balance must be struck between the overall size or diameter of the device to be introduced into the urinary tract of a human being and to fit the working channel of an urethascope.

This arrangement, of course, decreases the size of the aspiration lumen and limits the size of the degree of the stones or other fragmented materials which can be suctioned through the aspiration lumen to outside the body.

This results in the inability of the physician or other operator to visualize the optical fiber tip unless it is pushed out of the optical lumen.

It is also known that during the process and procedure of fragmenting stones and other materials that the tip of the optical fiber may itself fragment due to the intense energy delivered through and at the tip of the optical fiber.

Because the optical fiber lumen and the plane of the aspiration lumen terminate at the same plane, it is often difficult for the physician to inspect the tip of the optical fiber.

Yet another issue associated with such devices is the ability to provide a handpiece that is easily gripped and manipulated by the operator of the device in use and which provides all controls for various functions, such as advancement of the optical fiber at gross movement levels and fine movement levels and control over the function of aspiration and irrigation within easy reach of the operator during a procedure.

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