Supporting catheter

Abstract

The invention provides a supporting catheter, and belongs to the technical field of intervention equipment. Comprising a catheter body, and the catheter body is at least provided with a protective layer arranged on the outermost side, a guide layer arranged on the innermost side and a supporting layer arranged between the protective layer and the guide layer; the far end of the catheter body is provided with a hardness adjusting section, a supporting layer of the hardness adjusting section comprises a photosensitive component, during working, the hardness of the supporting layer can be increased by increasing illumination in the hardness adjusting section, and the flexibility of the supporting layer can be recovered by canceling illumination; the technical problem that in the prior art, the flexibility of a supporting catheter cannot be dynamically adjusted according to the requirement of an operation stage is mainly solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of interventional device technology, and specifically relates to a support catheter. Background Technology

[0002] Neurointerventional medicine refers to minimally invasive medical techniques used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and related blood vessels through endovascular interventional procedures. Its core advantage lies in delivering catheters, guidewires, and other instruments to small intracranial blood vessels via vascular access such as the femoral / carotid artery, avoiding the trauma of open craniotomy. It is particularly suitable for emergencies such as acute stroke and ruptured aneurysms, enabling rapid opening of blood vessels or closure of bleeding points within the golden timeframe.

[0003] Taking neurointerventional thrombectomy as an example, neurointervention must follow a specific device delivery logic: First, a sheath needs to be implanted in the patient's blood vessel via the femoral or carotid artery to establish the initial channel for delivery of the therapeutic device (such as a thrombectomy stent). Since the sheath needs to deliver subsequent devices, its diameter cannot be too narrow, which means the sheath usually cannot directly reach the embolism site, but only a segment of the vessel at a certain distance. Then, a support catheter needs to be delivered into the body through the sheath—because the diameter of the support catheter is smaller than that of the sheath, it can extend from the distal end of the sheath and continue to advance towards the thrombus location until it precisely reaches the embolism site. Subsequently, the thrombectomy stent is delivered to the target location (embolism site) via the support catheter.

[0004] The above-described procedure places dual demands on the performance of the support catheter: when the support catheter extends from the distal end of the sheath and is advanced toward the thrombus, it needs to have excellent overall flexibility to navigate flexibly through tortuous blood vessels while avoiding damage to the vessels; and when the support catheter reaches the predetermined position, it needs to have sufficient support performance during the process of pushing the therapeutic device toward the thrombus, especially the section from the distal end of the sheath to the target position, because the support catheter lacks the support of the sheath and therefore requires even better support performance to ensure the delivery of the therapeutic device.

[0005] However, the flexibility of existing support catheters is fixed at the factory, so they cannot be adjusted according to the needs of different stages of surgery.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved technical solution that addresses the shortcomings of the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a support catheter to solve the technical problem that the flexibility of the support catheter in the prior art cannot be dynamically adjusted according to the needs of the surgical stage.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the support catheter of the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0009] A support catheter includes a catheter body, the catheter body having at least an outermost protective layer, an innermost guide layer, and a support layer disposed between the protective layer and the guide layer; the distal end of the catheter body has a hardness adjustment section, the support layer of the hardness adjustment section includes a photosensitive component, during operation, the hardness of the support layer can be increased by increasing light in the hardness adjustment section, and the flexibility of the support layer can be restored by canceling the light.

[0010] As a further optimized technical solution, at least the guide layer of the hardness adjustment section is made of a transparent material, and a light source component is detachably provided inside the lumen of the catheter body. The light source component is used to slide along the lumen of the catheter body to enter or withdraw from the hardness adjustment section.

[0011] As a further optimized technical solution, the light source component includes a filamentous support body, and the distal end of the support body is provided with a strip-shaped irradiation section with a length not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section.

[0012] As a further optimized technical solution, the hardness adjustment section includes a cavity formed by a protective layer and a guide layer, and the photosensitive component is in a fluid state and completely fills the cavity.

[0013] As a further optimized technical solution, at least the protective layer of the hardness adjustment section is made of a transparent material, and a light source component is arranged in the protective layer.

[0014] As a further optimized technical solution, the protective layer has a channel arranged along the axial direction, the channel extending to the distal end of the conduit body, and the distal end of the light source component is fixedly installed in the channel.

[0015] As a further optimized technical solution, the light source component includes a filamentous support body, and the distal end of the support body is provided with a strip-shaped irradiation section with a length not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section.

[0016] As a further optimized technical solution, the support layer includes a support body, which has multiple movable sections connected in sequence. Any two adjacent movable sections, the protective layer, and the guide layer together enclose and form a receiving space. The photosensitive component is in a fluid state and completely fills the receiving space.

[0017] As a further optimized technical solution, each of the movable sections is provided with a circular locking block protruding outward at one end and a locking groove adapted to the circular locking block at the other end. Two adjacent movable sections are hinged together by the cooperation of the circular locking block and the locking groove.

[0018] As a further optimized technical solution, each of the movable sections has an inwardly recessed arc-shaped notch at both ends to increase the relative rotation angle between two adjacent movable sections.

[0019] Beneficial effects: This invention, by setting a support layer containing photosensitive components in the hardness adjustment section, allows the hardness of this section to be adjusted according to light conditions, realizing real-time and reversible adjustment of the support catheter's hardness. During passage through tortuous sections of blood vessels, the support layer remains flexible, improving the flexibility of the advance process. After reaching the target embolization location, the hardness of the photosensitive components is increased by light exposure, providing stable support for the delivery of subsequent thrombectomy stents and other therapeutic devices, significantly improving the accuracy and safety of the surgical operation.

[0020] Furthermore, when the guide layer of the hardness adjustment section is made of transparent material and the light source component is slidably arranged inside the lumen, it is convenient to adjust the hardness of the hardness adjustment section by placing or removing the light source component into the lumen of the catheter body. When the support catheter is in place and a treatment device needs to be delivered, the light source component is first placed inside the lumen of the catheter body to illuminate the hardness adjustment section. After the hardness of the hardness adjustment layer is increased, the light source component is removed, and then the treatment device is delivered into the lumen. This can reduce the impact of the light source component on the catheter body and not affect the basic function of the catheter body lumen.

[0021] Furthermore, when the protective layer of the hardness adjustment section is made of transparent material and the light source component is arranged in the protective layer, the space occupied by the catheter body can be reduced. When it is necessary to adjust the hardness of the catheter body, it is only necessary to switch the working state of the light source component, and there is no need to place the light source component in the lumen of the catheter body. This also facilitates the delivery of other treatment devices and ensures better light illumination.

[0022] Furthermore, the design of the movable joints and fluid state photosensitive components in the support layer makes the switching between flexibility and support performance of the support conduit more flexible and efficient, further optimizing the performance of the support conduit. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. Wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the support catheter of embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of the stiffness adjustment section of the support catheter embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a partial axial cross-sectional view of the stiffness adjustment section of the support catheter embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view along the BB direction;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the adjustment layer structure of the support catheter embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 100, catheter body; 101, hardness adjustment section; 110, protective layer; 120, guide layer; 130, support layer; 131, photosensitive component; 132, movable joint; 133, circular locking block; 134, locking groove; 135, arc-shaped notch; 136, injection hole; 200, light source component; 300, operating handle. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] In the description of this invention, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," and "bottom," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and do not require the invention to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. The terms "connected" and "linked" used in this invention should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or a detachable connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through intermediate components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the term "proximal end" uniformly refers to the end closer to the operator, while "distal end" refers to the end farther from the operator.

[0033] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0034] The shapes and sizes of the components in the accompanying drawings do not reflect the actual proportions of the product; they are only intended to illustrate the content of the invention.

[0035] This invention provides a support catheter. The catheter body 100 includes a protective layer 110, a guide layer 120, and a support layer 130. A hardness adjustment section 101 is provided at the distal end of the catheter body 100. The support layer 130 contains photosensitive components 131. Hardness can be increased by light exposure, and flexibility is restored when light exposure is removed. There are two designs for the hardness adjustment of the support layer 130. One design utilizes a transparent guide layer 120 to detachably mount a light source component 200 on the catheter body 100. In this design, since the light source component 200 needs to be removed before placing the treatment device, the support layer 130 contains a large number of photosensitive components 131. The other design achieves this through a transparent protective layer 110 and the light source component 200 arranged therein. In this case, the support layer 130 has a support body, which is hinged by multiple movable joints 132, with fluid-like photosensitive components 131 filling the spaces between the movable joints 132. This invention, by selecting appropriate materials and designing the support layer 130 of the hardness adjustment section 101, enables the support catheter to flexibly switch between flexibility and support performance according to the specific needs of different operation stages during surgery. This solves the problem of fixed performance of traditional support catheters, effectively improves the convenience of surgical operation, provides reliable support for the delivery of therapeutic instruments, and enhances the safety and effectiveness of neurointerventional surgery.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the support catheter includes a catheter body 100, and an operating handle 300 connected to the lumen of the catheter body 100 is provided at the proximal end of the catheter body 100.

[0038] In this embodiment, the catheter body 100 is provided with a protective layer 110, a support layer 130, and a guide layer 120 from the outside to the inside. The distal end of the catheter body 100 has a hardness adjustment section 101. The length of the hardness adjustment section 101 is slightly greater than the distance extending from the distal end of the sheath (not shown in the figure) to the target position. This ensures a smooth transition between the support catheter and the sheath during subsequent adjustments. Various models of support catheters can be designed based on the length of the hardness adjustment section 101. Before surgery, the distance from the distal end of the sheath to the thrombus location is roughly determined based on the sheath size and thrombus location. Then, a suitable model of support catheter is selected based on the determined distance. The support layer 130 of the hardness adjustment section 101 includes a photosensitive component 131. The photocuring properties of the photosensitive component 131 enhance the hardness of the support layer 130, and the removal of light restores the flexibility of the support layer 130, thereby facilitating dynamic adjustment of the hardness of the catheter body 100. In this way, during operation, the hardness of the support layer 130 can be increased by adding light in the hardness adjustment section 101, thereby increasing the support performance of the catheter body 100. When the light is removed, the flexibility of the support layer 130 can be restored, thus facilitating the removal of the catheter body 100.

[0039] Specifically, the guide layer 120 of the hardness adjustment section 101 is made of transparent material, and a light source component 200 is detachably slidably disposed inside the lumen of the catheter body 100. The light source component 200 slides along the lumen of the catheter body 100 to enter or exit the hardness adjustment section 101, thereby facilitating the provision of illumination conditions for the hardness adjustment section 101.

[0040] The light source component 200 includes a filamentous support, with a strip-shaped irradiation section at the distal end of the support, the length of which is not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section 101. In this embodiment, the filamentous support is made of nickel-titanium alloy wire, which combines flexibility and strength. The strip-shaped irradiation section at its distal end is an integrated high-density micro LED bead that can emit ultraviolet light of a specific wavelength. The photosensitive component 131 of the support layer 130 is made of diarylene ethylene (DAE)-based liquid polymer. Under ultraviolet light irradiation, this material can complete a cyclization and cross-linking reaction within seconds, and the hardness of the support layer 130 rapidly increases to meet the support requirements, thereby effectively supporting the delivery of subsequent therapeutic instruments.

[0041] In this embodiment, after the light source component 200 adjusts the hardness of the support layer 130, it needs to be withdrawn from the lumen of the catheter body 100. Therefore, the hardness of the support layer 130 cannot be reduced rapidly after withdrawal and before the treatment device is delivered to the target position. To achieve the above objective, the hardness adjustment section 101 includes a cavity formed by the protective layer 110 and the guide layer 120. The cavity is used to completely fill the photosensitive component 131 in a fluid state. Therefore, the content of photosensitive component 131 is relatively large. After the hardness of these numerous photosensitive components 131 is increased by light irradiation, they will not quickly recover their flexibility before the light source component 200 is withdrawn and the treatment device is delivered to the target position, thereby ensuring the support performance of the hardness adjustment section 101.

[0042] During the procedure, a sheath is first inserted into the blood vessel. A support catheter is then pushed through the sheath to its distal end and extended to the target location. At this point, the light source component 200 is located outside the catheter body 100, the DAE polymer remains liquid, and the support catheter is advanced along the tortuous blood vessel with excellent flexibility. Once the catheter body 100 reaches the target embolization location, the surgeon uses the operating handle 300 to push the light source component 200 into the lumen of the catheter body 100, allowing it to slide along the lumen of the support catheter into the hardness adjustment section 101, and then activates the LED light. Under the illumination of the LED light, the DAE polymer rapidly solidifies, increasing the hardness of the support layer 130 and providing stable support for the delivery of the treatment device. The light source component 200 is then quickly withdrawn, and the treatment device is pushed along the lumen of the catheter body 100 to the target location.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a hardness adjustment section 101 with a structure different from that of embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the protective layer 110 of the hardness adjustment section 101 is made of transparent material, and a light source component 200 is arranged in the protective layer 110.

[0045] Specifically, the protective layer 110 has an axially arranged channel 111 extending to the distal end of the conduit body 100. The distal end of the light source component 200 is fixedly disposed within the channel 111, and the proximal end extends from the channel 111 to form an operating handle 300. Since only the distal end of the light source component 200 is fixed, when the conduit body 100 bends, the corresponding position of the light source component 200 will shift within the channel 111 accordingly with the bending of the conduit body 100. Therefore, the light source component 200 disposed on the conduit body 100 will not cause excessive interference to the bending performance of the conduit body 100.

[0046] The light source component 200 includes a filamentary support body, and a strip-shaped irradiation section with a length not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section 101 is provided at the distal end of the support body. The filamentary support body of the light source component 200 is made of flexible optical fiber, and the strip-shaped irradiation section is composed of an optical fiber array, which can uniformly emit visible light and ensure that the hardness adjustment section 101 receives sufficient illumination.

[0047] The support layer 130 includes a support body with multiple sequentially movably connected movable sections 132. Any two adjacent movable sections 132, the protective layer 110, and the guide layer 120 together enclose and form a receiving space. The photosensitive component 131 is in a fluid state and completely fills the receiving space. This design ensures that the initial rigidity of the support layer 130 is moderate, preventing it from being difficult to move forward due to a transition to flexibility.

[0048] Each movable section 132 has a circular locking block 133 protruding outward at one end and a locking groove 134 that matches the circular locking block 133 at the other end. Two adjacent movable sections 132 are hinged together by the cooperation of the circular locking block 133 and the locking groove 134. The structure is simple and the connection is stable.

[0049] Each movable section 132 has an inwardly recessed arc-shaped notch 135 at both ends to increase the relative rotation angle of two adjacent movable sections 132, thereby ensuring the bending performance of the support conduit.

[0050] Meanwhile, the opposing arc-shaped notches 135 of the two adjacent movable sections 132 facilitate the filling of the photosensitive component 131. In this way, before light exposure, the liquid photosensitive component 131 does not restrict the rotation of the movable section 132, ensuring the flexibility of the conduit body 100; after light exposure, the photosensitive component 131 quickly solidifies, fixing the movable section 132 and significantly enhancing the support of the support layer 130.

[0051] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the filling of each receiving space with photosensitive component 131, each movable section 132 has an injection hole 136 arranged axially at the same position to facilitate the passage of the injection tube for injecting photosensitive component 131.

[0052] During vascular interventional surgery, when the support catheter needs to traverse complex vascular pathways, the light source component 200 is in the off state, the fluid in the photosensitive component 131 remains at a low viscosity, the movable joint 132 can rotate freely, and the catheter body 100 easily passes through the bends in the blood vessel. Once the catheter body 100 reaches the target position, the light source component 200 is turned on. Visible light irradiation causes the photosensitive component 131 to undergo an isomerization reaction, the fluid rapidly solidifies, the connection stiffness of the movable joint is significantly enhanced, and the hardness of the support layer 130 is significantly increased, providing reliable support for the treatment device. After the procedure, the light source is turned off, the fluid in the photosensitive component 131 rapidly and spontaneously reverses its reaction, returning to a liquid state, and the catheter body 100 regains its flexibility, facilitating safe withdrawal.

[0053] Example 3

[0054] This embodiment provides a catheter body 100 with a structure different from that of Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the catheter body 100 may further include other structural layers, which may be arranged on the outer and / or inner sides of the protective layer 110, the support layer 130, and the guide layer 120. However, when other structural layers are arranged between the guide layer 120 and the support layer 130, they should not affect the support layer 130 from receiving light.

[0055] Example 4

[0056] This embodiment provides a hardness adjustment section 101 with a different length than that in Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the length of the hardness adjustment section 101 is equal to the distance extending from the distal end of the sheath to the target position.

[0057] Example 5

[0058] This embodiment provides a different guide layer 120 with a different material than that in Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the guide layer 120 is made entirely of transparent material. Compared with Embodiment 1, the overall material is the same, which facilitates one-piece processing and simplifies the production process.

[0059] Example 6

[0060] This embodiment provides a different protective layer 110 with a different material than that in Embodiment 2. In this embodiment, the entire protective layer 110 is made of transparent material. Compared with Embodiment 2, the overall material is the same, which makes it convenient to process and mold in one piece and simplifies the production process.

[0061] Example 7

[0062] This embodiment provides a different photosensitive component 131 with a different material than that in Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the photosensitive component 131 adopts a spiropyran (SP) based fluid.

[0063] In summary, the supporting catheter provided by the present invention, by combining a support layer containing a light-responsive material with the catheter structure, and by changing the illumination conditions, achieves the flexibility of the supporting catheter when passing through tortuous blood vessels, as well as the support after reaching the target position, thereby improving the convenience and safety of neurointerventional surgery.

[0064] It is understood that the above description is merely exemplary and the embodiments of this application do not limit the scope of the application.

[0065] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be within the scope of protection of the pending claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A support catheter, characterized in that, The catheter body (100) includes at least an outermost protective layer (110), an innermost guide layer (120), and a support layer (130) between the protective layer (110) and the guide layer (120). The distal end of the catheter body (100) has a hardness adjustment section (101). The support layer (130) of the hardness adjustment section (101) includes a photosensitive component (131). During operation, the hardness of the support layer (130) can be increased by adding light to the hardness adjustment section (101), and the flexibility of the support layer (130) can be restored by removing the light.

2. The supporting conduit according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least the guide layer (120) of the hardness adjustment section (101) is made of transparent material, and a light source component (200) is detachably provided in the lumen of the catheter body (100). The light source component (200) is used to slide along the lumen of the catheter body (100) to enter or withdraw from the hardness adjustment section (101).

3. The supporting conduit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The light source component (200) includes a filamentous support body, and the distal end of the support body is provided with a strip-shaped irradiation section with a length not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section (101).

4. The supporting conduit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hardness adjustment section (101) includes a cavity formed by a protective layer (110) and a guide layer (120), and the photosensitive component (131) is in a fluid state and completely fills the cavity.

5. The supporting conduit according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least the protective layer (110) of the hardness adjustment section (101) is made of transparent material, and a light source component (200) is arranged in the protective layer (110).

6. The supporting conduit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protective layer (110) has an axially arranged channel (111) extending to the distal end of the conduit body (100), and the distal end of the light source component (200) is fixedly disposed in the channel (111).

7. The supporting conduit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The light source component (200) includes a filamentous support body, and the distal end of the support body is provided with a strip-shaped irradiation section with a length not less than the length of the hardness adjustment section (101).

8. The supporting conduit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support layer (130) includes a support body, which has a plurality of movable sections (132) connected in sequence. Any two adjacent movable sections (132), the protective layer (110) and the guide layer (120) together enclose and form a receiving space. The photosensitive component (131) is in a fluid state and completely fills the receiving space.

9. The supporting conduit according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the movable sections (132) has a circular locking block (133) protruding outward at one end and a locking groove (134) adapted to the circular locking block (133) at the other end. Two adjacent movable sections (132) are hinged by the cooperation of the circular locking block (133) and the locking groove (134).

10. The support catheter according to any one of claims 9, characterized in that, Each of the movable sections (132) has an inwardly recessed arc-shaped notch (135) at both ends to increase the relative rotation angle of two adjacent movable sections (132).

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