Catheter with head end capable of advancing actively

Abstract

The invention relates to a head end active advancing catheter which comprises a catheter body, an inflatable balloon, a fluid backflow channel, a tail end catheter cavity opening and closing device and a power pump. The inflatable balloon is arranged on the inner side of the head end of the catheter; the fluid backflow passage is arranged in the catheter wall, and the catheter center cavity is communicated with the fluid backflow passage at the catheter head end; when the inner cavity at the head end of the catheter is closed by the inflatable balloon, the central cavity is only communicated with the fluid backflow channel; the tail end of the catheter is provided with a tail end lumen opening and closing device used for blocking a lumen outer opening. The guide pipe central cavity is connected with a medium hose; the medium hose is connected with a power pump; when the head end and the tail end of the central cavity of the catheter are closed by the inflatable balloon and the tail end catheter cavity opening and closing device respectively, a fluid medium is pumped into the central cavity through the power pump, the fluid medium flows back through the fluid backflow channel, and active advancing of the head end of the catheter is achieved through counter-acting force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a tip-end active-traveling catheter. Background Technology

[0002] In the medical field, catheters are delivered to target locations via inherent cavities such as blood vessels, the respiratory tract, and the digestive tract. Sampling, monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment can then be performed through the catheter or via catheter delivery devices. Accurate and convenient delivery of the catheter to the target site is crucial to meeting these needs. Traditional catheter insertion methods primarily involve the tail-pushing method, which requires a guidewire for initial guidance and can only be pushed a short distance without guidance. However, clinical catheter insertion requires diverse and complex scenarios, rendering the above methods inadequate. Therefore, how to achieve active forward movement of the catheter tip to guide the entire catheter forward is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a head-end active traveling catheter, which enables the catheter to move by active traction at the head end, thereby quickly and accurately delivering the catheter to a predetermined position.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a head-end active travel catheter, comprising a catheter, an inflatable balloon, a media tubing, a fluid reversal path, and a power pump; the catheter has a central cavity inside, with both the head and tail ends of the central cavity open; the inflatable balloon can close the central cavity at the head end of the catheter; one end of the media tubing is connected to the power pump, and the other end of the media tubing is connected to the central cavity via the tail end of the catheter; the fluid reversal path runs along the longitudinal axis of the catheter within the catheter wall, communicates with the central cavity at the head end of the catheter, extends towards the tail end of the catheter within the tube wall, and communicates with the outside at the tail end of the catheter.

[0005] Furthermore, an inflatable balloon is positioned inside the catheter tip and is connected to a balloon inflation / deflation pump via a balloon tubing; the radial dimension of the inflatable balloon in its inflated state is not less than the diameter of the central lumen.

[0006] Furthermore, the balloon catheter is positioned within the wall of the catheter.

[0007] Furthermore, the outer wall of the inflatable balloon is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the tip of the catheter.

[0008] Furthermore, there may be one or more fluid reversal paths; when there are multiple fluid reversal paths, they are evenly distributed circumferentially.

[0009] Furthermore, a tail end lumen opening and closing device is also provided at the end of the catheter.

[0010] Furthermore, the tail end lumen opening and closing device is a ball valve, or a butterfly valve, or a plug valve, or a knob valve, or a snap valve, or a single-seat valve, or a double-seat valve, or a sleeve valve, or an angle valve, or a three-way valve (for example, a medical three-way valve, which can also be called a three-way switch).

[0011] Furthermore, there are multiple pathways at the end of the catheter that connect to the central lumen.

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

[0013] This technical solution uses an inflatable balloon to temporarily block the lumen at the tip of the catheter, and uses a tail-end lumen opening and closing device to seal the lumen at the tail end, creating a closed space in the central cavity of the catheter. When fluid medium is injected into the central cavity, the reverse thrust generated by the reverse flow of liquid through the fluid reversal path provides forward momentum to the tip of the catheter, allowing the catheter to move by active traction at the tip, thereby reaching the predetermined position in the cavity more quickly and accurately. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a head-end active traveling catheter of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the inflatable balloon of the present invention (uninflated state);

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inflatable balloon of the present invention (inflated state);

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the catheter;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram when the tail end tube opening and closing device is a snap-fit ​​valve.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the opening of the center passage of the snap valve;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the center passage of the snap valve closed;

[0022] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram when the opening and closing device of the tail end cavity is a rotary valve.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the opening of the center passage of a rotary valve;

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the center passage of a rotary valve closed.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a snap-fit ​​Y-type check valve as the opening and closing device of the tail end cavity.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the snap-fit ​​Y-type check valve;

[0027] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a knob-type Y-type check valve as the opening and closing device of the tail end cavity.

[0028] Reference numerals: 1. Catheter; 2. Inflatable balloon; 3. Balloon connecting tubing; 4. Balloon inflation / deflation pump; 5. Media hose; 6. Power pump; 7. Storage tank; 8. Fluid reversal path; 10. Central cavity; 11. Tail end cavity opening / closing device; 12. Instrument; 13. Tube wall media passage; 101. Fixed body; 102. Connecting sleeve; 103. Locking protrusion; 104. Pressure rod; 105. Moving body; 106. Slot; 107. Annular boss; 108. Spring; 109. Side passage; 110. Retaining ring; 111. Locking sealing ring. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] To solve the aforementioned problems, such as Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides a novel technical solution. An inflatable balloon 2 is provided inside the tip of the catheter 1 (the inflatable balloon 2 can keep the central cavity 10 at the tip closed when the catheter 1 is placed to the target position, and open the central cavity 10 at the tip after the catheter 1 reaches the target position). Before inserting the catheter 1 to the target position, the central cavity 10 (or inner cavity) at the tip of the catheter 1 is first blocked by the inflatable balloon 2, and the central cavity 10 at the tail end of the catheter is also blocked (it can be blocked directly by the media hose 5, or it can be blocked by setting the tail end cavity opening and closing device 11, see the following description for details). This closes the front and rear ends of the catheter 1, which was originally open at both ends, thus forming a central cavity 10 that is relatively closed at both ends. The tail end of the central cavity 10 is only connected to the media hose 5 (for pumping fluid medium into the central cavity 10). At this time, the central cavity 10 is only connected to the fluid reversal path 8 at the tip end (the fluid medium pumped into the central cavity 10 is reversed through this path to obtain reverse thrust).

[0031] After completing the preparations, catheter 1 is inserted into the initiation of an inherent cavity (such as a blood vessel, respiratory tract, digestive tract, etc.). Then, the power pump 6 is activated to inject the fluid medium (e.g., physiological saline) from the reservoir 7 into the closed central lumen 10 of catheter 1 via the media tubing 5 (see...). Figure 5 (The solid arrow pointing upwards in the image) The fluid medium enters the fluid reversal path 8 at the head end, then flows back in the reverse direction (from the head end to the tail end) and finally exits from the tail end of the fluid reversal path 8 (i.e., the opening in the tube wall at the tail end of the conduit 1) (see...). Figure 5 (The solid arrow pointing downwards in the image) generates a counter-thrust force, pulling the catheter along its inherent lumen (see [reference]). Figure 5 (The hollow arrow pointing upwards in the middle) continues until the predetermined target position is reached, while the tail end of catheter 1 remains outside the patient's body, and the ejected fluid medium is also discharged outside the patient's body.

[0032] The inflatable balloon 2 used in this technical solution is a commonly used medical auxiliary device. When the operator operates the balloon inflation pump 4, the inflation medium (liquid or gas) is introduced into the space between the inner wall and the outer wall of the balloon through the balloon connecting tube 3, which can inflate the inflatable balloon 2.

[0033] In this technical solution, the inflatable balloon 2 is directly placed inside the central cavity 10 and positioned at the tip of the catheter 1, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the outer wall of the inflatable balloon 2 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the catheter 1 by means of adhesion or other methods. When the inflatable balloon 2 is inflated, the inner wall of the balloon, which was originally in contact with the outer wall, expands towards the center, eventually causing the inner walls of the balloon to be compressed together, forming... Figure 3As shown, the central lumen 10 inside the catheter 1 is filled, thus closing the central lumen 10 at the tip. After the catheter 1 is inserted to the predetermined target position, the inflation medium is returned by controlling the balloon inflation pump 4, causing the inflatable balloon 2 to contract and reset, thereby reopening the central lumen 10 at the tip for subsequent operations.

[0034] During the placement of catheter 1 into the patient, balloon inflation pump 4 should be kept in a pressure-maintaining state to keep the inflatable balloon 2 inflated and prevent accidental contraction of the inflatable balloon 2.

[0035] Furthermore, for the actively advancing catheter tip of this application, a one-way device can be used instead of the inflatable balloon 2 to achieve closure of the central lumen 10 at the tip of the catheter 1, while also enabling active advancement of the catheter tip. The one-way device can take two forms: a one-way valve or a one-way valve.

[0036] Furthermore, the fluid reversal path 8 can be a single path, which is also the most preferred and simplest method. This forms a double-lumen catheter with one fluid reversal path 8 and one central lumen 10. However, if there are special requirements, such as… Figure 4 As shown, multiple fluid reversal paths 8 can also be configured.

[0037] Furthermore, the closure of the end of the central cavity 10 can be achieved in various ways. For example, the simplest method is to connect the front end of the media hose 5 to the end of the conduit 1 by means of a snap-fit ​​or threaded connection. After the conduit 1 is delivered to the target position, the media hose 5 can be disconnected.

[0038] Furthermore, although the aforementioned method of "directly connecting the media tubing 5 to the tail end of the catheter 1" can meet the basic usage requirements, after the catheter 1 reaches the target position, it may be necessary to pass through the central lumen 10 and other instruments 12 (such as guide wires) during subsequent sampling, monitoring, diagnosis, treatment and other operations. In this case, it is advisable to add a tail end lumen opening and closing device 11 to the tail end of the catheter 1 based on the aforementioned basic method. In this way, the media tubing 5 is connected to the tail end of the catheter 1 via the tail end lumen opening and closing device 11, and after the catheter 1 is delivered to the target position, the instruments 12 can also be allowed to enter and exit through the central passage of the tail end lumen opening and closing device 11.

[0039] Furthermore, the tail end cavity opening and closing device 11 can be in various forms, such as a ball valve, butterfly valve, plug valve, knob valve, snap valve, single-seat valve, double-seat valve, sleeve valve, angle valve, or three-way valve.

[0040] Furthermore, in addition to the ball valve, knob valve and other forms mentioned above, the tail end cavity opening and closing device 11 can also have multiple passages, so that one or more passages at the tail end of the conduit 1 are connected to the central cavity 10, which makes it more convenient to use (for example, the implementation form using a Y-type check valve attached later).

[0041] This application designs several tail-end cavity opening and closing devices 11, which are described in detail below:

[0042] The first form of implementation, such as Figure 5 As shown, the tail end lumen opening and closing device 11 is a snap-fit ​​valve, and the fixing body 101 at the front end of the snap-fit ​​valve is connected to the tail end of the conduit 1. When the central passage of the snap-fit ​​valve is opened, the front end of the media hose 5 can be inserted into the central passage of the snap-fit ​​valve, and then the central passage of the snap-fit ​​valve is closed. The media hose 5 is locked by the locking seal ring 111 of the snap-fit ​​valve, so that the fluid medium or liquid in the cavity will not leak out from the connection between the media hose 5 and the locking seal ring 111. At this time, the fluid medium can be pumped into the central cavity 10. After the conduit 1 is delivered to the target position, the central passage of the snap-fit ​​valve can be reopened and the media hose 5 can be removed. Afterwards, as needed, the instrument 12 for subsequent operations can be inserted into the central passage of the snap-fit ​​valve.

[0043] The structure and working principle of the snap valve are as follows: Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, where, Figure 6 The central pathway is open. Figure 7 The central passage is closed. The snap-fit ​​valve includes an annular fixed body 101 and a connecting sleeve 102 sleeved on the outer side of the rear end of the fixed body 101. A forward-extending pressure rod 104 is provided on one side of the connecting sleeve 102, and a locking protrusion 103 is also provided on the pressure rod 104. A groove 106 is provided on the movable body 105. The locking seal ring 111 is a hollow annular non-metallic ring (the material can be silicone, etc.) when not subjected to external force. When the operator pushes the movable body 105 forward, the locking protrusion 103 will be inserted into the groove 106, thereby locking the movable body 105 and the fixed body 101. At this time, the annular boss 107 in the middle of the movable body 105 will press the retaining ring 110 on the side of the locking seal ring 111, and the retaining ring 110 will squeeze the locking seal ring 111. Since the locking seal ring 111 is restricted in other directions, it can only deform towards the middle, so that the locking seal ring 111 is... Figure 6 The open state shown (with a large space in the middle allowing other hoses to pass freely inside) becomes... Figure 7The shown closed state (the central space contracts and becomes smaller, blocking other pipes passing through it; if no other pipes are installed inside, the central passage is completely closed). When the operator presses down the head of the lever 104, the locking protrusion 103 is lower than the bottom surface of the slot 106. At this time, under the action of the spring 108, the movable body 105 springs back, and the locking sealing ring 111 resets due to the lack of pressure, that is, the central passage returns to its closed state. Figure 6 The state shown is the on state.

[0044] The second implementation method: such as Figure 8 As shown, the tail end lumen opening and closing device 11 is a rotary valve at this time, and the fixing body 101 at the front end of the rotary valve is connected to the tail end of the catheter 1. When the central passage of the rotary valve is open, the front end of the media hose 5 can be inserted into the central passage of the rotary valve, and then the rotary valve is turned to the closed state. The media hose 5 is locked by the locking seal ring 111 of the rotary valve, so that the fluid medium or liquid in the cavity will not leak out from the connection between the media hose 5 and the locking seal ring 111. At this time, the fluid medium can be pumped into the central cavity 10. After the catheter 1 is delivered to the target position, the rotary valve can be opened again. Subsequently, as needed, the instrument 12 can be inserted into the central passage of the rotary valve.

[0045] The structure and working principle of the rotary valve are as follows: Figure 9 , Figure 10 As shown, where, Figure 9 The central pathway is open. Figure 10 This indicates the central passage is closed. The structure of the knob valve is similar to that of a snap-fit ​​valve, but the difference lies in the absence of a connecting sleeve 102. Instead, an external thread is directly provided at the tail of the fixed body 101, and a matching internal thread is provided within the movable body 105. This allows the movable body 105 to screw onto the fixed body 101. When the movable body 105 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, it can move axially forward or backward, thereby compressing or releasing the locking seal ring 111, thus opening the central passage (see...). Figure 9 ) or close (see Figure 10 Since the movable body 105 moves forward or backward by rotating, the movable body 105 can also be called a knob.

[0046] The third embodiment, such as Figure 11 , Figure 13 As shown, the tail end cavity opening and closing device 11 adopts a Y-type check valve.

[0047] The Y-type check valve is an improvement on the knob valve and snap-on valve. In addition to the original central passage, it adds a side passage 109. In application, the side passage 109 is connected to the media hose 5 as the input channel for the fluid medium, while the central passage is used to insert the instrument 12. Therefore, after the catheter 1 is delivered to the target position, it is not necessary to remove the media hose 5. Instead, the central passage can be opened or closed as needed to insert or remove the instrument 12.

[0048] Depending on the central passage configuration of the Y-type check valve, there are two types: one is the snap-on Y-type check valve (see...). Figure 11 , Figure 12 The second type is a rotary Y-type check valve (see...). Figure 13 The control principle of its central passage is the same as that of the aforementioned knob valve and snap valve, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Furthermore, if the balloon connecting tube 3 is placed directly inside the catheter 1 when arranging the inflatable balloon 2, it may affect the operation. Therefore, the preferred method is to place the balloon connecting tube 3 in the wall of the catheter 1. The specific implementation of this method can be as follows: an additional cavity is opened on the wall of the catheter 1 to form a tube wall medium passage 13 for conveying the inflation medium. The head end of the tube wall medium passage 13 is connected to the inflatable balloon, and then extends to the tail end of the catheter 1 and is connected to the external balloon connecting tube 3 at the tail end of the catheter 1. That is, at this time, the tube wall medium passage 13 can be regarded as part of the balloon connecting tube 3.

[0050] In the above detailed description, various features are combined together in a single embodiment to simplify this disclosure. This approach to disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than are explicitly stated in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the invention is presented with fewer features than all of the features of the single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby explicitly incorporated into the detailed description, wherein each claim stands alone as a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0051] The disclosed embodiments have been described above to enable any person skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments given herein, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles and novel features disclosed in this application.

[0052] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment 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 within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A head-end actively advancing catheter, comprising: The catheter (1), the inflatable / deflatable balloon (2), the medium hose (5), the fluid reflux passage (8) and the power pump (6) are included. The catheter (1) has a central cavity (10) inside, the head end and the tail end of which are open; the inflatable / deflatable balloon (2) can close the central cavity (10) at the head end of the catheter (1); One end of the medium hose (5) is connected with the power pump (6), and the other end of the medium hose (5) is connected with the central cavity (10) through the tail end of the catheter (1); the fluid reflux passage (8) runs in the wall of the catheter (1) along the longitudinal axis direction, and the fluid reflux passage (8) is connected with the central cavity (10) at the head end of the catheter (1), extends to the tail end of the catheter (1), and is connected with the outside at the tail end of the catheter (1).

2. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 1, wherein, The inflatable / deflatable balloon (2) is arranged inside the head end of the catheter (1), and is connected with the balloon inflation / deflation pump (4) through the balloon connecting pipe (3); the radial dimension of the inflatable / deflatable balloon (2) in the inflated state is not less than the caliber of the central cavity (10).

3. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 2, wherein, The balloon connecting pipe (3) is arranged in the wall of the catheter (1).

4. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 3, wherein, The outer wall of the inflatable / deflatable balloon (2) is fixedly connected with the inner wall of the head end of the catheter (1).

5. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 1, wherein, The fluid reflux passage (8) is one or more; when the fluid reflux passage (8) is more than one, the multiple fluid reflux passages (8) are circumferentially distributed.

6. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 1, wherein, The tail end of the catheter (1) is further provided with a tail end lumen opening and closing device (11).

7. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 6, wherein, The tail end lumen opening and closing device (11) is a ball valve, a butterfly valve, a plug valve, a knob valve, a buckle valve, a single seat valve, a double seat valve, a sleeve valve, an angle valve or a tee valve.

8. The head lead active movement catheter of claim 6, wherein, There are multiple passages at the tail end of the catheter (1) and connected with the central cavity (10).

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