Balloon catheter

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suppressing gas remaining in a balloon when the balloon is filled with liquid.SOLUTION: A balloon catheter comprises a shaft 12 to be inserted into a body, a balloon 14 provided at the distal-side portion of the shaft 12, a heating member capable of heating liquid to be supplied into the balloon 14, and a conductive wire 20 for the heating member to be electrically connected to the heating member. The shaft 12 includes a first lumen 60 through which the conductive wire 20 for the heating member is inserted and a second lumen 62 different from the first lumen 60, formed inside thereof. One of the first lumen 60 and the second lumen 62 forms a supply flow path 64 through which the liquid supplied to the balloon 14 flows, and the other of the first lumen 60 and the second lumen 62 forms a discharge flow path 66 through which fluid discharged from the inside of the balloon 14 flows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a balloon catheter.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a balloon catheter including a shaft, a balloon provided at a tip side portion of the shaft, a heating member capable of heating a liquid supplied into the balloon, and a wire for the heating member electrically connected to the heating member. The wire for the heating member is inserted into a first lumen formed inside the shaft and then electrically connected to an external power supply device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a case where, in order to prevent liquid from flowing into the first lumen inside the shaft, the tip side end portion of the first lumen is sealed by welding or the like, and a second lumen is formed inside the shaft separately from the first lumen. In this case, the second lumen serves both as a supply flow path through which the liquid supplied into the balloon flows and as a discharge flow path through which the liquid discharged from the balloon flows.

[0005] When the tip of the first lumen is sealed in this way, the inventor of the present application newly recognized the following problems. Specifically, in this case, even if the gas in the balloon is sufficiently discharged in advance, a slight amount of the gas in the first lumen on the proximal side of the sealed portion of the first lumen leaks into the balloon. When gas leaks into the balloon, when the balloon is filled with liquid, the gas remains in the balloon. When gas remains in the balloon and liquid and gas are mixed, it causes problems during treatment using the balloon catheter, and thus improvement is desired.

[0006] Therefore, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of suppressing the remaining gas in the balloon when the balloon is filled with liquid.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The balloon catheter of the present disclosure includes a shaft inserted into the body, a balloon provided at a tip side portion of the shaft, a heating member capable of heating a liquid supplied into the balloon, and a wire for the heating member electrically connected to the heating member. Inside the shaft, a first lumen through which the wire for the heating member is inserted and a second lumen different from the first lumen are formed. One of the first lumen and the second lumen forms a supply flow path through which the liquid supplied into the balloon flows, and the other of the first lumen and the second lumen forms a discharge flow path through which the fluid discharged from the balloon flows.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the balloon catheter of the present disclosure will be described. The same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, components may be appropriately omitted, enlarged, or reduced. The drawings are to be viewed in accordance with the direction of the reference numerals.

[0010] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, first, an overview of the balloon catheter 10 of this embodiment will be described. The balloon catheter 10 of this embodiment is used by heating a liquid (not shown) supplied into the balloon 14 by a heating member 18. By adjusting the temperature of the liquid in the balloon 14 by heating with the heating member 18, the surface temperature of the balloon 14 is adjusted. By bringing the balloon 14 with the adjusted surface temperature into contact with the living tissue, treatment (for example, ablation of the living tissue) is performed by the balloon catheter 10. Hereinafter, the details of the balloon catheter 10 will be described.

[0011] The balloon catheter 10 includes a shaft 12 that is inserted into the body at least at the tip side portion, a balloon 14 provided at the tip side portion of the shaft 12, a handle device 16 provided at the base end side portion of the shaft 12, a heating member 18 capable of heating the liquid supplied into the balloon 14, a wire 20 for the heating member electrically connected to the heating member 18, and a temperature sensor 22 for detecting the temperature related to the balloon 14. In this specification, the direction along the center line of the shaft 12 is simply referred to as the "axial direction", and the radial direction and the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the center line of the shaft 12 are simply referred to as the "radial direction" and the "circumferential direction", respectively. Also, when showing the wires 20 and 58, only the center line may be shown as in FIG. 2 and the like, and the outer shape thereof may be omitted.

[0012] Refer to FIG. 1. The balloon catheter 10 is used for treating a living body. Here, "treatment" refers to an act related to the treatment or examination of a living body. The balloon catheter 10 of this embodiment shows an example of being used for ablation of living tissue, but it may be used for other purposes. The organ to be treated by the balloon catheter 10 is not particularly limited, and may be various organs such as, for example, circulatory organs such as the heart and blood vessels, and digestive organs such as the intestinal tract and bile duct.

[0013] The handle device 16 includes a handle 24 to which the proximal end side portion of the shaft 12 is attached and is gripped by an operator, first and second hub members 26, 28 through which the shaft 12 is inserted, a connector 32 attached to the handle 24 via a first tube 30, and a port member 36 attached to the handle 24 via a second tube 34. The connector 32 can be electrically connected to an external power supply device 38 and an external measurement device 39 described later.

[0014] The first hub member 26 includes a first main pipe portion 26a through which the shaft 12 is inserted and a first branch pipe portion 26b branching from the first main pipe portion 26a. The second hub member 28 includes a second main pipe portion 28a through which the shaft 12 is inserted and a second branch pipe portion 28b branching from the second main pipe portion 28a.

[0015] Refer to FIG. 2. The shaft 12 has flexibility that can be bent and deformed. The shaft 12 is composed of at least one shaft member 40, 42, 44. The shaft 12 of this embodiment includes a first outer shaft member 40, a second outer shaft member 42, and an inner shaft member 44 as the shaft members 40, 42, 44.

[0016] The first outer shaft member 40 is disposed on the proximal end side, and the second outer shaft member 42 is disposed on the distal end side. The first outer shaft member 40 is formed with a first shaft hole 46 and a second shaft hole 48 provided separately from the first shaft hole 46. The first and second shaft holes 46, 48 penetrate the first outer shaft member 40 in the axial direction. The proximal end portion of the first outer shaft member 40 is attached to the handle 24. The second outer shaft member 42 is formed with a shaft hole 50 that penetrates the second outer shaft member 42 in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the center line C46 of the first shaft hole 46 is provided at a position offset from the center line C50 of the shaft hole 50.

[0017] The inner shaft member 44 of this embodiment is inserted into the first shaft hole 46 of the first outer shaft member 40 and also inserted into the shaft hole 50 of the second outer shaft member 42. Although not shown, the inner shaft member 44 of this embodiment is pulled out from the first shaft hole 46 of the first outer shaft member 40 toward the proximal end side inside the handle device 16 and then connected to the port member 36. The inner shaft member 44 includes a proximal end side portion 44a disposed in the first shaft hole 46 of the first outer shaft member 40, a distal end side portion 44b disposed in the shaft hole 50 of the second outer shaft member 42, and a connecting portion 44c connecting the proximal end side portion 44a and the distal end side portion 44b.

[0018] The inner shaft member 44 is formed with a device lumen 52 for inserting a medical device such as a guide wire. The medical device is pulled out to the outside from the distal end side end portion of the device lumen 52. The medical device is inserted into the device lumen 52 via a device port 54 (see FIG. 1) provided in the handle device 16. The device port 54 of this embodiment is provided in the port member 36 of the handle device 16.

[0019] The balloon 14 can be expanded by the liquid supplied from the proximal end side of the shaft 12. Figures 1 and 2 show the expanded state of the balloon 14. The balloon 14 includes an expansion portion 14a that can be expanded by the liquid supplied therein, and sleeve portions 14b provided on both axial sides of the expansion portion 14a. The specific example of the shape of the expansion portion 14a is not particularly limited, and for example, it may be spherical or the like. Each sleeve portion 14b is attached to a part of the shaft 12 by welding, adhesion, or the like. Here, an example is shown in which the sleeve portion 14b on the proximal end side is attached to the first outer shaft member 40, and the sleeve portion 14b on the distal end side is attached to the second outer shaft member 42.

[0020] The heating member 18 of the present embodiment is located inside the balloon 14. The heating member 18 of the present embodiment is fixed to the shaft 12 by adhesion or the like inside the balloon 14. The heating member 18 of the present embodiment is composed of an electrode that directly heats the liquid by resistance heating. The heating member 18 heats the liquid inside the balloon 14 by the electric power supplied from an external power supply device 38 (see FIG. 1) via the heating member conducting wire 20. The heating member 18 of the present embodiment heats the fluid by passing the current supplied from the external power supply device 38 through the fluid inside the balloon 14. The heating mode of the heating member 18 is not particularly limited, and the fluid may be heated by indirect resistance heating, ultrasonic heating, laser heating, microwave heating, or the like. The heating members 18 of the present embodiment are provided in pairs at intervals in the axial direction inside the balloon 14. The pair of heating members 18 functions as a bipolar electrode that conducts electricity between each other. A total of one heating member conducting wire 20 is electrically connected to each of the pair of heating members 18, but the number of conducting wires 20 connected to the heating member 18 is not particularly limited. The heating member 18 has a ring shape surrounding the shaft 12 and constitutes a ring electrode. The shape of the heating member 18 is not limited to this, and it may be linear, plate-shaped, or the like.

[0021] The heating member conducting wire 20 electrically connects the heating member 18 and the external power supply device 38. The heating member conducting wire 20 is provided individually corresponding to each heating member 18. The distal end side end of the heating member conducting wire 20 is electrically connected to the heating member 18 and fixed to the heating member 18 by adhesion or the like.

[0022] The temperature sensor 22 detects the temperature of the balloon 14 itself or the liquid inside the balloon 14 as the temperature related to the balloon 14. The balloon catheter 10 of this embodiment includes two temperature sensors 22 in total, but the number thereof is not particularly limited. The temperature sensor 22 includes a temperature detection unit 56 provided in the balloon 14 or inside the balloon 14, and a sensor wire 58 electrically connected to the temperature detection unit 56. The temperature sensor 22 of this embodiment is a thermocouple, but it may also be a thermistor or the like. In the case of a thermocouple, the temperature detection unit 56 is configured using a temperature measurement contact or the like.

[0023] The temperature detection unit 56 detects an electrical signal indicating the temperature of the balloon 14 or the liquid inside the balloon 14, and outputs the electrical signal to the external measurement device 39 via the sensor wire 58. The temperature detection unit 56 of this embodiment is provided in the balloon 14 and detects an electrical signal indicating the temperature of the balloon 14. In addition to this, the temperature detection unit 56 may be provided on the shaft 12 inside the balloon 14 and detect an electrical signal indicating the temperature of the liquid inside the balloon 14. The external measurement device 39 can measure the temperature of the balloon 14 or the liquid inside the balloon 14 by processing the electrical signal detected by the temperature detection unit 56. The two temperature detection units 56 of this embodiment are provided on the balloon 14 at positions on both sides in the radial direction sandwiching the center line (not shown) of the shaft 12. The temperature sensor 22 of this embodiment includes a pair of sensor wires 58, and each of the pair of sensor wires 58 is electrically connected to the temperature detection unit 56.

[0024] Refer to FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, only a single heating member wire 20 and a sensor wire 58 are shown. Inside the above-mentioned shaft 12, a first lumen 60 and a second lumen 62 different from the first lumen 60 are formed.

[0025] The first lumen 60 of this embodiment is formed between the first shaft hole 46 of the first outer shaft member 40 and the inner shaft member 44. In forming the first lumen 60 by the first shaft hole 46, the inner shaft member 44 inserted through the first shaft hole 46 is not essential. In addition to this, the first lumen 60 may be formed in a lumen tube inserted through the first outer shaft member 40. The first lumen 60 of this embodiment is formed in the axial range from the tip end portion to the base end portion of the first outer shaft member 40.

[0026] The second lumen 62 of this embodiment is formed by the second shaft hole 48 of the first outer shaft member 40. In forming the second lumen 62 by the second shaft hole 48, there may be an inner shaft member inserted through the second shaft hole 48. In addition to this, the second lumen 62 may be formed in a lumen tube inserted through the first outer shaft member 40. The second lumen 62 of this embodiment is formed in the axial range from the tip end portion to the base end portion of the first outer shaft member 40.

[0027] The first and second lumens 60 and 62 are formed by the common first outer shaft member 40 constituting the shaft 12. The first shaft hole 46 forming the first lumen 60 and the second shaft hole 48 forming the second lumen 62 are formed in the common first outer shaft member 40. The inner shaft member 44 is to be inserted into the first lumen 60 of the first outer shaft member 40.

[0028] The first lumen 60 has a heating member conductor 20 inserted therethrough. In addition to this, a sensor conductor 58 is also inserted into the first lumen 60 of the present embodiment. Each of the conductors 20, 58 is drawn out into the balloon 14 from the tip side end of the first lumen 60. The plurality of conductors 20, 58 are electrically connected to the connector 32 after passing through the handle device 16 in addition to the first lumen 60 inside the shaft 12. The plurality of heating member conductors 20 are electrically connected to an external power supply device 38 via the connector 32. The plurality of sensor conductors 58 are electrically connected to an external measuring device 39 via the connector 32.

[0029] One of the first lumen 60 and the second lumen 62 forms at least a part of a supply flow path 64 through which the liquid supplied into the balloon 14 flows, and the other of the first lumen 60 and the second lumen 62 forms at least a part of a discharge flow path 66 through which the fluid discharged from the balloon 14 flows. Each of the supply flow path 64 and the discharge flow path 66 is formed inside the shaft 12. The fluid flowing through the discharge flow path 66 here includes both liquid and gas. In the present embodiment, the first lumen 60 forms the discharge flow path 66, and the second lumen 62 forms the supply flow path 64. However, it is not limited to this, and the first lumen 60 may form the supply flow path 64, and the second lumen 62 may form the discharge flow path 66. Further, although the first lumen 60 forms a part of the discharge flow path 66 in the present embodiment, it may form all of it. Similarly, although the second lumen 62 forms a part of the supply flow path 64 in the present embodiment, it may form all of it. Similarly, when the first lumen 60 forms the supply flow path 64 and the second lumen 62 forms the discharge flow path 66, each of the lumens 60, 62 may form any part or all of those flow paths 64, 66.

[0030] The supply flow path 64 of this embodiment is formed by the second lumen 62 in the axial range from the tip of the first outer shaft member 40 to the inside of the second hub member 28. Further, the supply flow path 64 of this embodiment is also formed by side holes 68 formed in the first outer shaft member 40 and communicating with the second lumen 62. Thus, the second lumen 62 of this embodiment forms a part of the supply flow path 64. The handle device 16 includes a supply port 70 for supplying liquid to the supply flow path 64. The supply port 70 of this embodiment is provided at the tip of the second branch pipe portion 28b of the second hub member 28. Liquid is supplied to the supply port 70 from a liquid supply device 72 such as an inflator. This liquid is various liquids such as, for example, a contrast agent, physiological saline, and bacteriostatic water. The liquid supplied from the supply port 70 is supplied into the supply flow path 64 inside the shaft 12 via the inside of the handle device 16. In this embodiment, the liquid supplied from the supply port 70 is supplied into the supply flow path 64 via the inside of the second branch pipe portion 28b of the second hub member 28. Between the second main pipe portion 28a of the second hub member 28 and the shaft 12, it is sealed so that liquid does not flow from the inside of the second branch pipe portion 28b to between the second main pipe portion 28a and the shaft 12.

[0031] The discharge flow path 66 of this embodiment is formed by the first lumen 60 in the axial range from the tip of the first outer shaft member 40 to the inside of the first hub member 26. Further, the discharge flow path 66 of this embodiment is also formed by a side hole 74 formed in the first outer shaft member 40 and communicating with the first lumen 60. Thus, the first lumen 60 of this embodiment forms a part of the discharge flow path 66. The handle device 16 includes a discharge port 76 for discharging the fluid flowing through the discharge flow path 66 to the outside. The discharge port 76 of this embodiment is provided at the tip of the first branch pipe portion 26b of the first hub member 26. A discharge device 78 such as a deflator for drawing in the fluid in the balloon 14 and discharging it to the outside is connected to the discharge port 76. The liquid flowing through the discharge flow path 66 is discharged from the discharge port 76 to the external discharge device 78 via the inside of the handle device 16. In this embodiment, the fluid flowing through the discharge flow path 66 is discharged from the discharge port 76 via the inside of the first branch pipe portion 26b of the first hub member 26. Between the first main pipe portion 26a of the first hub member 26 and the shaft 12, it is sealed so that liquid does not flow from the inside of the first branch pipe portion 26b to between the first main pipe portion 26a and the shaft 12.

[0032] Sealing portions 80 for preventing leakage of the liquid to the outside are provided at the base ends of the lumens 60 and 62 that form the supply flow path 64 and the discharge flow path 66. The sealing portion 80 is constituted by an adhesive or the like filled in the lumens 60 and 62. The heating member wire 20 and the sensor wire 58 penetrate through the sealing portion 80 provided at the base end of the first lumen 60.

[0033] Next, the operation using the balloon catheter 10 will be described. First, the balloon 14 of the balloon catheter 10 is placed at the location in the body to be treated. After that, a liquid is supplied from the liquid supply device 72 into the balloon 14 via the supply port 70 and the supply channel 64, and the inside of the balloon 14 is filled with the liquid to expand the inside of the balloon 14. After that, if gas remains in the balloon 14, while supplying the liquid from the liquid supply device 72 into the balloon 14, the liquid inside the balloon 14 is drawn in by the discharge device 78 and discharged to the outside. At this time, the liquid inside the balloon 14 is drawn in by the discharge device 78 via the discharge channel 66 and the discharge port 76, so that the gas together with the liquid inside the balloon 14 is discharged to the outside. As a result, with the inside of the balloon 14 filled with the liquid, the gas remaining in the balloon 14 flows inside the balloon 14 together with the liquid, and the gas inside the balloon 14 can be drawn into the discharge channel 66 during the flowing process. At this time, the first lumen 60 is filled with the liquid in the range from the base end portion with the sealing portion 80 to the tip side. The second lumen 62 is also filled with the liquid in the range from the base end portion with the sealing portion 80 to the tip side.

[0034] Regarding the effects of the balloon catheter 10 as described above, it will be explained together with the background that led to the idea of the balloon catheter 10 of the present embodiment. As described above, the inventor of the present application newly recognized that there is the following problem when the tip portion 60a (see FIG. 3) of the first lumen 60 is sealed. Specifically, in this case, even if the gas inside the balloon 14 has been sufficiently discharged in advance, there is a problem that the gas inside the first lumen 60 on the base end side of the sealing portion of the tip portion 60a of the first lumen 60 slightly leaks into the balloon 14. This is presumably because the gas inside the first lumen 60 leaks through minute gaps generated at the sealing portion of the first lumen 60 near the balloon 14. This problem can occur not only before supplying the liquid into the balloon 14 but also when the inside of the balloon 14 is filled with the liquid by supplying the liquid into the balloon 14.

[0035] As a countermeasure, the inventor of the present application has recognized that it is effective to use one of the first and second lumens 60 and 62 as the supply channel 64 and the other as the discharge channel 66 without making the functions of the supply channel 64 and the discharge channel 66 share the second lumen 62. Here, "making the functions of the supply channel 64 and the discharge channel 66 share the second lumen 62" means using the second lumen 62 as the supply channel 64 through which the liquid supplied into the balloon 14 flows and also using it as the discharge channel 66 through which the liquid discharged from the balloon 14 flows. Consider the case where gas remains in the balloon 14 when the inside of the balloon 14 is filled with liquid by supplying liquid into the balloon 14. Even in this case, according to the above-described configuration, by supplying liquid from the supply channel 64 and discharging fluid from the discharge channel 66, the gas inside the balloon 14 can be discharged while keeping the inside of the balloon 14 filled with liquid. Further, when the inside of the balloon 14 is filled with liquid, the first and second lumens 60 and 62 near the balloon 14 are filled with liquid. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation where gas in the first lumen 60 near the balloon 14 on the proximal side of the sealed portion leaks into the balloon 14 as in the case where the tip 60a of the first lumen 60 is sealed. As a result, when the inside of the balloon 14 is filled with liquid, the remaining gas inside the balloon 14 can be suppressed.

[0036] If gas remains in the balloon 14 and a state where liquid and gas are mixed occurs, it is difficult for the temperature to rise at the location of the gas, and uneven heating occurs where the temperature of the liquid heated by the heating member 18 becomes non-uniform. If such uneven heating occurs, the surface temperature of the balloon 14 also becomes non-uniform, leading to problems during the treatment using the balloon catheter 10. For example, when the balloon catheter 10 is used for ablation, it causes a problem that the ablation of the biological tissue becomes non-uniform. In this regard, according to this embodiment, since the remaining gas inside the balloon 14 can be suppressed, uneven heating of the liquid can be suppressed, and thus the problems caused thereby can be suppressed.

[0037] Suppose a gas enters the first lumen 60 from the sealing portion 80 at the proximal end of the first lumen 60. In this case, the sealing portion 80 of the first lumen 60 is far from the balloon 14, and the gas entering from the sealing portion 80 is difficult to reach inside the balloon 14. Therefore, it is advantageous in suppressing the remaining gas in the balloon 14 compared to the case where the distal end portion 60a of the first lumen 60 is sealed.

[0038] The first and second lumens 60 and 62 are formed by a common outer shaft member 40 that constitutes the shaft 12. The advantages of this will be described. When each lumen 60, 62 is formed by an individual member, after inserting a lumen tube inside the outer shaft member 40, one of the lumens will be formed inside the lumen tube. In this case, it leads to a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the lumen formed in the lumen tube. As a countermeasure, if we try to increase the cross-sectional area of each lumen 60, 62, it will lead to an increase in the overall outer diameter of the shaft 12, which is disadvantageous for achieving both.

[0039] In this regard, when each lumen 60, 62 is formed in the common outer shaft member 40, after inserting a lumen tube inside the shaft member, it is not necessary to form a lumen inside the lumen tube. Therefore, it is advantageous for increasing the cross-sectional area of each lumen 60, 62 formed inside the outer shaft member 40. In addition, it is advantageous for achieving both a reduction in the overall outer diameter of the shaft 12 and an increase in the cross-sectional area of each lumen 60, 62.

[0040] Next, other features of the balloon catheter 10 of this embodiment will be described. In a cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction passing through the shaft 12, the cross-sectional area S1 (mm 2 ) of the supply flow path 64 is the cross-sectional area S2 (mm 2) becomes larger. The cross-sectional areas S1 and S2 of the respective flow paths 64 and 66 refer to the cross-sectional area of the portion where the liquid can flow through in that cross-section. Therefore, when other members such as the conductive wires 20 and 58 are inserted into the respective flow paths 64 and 66, the cross-sectional area of the portion excluding the other members is taken as the reference. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area S2 of the discharge flow path 66 is based on the cross-sectional area of the portion excluding the respective conductive wires 20 and 58 from the cross-sectional area between the inner peripheral surface of the first lumen 60 of the first outer shaft member 40 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner shaft member 44. By satisfying such a relationship of the cross-sectional areas, it is advantageous for increasing the instantaneous flow rate of the liquid flowing through the supply flow path 64 as compared with the case where S1 < S2. As a result, by increasing the liquid supply amount supplied into the balloon 14, it is advantageous for quickly filling the inside of the balloon 14 with the liquid.

[0041] Refer to FIG. 2. The supply flow path 64 includes a liquid outlet 64a through which the liquid flows out when supplying the liquid into the balloon 14. The liquid outlet 64a of the present embodiment is formed on the distal end side end surface of the first outer shaft member 40, but it may be formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In addition to this, the liquid outlet 64a may be formed in a lumen tube different from the outer shaft member 40. The discharge flow path 66 includes a liquid inlet 66a through which the liquid flows in when discharging the liquid from the inside of the balloon 14. The liquid inlet 66a of the present embodiment is formed on the distal end side end surface of the first outer shaft member 40, but it may be formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In addition to this, the liquid inlet 66a may be formed in a lumen tube different from the outer shaft member 40.

[0042] The liquid outlet 64a of the supply channel 64 in this embodiment is provided on the proximal end side of the shaft 12 rather than the expansion part 14a of the balloon 14. In addition, the liquid inlet 66a of the discharge channel 66 in this embodiment is provided on the proximal end side of the shaft 12 rather than the expansion part 14a of the balloon 14. Thereby, when discharging the gas in the balloon 14, the gas remaining on the proximal end side of the balloon 14 can be effectively drawn into the discharge channel 66 from the liquid inlet 66a. Also, as described above, by supplying liquid from the supply channel 64 to the balloon 14 and discharging it from the discharge channel 66, the gas remaining in the balloon 14 can be made to flow together with the liquid. Thereby, the gas remaining on the distal end side of the balloon 14 can also be easily drawn into the discharge channel 66 from the liquid inlet 66a. As a result, it is advantageous in discharging the gas in the balloon 14.

[0043] Next, modified forms of each of the components described so far will be described.

[0044] The specific example of the shaft 12 is not particularly limited. The shaft 12 may be constituted by, for example, only one shaft member, or may be constituted by two or more shaft members. Also, the shaft 12 may be constituted by one outer shaft member 40 and one inner shaft member 44.

[0045] The number of heating members 18 is not particularly limited, and may be any of a single number and three or more in addition to the case of two as in the embodiment. The heating member 18 may function as a monopolar electrode that is energized with an external counter electrode plate. The heating member 18 may be provided on the shaft 12 outside the balloon 14.

[0046] The positions of the connector 32, the device port 54, the supply port 70, and the discharge port 76 provided in the handle device 16 are not particularly limited. For example, these may be provided on the handle 24. In this case, the hub members 26, 28 may be omitted. Also, in the embodiment, an example in which the handle 24, the hub members 26, 28 are provided separately has been described, but these may be provided integrally.

[0047] The first lumen 60 and the second lumen 62 may be formed as separate members including a shaft member. The cross-sectional area S1 of the supply flow path 64 may be less than or equal to the cross-sectional area S2 of the discharge flow path 66. The position of the liquid inlet 66a of the discharge flow path 66 within the balloon 14 is not particularly limited. For example, the liquid inlet 66a may be provided within the expansion portion 14a of the balloon 14.

[0048] The above embodiments and modifications are examples. The technical ideas abstracted from these should not be interpreted restrictively to the content of the embodiments and modifications. Many design changes such as changes, additions, deletions, etc. of components are possible for the content of the embodiments and modifications. In the foregoing embodiments, with respect to the content for which such design changes are possible, notations such as "embodiment" and "this form" are attached for emphasis. However, design changes are also permitted for the content without such notations. The hatching attached to the cross-section of the drawing does not limit the material of the object to which the hatching is attached. Any combination of the above components is also effective. For example, any explanatory matter of other embodiments may be combined with an embodiment, or any explanatory matter of an embodiment and other modifications may be combined with a modification.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0049] 10... balloon catheter, 12... shaft, 14... balloon, 14a... expansion portion, 18... heating member, 20... wire for heating member, 22... temperature sensor, 40... outer shaft member, 44... inner shaft member, 52... device lumen, 56... temperature detection portion, 58... wire for sensor, 60... first lumen, 62... second lumen, 64... supply flow path, 66... discharge flow path, 66a... liquid inlet.

Claims

1. A shaft to be inserted into the body, a balloon provided at the tip side portion of the shaft, a heating member capable of heating the liquid supplied into the balloon, and a conducting wire for the heating member electrically connected to the heating member, and inside the shaft, a first lumen through which the conducting wire for the heating member is inserted and a second lumen different from the first lumen are formed, wherein one of the first lumen and the second lumen forms at least a part of a supply flow path through which the liquid supplied into the balloon flows, and the other of the first lumen and the second lumen forms at least a part of a discharge flow path through which the fluid discharged from the balloon flows, a balloon catheter.

2. A temperature sensor having the balloon or a temperature detection portion provided inside the balloon, and a conducting wire for the sensor connected to the temperature detection portion, wherein both the conducting wire for the heating member and the conducting wire for the sensor are inserted into the first lumen, the balloon catheter according to Claim 1.

3. The shaft includes an outer shaft member forming the first lumen, and an inner shaft member inserted into the first lumen and having a device lumen formed therein for inserting a medical device, the balloon catheter according to Claim 1.

4. The first lumen and the second lumen are formed by a common shaft member constituting the shaft, the balloon catheter according to Claim 1.

5. In a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction of the shaft, the cross sectional area of the supply flow path is larger than the cross sectional area of the discharge flow path, the balloon catheter according to Claim 1.

6. The balloon includes an expansion portion expandable by the liquid supplied into the balloon, wherein the liquid inlet of the discharge flow path is provided on the proximal end side of the shaft with respect to the expansion portion, the balloon catheter according to Claim 1.

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