Remote Controlled Catheter Guide

The present invention relates to a remote controlled catheter guide provided with a micro-balloon which is to be mainly used in the treatment of cardio-vascular deseases, particularly of the coronary vessels.

The treatment of the narrowing of an arteria or stenosis is currently done through dilatation of the balloon of an instrument called a catheter. It is not always simple or even possible to place the said inflatable balloon inside the stenosis due to the multiple ramifications of the blood vessels and when the narrowing of the vessel is too great.

Nowadays, to be able to put in the right place the inflatable balloon of the catheter one first introduces in the blood vessels and into the stenosis a very thin metallic rod having a curved end. This rod is then used as a guide for a catheter with an inflatable balloon which is slid over said rod up to the locations of the narrowings.

This method is currently used but has the drawback of using a guide having a fixed curvature at its end which cannot be modidied as a function of the variable successive directions it has to take through the multiple ramifications of blood vessels. It is further impossible to inject through said guide a contrast liquid to control its positioning.

The present invention relates to a polyvalent guide for a catheter obviating the precited drawbacks but which has the further advantage of being provided with a micro-balloon for obtaining the pre-dilatation of very strong stenosis where the remaining passage for the blood has got so narrow that the normal catheter balloon cannot be used.

In fact the micro-balloon is intended to work within diameters to 0.6 to 2 millimeters for a full expansion with regard to the commonly used balloons the expansion of which starts only at a diameter of about 2 millimeters.

When the aperture of the stenosis has been first widened by mean of the micro-balloon of the guide it is then possible to slide in place over said guide a catheter with a normal balloon up to all narrowing zones in order to further expand the stenosis through subsequent dilatation.

FIG. 1 shows schematically one embodiment of the catheter-guide provided with its remote control for its setting in place.

FIG. 2 shows the catheter-guide after having been set in place and ready to be used as a guide for a conventional catheter.

The remote controlled catheter-guide provided with a micro-balloon comprises a tube (1) the extremity 2 of which is formed of a cylindrical coil spring the coils of which are abutting and covered by a plastic coating 2a. The end of said coil spring is fitted on a sleeve 3 itself fitted into the tube 1. The head of the catheter-guide is formed of coil spring 4 having spaced coils, at least in its central position, fitted on a sleeve 5 itself fitted into the free end 2 of the tube 1. A cap 6 is fitted in the free end of the spring 4. A flexible traction member 7 is fixed to the cap 6 in an eccentric location and extends throughout the head and the tube to enter a control member. A metallic rod can be provided within the tube 1 to increase its rigidity, this rod is not shown. An inflatable micro-balloon 8 is located around the extremity 2 of the tube and connected to a feeding tube 9.

A control unit 10 is fixed to the other end of the tube 1 in a removable manner and tightly by means of an a sealing ring 11. This unit 10 comprises a cylindrical part 12 fixed to the flexible traction member 7 and sliding tightly, due to sealing ring 13, in said unit 10. Said control unit comprises further a cutter 14 and its operating member 15 sliding fluid tightly in the unit 10 by mean of an a sealing ring 16 and a threaded member 18. The control unit comprises further first 17 and second 19 threaded elements fluid tightly assembled with the unit 10 respectively with the first element 17 by mean of sealing rings 11 and 20.

First of all, before any surgical intervention, one makes sure that the three threaded elements 17, 18 and 19 are fully screwed to secure fluid tightly the control unit 10 with the tube 1, the push member 15 and the feeding circuit for the micro-balloon respectively. In order to set in place the catheter-guide in one or the other circulatory ramifications up to the inside of the area to be treated the user has therefore three degrees of movement; to go back and forth with the whole assembly, to rotate the whole assembly on itself in one direction or the other and to curve or bend the head or to let it straighten again. The said latter function is obtained by pulling the flexible traction member 7, through part 12, bending the coil spring 4. When the traction is released on member 7 the coil spring straighten due to its elasticity. The displacement of member 12 with respect to the control unit 10 can be obtained manually or by a non-illustrated mechanism for example of the micrometric type.

A contrast liquid can be introduced into the blood vessel in question to locate by means of a radiological examination the head of the catheter guide. The liquid is injected in channel 23 of the control unit 10, fills the chamber 24 and the tube 1 as well as its extremity 2 and is let out into the blood vessel between the spaced coils of the spring 4.

Finally to inflate the micro-balloon 8, a pressurized fluid is fed through the channel 25 into the feeding duct 9 and the balloon 8. The channel 26 is provided in case said fluid being a liquid it would be necessary to evacuate the air contained in the duct 9 and the balloon 8.

When the catheter-guide is in place and after having pre-expanded the stenosis or the several stenoses with the inflation of the micro-balloon 8, the user unscrews the threaded element 18 to liberate the push member 15. He then pushes said member 15 actuating the cutter 14 to cut the flexible traction member 7. Thereafter the screwed elements 17 and 19 are unscrewed totally liberating the feeding duct 9 and the tube 1 which can then be withdrawn from the control unit 10.

Finally it is possible to replace the control unit 10 by a handle 21 one end of which is fitted into the end of tube 1, as shown in FIG. 2.

Then a normal catheter is slid over the handle 21 and the tube 1, which are then used as a conventional catheter-guide.