A surgical system and method are used to position a guidewire within an anatomical passageway includes the guidewire, a dilator, a reference feature, and a marker. The guidewire has a guidewire body extending to a distal body end portion. The dilator is secured on the distal body end portion and configured to expand from a contracted state to an expanded state. The dilator in the contracted state is configured to pass through an isthmus of a Eustachian tube. The dilator in the expanded state is configured to dilate the Eustachian tube. The reference feature secured relative to the guidewire, and the marker is positioned on the guidewire a predetermined distance from the reference feature. Thereby, the marker is configured to indicate the predetermined distance to an operator for determining a depth of the reference feature in the anatomical passageway.

A guiding catheter includes: a shaft that includes a main lumen and a sub-lumen; a balloon attached to a distal end portion of the shaft; a distal end tip connected to a distal end side of the shaft; and a hub connected to a proximal end side of the shaft. The shaft is formed by layering: an inner layer that forms the main lumen; a first reinforcing layer formed on the inner layer; an intermediate layer formed on the first reinforcing layer and enclosing the sub-lumen; a second reinforcing layer formed on the intermediate layer; and an outer layer formed on the second reinforcing layer from a proximal end to a distal end.

A percutaneous device for achieving hemostasis in a vessel, particularly a device for achieving hemostasis following the failure of a vascular closure device has a catheter with an attached inflation device. The catheter preferably has two different lumens, one for a guide wire and one for fluid used to inflate the inflation device. When inflated, the inflation device unfurls to block the puncture in the blood vessel. Distal blood flow continues uninterrupted with the device in the furled and unfurled state, preventing any issues distally from the puncture site.

A system to dilate a stenotic region of an airway of a patient includes a stylet and a dilation catheter. The dilation catheter includes a catheter shaft and an inflatable balloon. The catheter shaft defines a shaft lumen and is configured to receive at least a portion of the stylet. The shaft lumen is axially aligned with a first longitudinal axis. The inflatable balloon is in fluid communication with an inflation lumen. The inflatable balloon is configured to transition between non-expanded and expanded configurations using the inflation lumen. The inflatable balloon has an outer perimeter configured to contact the stenotic region of the airway when in the expanded configuration. The inflatable balloon includes a pass-through lumen that is axially aligned with a second longitudinal axis that is laterally offset a distance from the first longitudinal axis. The pass-through lumen is disposed completely within the outer perimeter of the inflatable balloon.

A prosthetic heart valve delivery system includes a prosthetic heart valve, an anchor, and a catheter extending from a proximal end to a distal end configured to receive the prosthetic heart valve and the anchor. The catheter includes a balloon circumferentially surrounding the catheter at the distal end of the catheter, and an inflation lumen positioned radially outward of the catheter extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the inflation lumen in communication with the balloon.

[Object]

Provided is a catheter that can enhance the smoothness of a lumen.

Solution

A balloon catheter includes: an outer shaft to be inserted into a body, the outer shaft including a main lumen that extends in an axial direction from a proximal end side toward a distal end side; and a second member exposed in a portion of an inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft to the main lumen and having frictional properties lower than those of a first member (an inner shaft) that forms the inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft. The balloon catheter further includes sub-shafts that include sub-lumens extending in the axial direction and that are formed of the second member, and a portion of outer circumferential surfaces of the sub-shafts is exposed in a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft to the main lumen.

Balloon catheters, methods for preparing balloon catheters, and uses of balloon catheters are disclosed. The balloon catheter includes an elongate member, an expandable balloon, and a coating layer overlying an exterior surface of the expandable balloon. The coating layer includes a total drug load of a hydrophobic therapeutic agent and a combination of additives including a first additive and a second additive. The hydrophobic therapeutic agent is paclitaxel, rapamycin, or paclitaxel and rapamycin. The first additive is a surfactant. The second additive is a chemical compound having one or more hydroxyl, amino, carbonyl, carboxyl, acid, amide, or ester groups.

Disclosed herein are medical instrument and medical method for localized drug delivery. The medical instrument can comprise a catheter shaft assembly, a hub coupled to the proximal end of the catheter shaft assembly, an inflatable component at the distal end of the catheter shaft assembly, a tissue penetrating member coupled to the inflatable component in an orientation transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter shaft assembly, and at least one protective element coupled to the inflatable component in proximity to the tissue penetrating member. The protective element can be configured to prevent any damage of the inflatable body during a placement of the medical instrument and an actuation of the inflatable component.

Expandable sheaths and introducers are disclosed herein. In some examples, the expandable introducer includes an elongated body member, an inflatable balloon disposed between a proximal and distal end of the elongated body member, and an inflation lumen in fluid communication with the inflatable balloon. A portion of the balloon is sized and configured to pass through a distal opening of an expandable introducer sheath when in the deflated condition, and to dilate the distal end of the introducer sheath as the balloon expands from the deflated configuration to the inflated configuration. Methods of making and using the devices disclosed herein are also disclosed.

An apparatus, including a flexible insertion tube having a distal end for insertion into a body cavity, and first and second conduits configured to deliver first and second fluids, respectively, to the distal end. The distal end includes a first balloon coupled to the first conduit so that the first fluid inflates the first balloon and is delivered, via one or more spray ports in the first balloon, to tissue in the body cavity, a second balloon contained within the first balloon and coupled to the second conduit so that the second fluid inflates the second balloon, and multiple splines including a flexible, resilient material and extending along a longitudinal axis of the distal end, and configured to constrain the second balloon so that inflation of the second balloon creates lobes that form, along the longitudinal axis between the lobes, channels that direct the first fluid to the spray ports.