A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to the heart valve within a body of a patient includes an energy source, an energy guide and an energy director. The energy source generates energy. The energy guide includes a guide proximal end and a guide distal end. The energy guide is configured to receive energy from the energy source and guide the energy from the guide proximal end toward the guide distal end. The energy director includes a director wall that defines a director interior, and a director distal end that is selectively positioned substantially adjacent to the treatment site. The guide distal end of the energy guide is positioned within the director interior. The director distal end is at least partially open toward the treatment site.

This invention related to manufactured microbubbles, as well as methods of using manufactured microbubbles, for example, in medicinal applications. The invention pertains to the physical structure and materials of the microbubbles, as well as to methods for manufacturing microbubbles, methods for targeting microbubbles for specific medicinal applications, and methods for delivering microbubbles in medical treatment.

A catheter assembly includes a catheter comprising a flexible elongated member including a distal portion that includes a tubular body defining an inner lumen and a plurality of body apertures that extend through a sidewall of the tubular body into the inner lumen, and a plurality of primary electrodes positioned along the tubular body. The catheter assembly includes a wire defining at least one secondary electrode, the wire being configured to be slidably moved through the inner lumen of the tubular body, where the wire and the plurality of primary electrodes are configured to electrically couple to an energy source that delivers an electrical pulse to a fluid in contact with the plurality of primary electrodes and the at least one secondary electrode to cause the fluid to undergo cavitation to generate a pressure pulse wave within the fluid.

In some examples, a catheter includes an elongated member including at least one balloon connected to the elongated member, the at least one balloon being configured to inflate to an expanded state. In the expanded state, the at least one balloon forms at least a portion of a cavity with a wall of a vessel of the patient. The catheter including at least one electrode carried by the elongated member and having at least one surface exposed to the cavity formed by the at least one balloon. The electrode is configured to connect to an energy source that is configured to deliver, via the electrode, an electrical signal to a fluid contained in the cavity and in contact with the electrode to cause the fluid to undergo cavitation to generate a pressure pulse wave within the fluid.

A catheter system (100) for treating a vascular lesion (106) within or adjacent to a heart valve (108) within a body (107) of a patient (109), includes an energy source (124), and a plurality of spaced apart treatment devices (143). The energy source (124) generates energy. Each treatment device (143) includes (i) a balloon (104) that is positionable substantially adjacent to the vascular lesion (106), the balloon (104) having a balloon wall (130) that defines a balloon interior (146), the balloon (104) being configured to retain a balloon fluid (132) within the balloon interior (146); and (ii) at least one of a plurality of energy guides (122A) that receive energy from the energy source (124) so that plasma (134) is formed in the balloon fluid (132) within the balloon interior (146).

An electrode assembly for a shock wave apparatus. An electrode assembly (30) is disposed inside a balloon (10) of a shock wave apparatus (100). The electrode assembly (30) comprises: a first electrode (301); an insulating layer (302), the first electrode (301) being disposed inside the insulating layer (302) and the tail end of the first electrode (301) being exposed from the tail end of the insulating layer (302); a first electrical conductor (303), the first electrical conductor (303) being disposed on at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the tail end of the insulating layer (302); and a second electrode (304), the second electrode (304) being disposed on at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of a base end of the insulating layer (302), such that an insulating gap is provided between the second electrode (304) and the first electrical conductor (303).

Systems, devices, and methods for removing and/or treating obstructions in the vascular channels, such as blood clots, are provided. The systems may include a capture sock device including a shaft defining a lumen; and a mouth coupled to the shaft. The mouth includes a distal end portion defining a distal opening and is sized and configured to move between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration within a body channel. The mouth is formed of a mesh having porosity large enough to allow blood flow to pass through it but small enough to prevent an obstruction or a fragment of the obstruction from escaping from the mouth back into the body channel. In some embodiments, the mesh is folded to create at least two mesh layers at least at the distal opening to create a smooth atraumatic edge. In some embodiments, the system further includes a trap and/or retriever assembly.

A system for breaking obstructions in body lumens includes a catheter including an elongated carrier, a balloon about the carrier in sealed relation thereto, the balloon being arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon, and an arc generator including at least one electrode within the balloon that forms a mechanical shock wave within the balloon. The system further includes a power source that provides electrical energy to the arc generator.

A system that breaks calcium in a liquid includes a catheter including first and second electrodes arranged to receive there-across a high electrical voltage at an initial low current. The high electrical voltage causes an electrical arc to form across the electrodes creating a gas bubble within the liquid, a high current to flow through the electrodes, and a mechanical shock wave. A power source provides the electrodes with the high electrical voltage at the initial current and terminates the high electrical voltage in response to the high current flow through the electrodes.

A catheter includes multiple shock wave points of origin for intracorporeal treatment of blood vessels.