BRAID AND PULL WIRE CONTAINMENT RING FOR DEFLECTABLE GUIDING CATHETER

Abstract

A deflectable guiding catheter that includes a proximal handle assembly, an elongated catheter shaft extending distally from the proximal handle assembly and including a deflectable distal end portion, a drive mechanism within the proximal handle assembly for steering the deflectable distal end portion of the catheter shaft, an anchor ring positioned adjacent a distal end of the catheter shaft, an elongated pull wire extending from the drive mechanism and connected to the anchor ring, a braided sleeve extending from a proximal end of the catheter shaft to a proximal end of the anchor ring, and a containment ring positioned over a distal end portion of the braided sleeve at the proximal end of the anchor ring.

Claims

1. A deflectable guiding catheter comprising: a. a proximal handle assembly; b. an elongated catheter shaft extending distally from the proximal handle assembly and including a deflectable distal end portion; c. a drive mechanism within the proximal handle assembly for steering the deflectable distal end portion of the catheter shaft; d. an anchor ring positioned adjacent a distal end of the catheter shaft; e. an elongated pull wire extending from the drive mechanism and connected to the anchor ring; f. a braided sleeve extending from a proximal end of the catheter shaft to a proximal end of the anchor ring to reinforce the catheter shaft; and g. a containment ring positioned over a distal end portion of the braided sleeve at the proximal end of the anchor ring.

2. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the containment ring is positioned to cover the distal end portion of the braided sleeve.

3. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the containment ring holds a portion of the pull wire between the braided sleeve and the anchor ring.

4. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the containment ring is a thin-walled stainless steel band.

5. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 4, wherein the braided sleeve includes stainless steel strands.

6. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the containment ring is laser attached to the braided sleeve and the anchor ring.

7. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated catheter shaft includes an inner PTFE liner located radially inward of the braided sleeve.

8. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated catheter shaft includes an extruded outer wall surrounding the braided sleeve.

9. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated catheter shaft includes a hydrophobic sheath surrounding the outer wall.

10. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism includes a linear drive screw that is mounted for reciprocal axial movement within the interior cavity of the proximal handle assembly.

11. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 10, further comprising a rotatable control knob operatively associated with a distal end portion of the proximal handle assembly for moving the linear drive screw.

12. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated pull wire is partially covered by the containment ring and partially uncovered.

13. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the elongated pull wire passes under the containment ring and over the anchor ring.

14. The deflectable guiding catheter as recited in claim 1, wherein the containment ring and the anchor ring do not overlap.

15. A method of assembling a deflectable catheter comprising: a. providing an elongated mandrel; b. sliding a braided sleeve over the mandrel; c. sliding a containment ring over the braided sleeve toward a distal end thereof to act as a cutting guide; d. cutting the braided sleeve to form a distal ending; and e. sliding the containment ring over the distal ending of the braided sleeve.

16. The method of assembling a deflectable catheter according to claim 15, further comprising gluing the braided sleeve in place with respect to the mandrel.

17. The method of assembling a deflectable catheter according to claim 15, wherein sliding the containment ring over the distal ending of the braided sleeve involves sliding the containment ring to a proximal end of an anchor ring.

18. The method of assembling a deflectable catheter according to claim 15, wherein sliding the containment ring over the distal ending of the braided sleeve involves encapsulating a pull wire between the braided sleeve and the anchor ring.

19. The method of assembly a deflectable catheter according to claim 18, wherein the pull wire is partially uncovered by the containment ring.

20. The method of assembling a deflectable catheter according to claim 18, further comprising laser attaching the containment ring to the distal ending of the braided sleeve and the proximal end of the anchor ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] So that those skilled in the art will readily understand how to make and use the deflectable guiding catheter of the subject invention without undue experimentation, reference may be made to the figures wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 is side elevation view of a deflectable guiding catheter that incorporates the containment ring feature of the subject invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective cross-sectional view of the catheter shaft of the guiding catheter shown in FIG. 1, showing the reinforcing braid that surrounds the inner PTFE liner of the catheter shaft;

[0018] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a distal end portion of the catheter shaft, with the outer wall removed for ease of illustration; and

[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the distal end portion of the catheter shaft similar to FIG. 3.

ENABLING DESCRIPTION OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

[0020] Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural elements and features of the subject invention, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a deflectable guiding catheter 10 that incorporates the novel features of the subject invention. The guiding catheter 10 includes a proximal handle assembly 12, an elongated catheter shaft 14 extending distally from the proximal handle assembly 12 and including a deflectable distal end portion 16.

[0021] A drive mechanism (not shown) is located within the proximal handle assembly 12 for steering the deflectable distal end portion 16 of the catheter shaft 14. In an exemplary embodiment of the subject invention, the drive mechanism includes a linear drive screw that is mounted for reciprocal axial movement within the interior cavity of the proximal handle assembly 12, and a rotatable control knob 18 operatively associated with a distal end portion of the proximal handle assembly for moving the linear drive screw. Other drive mechanisms for actuating the pull wire can be employed with the subject invention. Examples of guiding catheters with deflectable distal end portions that include such drive mechanisms are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,498,602; 9,572,957; 9,907,570; and 9,913,684, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entities.

[0022] As best seen in FIG. 2, the catheter shaft 14 includes an inner PTFE liner 20, a stainless steel braided sleeve 22 surrounding the inner liner 20, an extruded outer wall 24 surrounding the braided sleeve 22, and a hydrophobic sheath 26 surrounding the outer wall 24. The braided sleeve 22 serves to reinforce the shaft 14 and provides torque control and kink resistance, while maintaining flexibility within tortuous anatomy.

[0023] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a stainless steel anchor ring 30 is positioned adjacent a distal end of the inner liner 20 of the catheter shaft 14, and an elongated pull wire 28 extends from the drive mechanism to the anchor ring 30. Preferably, the pull wire 28 is connected to the anchor ring 30 by laser welding. The pull wire 28 can also be spot welded or glued (e.g. UV adhesive is a preferred gluing process). The braided sleeve 22 extends from a proximal end of the catheter shaft 14 to the proximal end of the anchor ring 30 to reinforce the catheter shaft 14.

[0024] A thin walled, stainless steel containment ring 32 is positioned over a cut or terminated distal end portion of the braided sleeve 22 adjacent a proximal end of the anchor ring 30. The containment ring 32 is preferably laser welded to the distal end portion of the braided sleeve 22 and the proximal end of the anchor ring 30. As a result, the containment ring 32 covers over and eliminate any exposed braid ends which can be sharp, and it encapsulate the pull wire 28 between the braided sleeve 22 and the anchor ring 30 to reinforce the connection between the pull wire 28 and the anchor ring 30. More particularly, the containment ring 32 protects the pull wire from extreme angles during deflection, which could cause wire breakage. The containment ring 32 will also prevent the anchor ring 30 from dislodgment by creating a solid seat for the anchor ring 30 and it will prevent the anchor ring 30 from ovaling under heavy deflection loads.

[0025] The subject invention is also directed to a method of assembling a deflectable catheter comprising the steps of providing an elongated mandrel, sliding the braided sleeve 22 over the mandrel, gluing the braided sleeve 22 in place with respect to the mandrel, sliding the containment ring 32 over the braided sleeve 22 toward a distal end thereof to act as a cutting guide, cutting the braided sleeve 22 to form a distal ending, and sliding the containment ring 32 over the distal ending of the braided sleeve 22.

[0026] The step of sliding the containment ring 32 over the distal ending of the braided sleeve 22 preferably involves sliding the containment ring 32 to the proximal end of the anchor ring 30, and the step of sliding the containment ring 32 over the distal ending of the braided sleeve 22 further involves encapsulating the pull wire 28 between the braided sleeve 22 and the anchor ring 30. The method further includes the step of laser welding the containment ring 32 to the braided sleeve 22 and the anchor ring 30.

[0027] While the deflectable guiding catheter of the subject disclosure has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.