Kink-free spiral-wound catheter

Claim 2

A catheter section comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member comprising an inner tubular liner of a first liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer tubular cover comprising a first cover material, and at least a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound exterior to said inner tubular liner and covered by said outer tubular cover, and the catheter section, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb.

Claim 3

The catheter section of claim 1 wherein the section has a lateral flexibility of greater than 8500°/in-lb.

Claim 4

The catheter section of claim 1 wherein the where the liner material and cover material are miscible in melt form.

Claim 5

The catheter section of claim 3 where the liner material is admixed with the cover material in the coaxial region of the first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 6

The catheter section of claim 1 which is binderless between the inner tubular liner and the outer tubular cover.

Claim 7

The catheter section of claim 1 where the liner material and cover material are radiation sterilizable without substantial degradation of their physical attributes.

Claim 8

The catheter section of claim 1 where the first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner tubular liner where the catheter section additionally comprises a second ribbon stiffener of opposite handedness to the first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 9

The catheter section of claim 1 additionally comprising at least one additional ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner tubular liner having the same handedness as the first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 10

The catheter section of claim 7 additionally comprising at least one additional ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner tubular liner having the same handedness as the first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 11

The catheter section of claim 7 additionally comprising at least one additional ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said first ribbon stiffener and having the same handedness as the second ribbon stiffener.

Claim 12

The catheter section of claim 10 additionally comprising at least one additional ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said first ribbon stiffener and having the same handedness as the second ribbon stiffener.

Claim 13

The catheter section of claim 1 where the elongate tubular member has at least one region of variable stiffness between the proximal end and the distal end.

Claim 14

The catheter section of claim 11 where the elongate tubular member has at least one region of variable stiffness between the proximal end and the distal end.

Claim 15

The catheter section of claim 1 where the first ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 16

The catheter section of claim 9 where the first ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 17

The catheter section of claim 7 where the second ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 18

The catheter section of claim 8 where the second ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 19

The catheter section of claim 1 where the cover materials are selected from polyimide, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers including PTFE, FEP, vinylidene fluoride, and their mixtures, alloys, copolymers, and block copolymers, polysulfones or the like.

Claim 20

The catheter section of claim 1 where the liner and cover materials are selected from polyurethane, low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers including PTFE, FEP, vinylidene fluoride, and their mixtures, alloys, copolymers, and block copolymers.

Claim 21

The catheter section of claim 1 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.

Claim 22

The catheter section of claim 7 where the second ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mils and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mils.

Claim 23

The catheter of claim 1 where at least one of the liner and cover materials are radiopaque.

Claim 24

A catheter comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having: a.) a relatively stiff proximal segment, and b.) a relatively flexible distal segment, said distal segment being composed of an inner distal tubular liner comprising a distal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer distal tubular cover comprising a distal cover material, and at least a first ribbon stiffener having a first handedness and spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover, and the catheter, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb.

Claim 25

A catheter comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having: a.) a relatively stiff proximal segment, and b.) a relatively flexible distal segment, said distal segment being composed of an inner distal tubular liner comprising a distal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer distal tubular cover comprising a distal cover material, and at least a first ribbon stiffener having a first handedness and spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover, and the catheter, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb.

Claim 26

The catheter of claim 23 wherein the distal section has a lateral flexibility of greater than 8500°/in-lb.

Claim 27

The catheter of claim 23 wherein the where the liner material and cover material are miscible in melt form.

Claim 28

The catheter of claim 23 where the proximal segment is composed of an inner proximal tubular liner comprising a proximal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer proximal tubular cover comprising a proximal cover material, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner proximal tubular liner and covered by said outer proximal tubular cover.

Claim 29

The catheter of claim 26 further comprising at least one intermediate segment defining a passageway between the relatively stiff proximal segment and the relatively flexible distal segment, said at least one intermediate segment being composed of an extension of the inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an extension of the outer distal tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound around said inner proximal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover.

Claim 30

The catheter of claim 26 where the distal liner material is admixed with the distal cover material in the coaxial region of the first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 31

The catheter of claim 28 which is binderless between the distal inner tubular liner and the distal outer tubular cover.

Claim 32

The catheter of claim 23 where the proximal and distal liner materials and proximal and distal cover materials are radiation sterilizable without substantial degradation of their physical attributes.

Claim 33

The catheter of claim 23 where the catheter additionally comprises a second ribbon stiffener of opposite handedness to the first ribbon stiffener and is spirally and coaxially wound about said first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 34

The catheter of claim 23 where at least one of the distal, intermediate, and proximal segments are of constant stiffness.

Claim 35

The catheter of claim 27 where at least one of the distal, intermediate, and proximal segments are of constant stiffness.

Claim 36

The catheter of claim 27 where at least one of the distal, intermediate, and proximal segments are of variable stiffness.

Claim 37

The catheter of claim 31 where at least one of the distal, intermediate, and proximal segments are of variable stiffness.

Claim 38

The catheter section of claim 23 where the cover materials are selected from polyimide, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers including PTFE, FEP, vinylidene fluoride, and their mixtures, alloys, copolymers, and block copolymers, polysulfones or the like.

Claim 39

The catheter section of claim 23 where the liner and cover materials are selected from polyurethane, low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers including PTFE, FEP, vinylidene fluoride, and their mixtures, alloys, copolymers, and block copolymers.

Claim 40

The catheter of claim 23 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.

Claim 41

The catheter of claim 31 where the second ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.

Claim 42

The catheter of claim 23 where at least one of the liner and cover materials are radiopaque.

Claim 43

A catheter comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having: a.) a relatively stiff proximal segment, said proximal segment composed of an inner proximal tubular liner comprising a proximal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer proximal tubular cover comprising a proximal cover material, a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner proximal tubular liner covered by said outer proximal tubular cover and b.) a relatively flexible distal segment, said distal segment being composed of an inner distal tubular liner comprising a distal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer distal tubular cover comprising a distal cover material, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover, and the catheter, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb. and the second ribbon stiffener is spirally and coaxially wound about said first ribbon stiffener, and c.) at least one intermediate segment defining a passageway between the relatively stiff proximal segment and the relatively flexible distal segment, said at least one intermediate segment being composed of an extension of the inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an extension of the outer distal tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound between said inner proximal tubular liner and said outer distal tubular cover and the second ribbon stiffener is spirally and coaxially wound about said first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 44

A catheter comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member having: a.) a relatively stiff proximal segment, said proximal segment composed of an inner proximal tubular liner comprising a proximal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer proximal tubular cover comprising a proximal cover material, a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner proximal tubular liner covered by said outer proximal tubular cover and b.) a relatively flexible distal segment, said distal segment being composed of an inner distal tubular liner comprising a distal liner material in coaxial relationship with an outer distal tubular cover comprising a distal cover material, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said inner distal tubular liner and covered by said outer distal tubular cover, and the catheter, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb. and the second ribbon stiffener is spirally and coaxially wound about said first ribbon stiffener, and c.) at least one intermediate segment defining a passageway between the relatively stiff proximal segment and the relatively flexible distal segment, said at least one intermediate segment being composed of an extension of the inner proximal tubular liner in coaxial relationship with an extension of the outer distal tubular cover, and said first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound between said inner proximal tubular liner and said outer distal tubular cover and the second ribbon stiffener is spirally and coaxially wound about said first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 45

The catheter of claim 41 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a metallic ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.

Claim 46

The catheter of claim 42 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness of about 1.0 mil and a width of about 3.0 mil.

Claim 47

The catheter of claim 42 where the second ribbon stiffener comprises a metallic ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.

Claim 48

The catheter of claim 44 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness of about 1.0 mil and a width of about 3.0 mil.

Claim 49

A catheter section comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member comprising an outer tubular liner in coaxial relationship with at least a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound and covered by said outer tubular cover, and the catheter section, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb.

Claim 50

A catheter section comprising: an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end and a passageway defining an inner lumen extending between those ends, said elongate tubular member comprising an outer tubular liner in coaxial relationship with at least a first ribbon stiffener having a handedness and spirally and coaxially wound and covered by said outer tubular cover, and the catheter section, in the region of the distal end, has a critical bend diameter of no more than 3.5 mm and a lateral flexibility of greater than 6500°/in-lb.

Claim 51

The catheter section of claim 46 wherein the section has a lateral flexibility of greater than 8500°/in-lb.

Claim 52

The catheter section of claim 46 where the cover material is radiation sterilizable without substantial degradation of its physical attributes.

Claim 53

The catheter section of claim 46 where the catheter section additionally comprises a second ribbon stiffener of opposite handedness to the first ribbon stiffener spirally and coaxially wound upon said first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 54

The catheter section of claim 46 additionally comprising at least one additional ribbon stiffener having the same handedness as the first ribbon stiffener.

Claim 55

The catheter section of claim 46 where the elongate tubular member has at least one region of variable stiffness between the proximal end and the distal end.

Claim 56

The catheter section of claim 46 where the first ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 57

The catheter section of claim 49 where the second ribbon stiffener has a pitch which varies between the proximal end and distal end.

Claim 58

The catheter section of claim 46 where the cover materials are selected from polyimide, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers including PTFE, FEP, vinylidene fluoride, and their mixtures, alloys, copolymers, and block copolymers, polysulfones or the like.

Claim 59

The catheter section of claim 46 where the first ribbon stiffener comprises a ribbon having a thickness between 0.75 mil and 2.5 mil and a width between 2.5 and 8.0 mil.