US6679836B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Universal programmable guide catheter
Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed Inc
•
Filing: 2002-06-21
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Granted: 2004-01-20
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Expires: 2022-06-21
Abstract
Abstract A guide catheter apparatus that comprises the following: (a) a guide catheter portion that includes a plurality of electroactive polymer actuators disposed along its axial length and (b) a control unit coupled to the actuators and sending control signals to the actuators. The actuators change the shape of the guide catheter portion based upon the control signals that are received from the control unit. In another aspect of the present invention, a method of introducing a guide catheter into a body lumen is provided. The method comprises: (a) providing a guide catheter apparatus like that above, and (b) inserting the guide catheter portion of the guide catheter apparatus into the body lumen, while using the control unit to control the shape of the guide catheter portion.
Inventors
- 👤 Lucien Alfred Couvillon, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 10:37
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/01; A61M25/0105; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/06; A61B5/061; A61B5/062; A61B17/00; A61B17/00234; A61B2017/00292; A61B2017/003; A61B2017/00831; A61B2017/00867; A61B2017/00871; A61M25/0043; A61M2025/0058; A61M2205/00; A61M2205/02; A61M2205/0272; A61M2205/0283; A61M25/0133; A61M25/0158
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
A guide catheter apparatus comprising: (a) a guide catheter portion comprising a plurality of electroactive polymer actuators disposed along the axial length of the guide catheter portion, said electroactive polymer actuators changing the shape of the guide catheter portion based upon received control signals, each of said electroactive polymer actuators comprising an active member which is separated from a counter-electrode by an electrolyte region, wherein said active members of said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are attached to one or more substrate layer in the shape of a tube; and (b) a control unit coupled to said plurality of actuatos and sending control signals to said plurality of actuators.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
A guide catheter apparatus comprising: (a) a guide catheter portion comprising a plurality of electroactive polymer actuators disposed along the axial length of the guide catheter portion, said electroactive polymer actuators changing the shape of the guide catheter portion based upon received control signals, each of said electroactive polymer actuators comprising an active member which is separated from a counter-electrode by an electrolyte region, wherein said active members of said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are attached to one or more substrate layer in the shape of a tube; and (b) a control unit coupled to said plurality of actuatos and sending control signals to said plurality of actuators.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said active member comprises an electroactive polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole, polysulfone, and polyacetylene.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said active member comprises polypyrrole.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said actuators are in tension with one another.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are disposed along at least 5% of the fully inserted axial length of the guide catheter portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said electroactive polymer actuators are adapted to contract in a direction parallel to an axis of said tube.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said guide catheter portion further comprises a plurality of strain gauges.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the strain gauges are attached to one or more substrate layers in the shape of a tube.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said guide catheter portion further comprises a structural element selected from the group consisting of (a) a tubular network comprising at least one metallic filament, (b) a tubular interconnected network of articulable segments, (c) a helical structure comprising at least one metallic filament, and (d) a patterned tubular sheet.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control signals are sent from said control unit to said actuators over a multiplexed cable.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control unit comprises a personal computer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said electroactive polymer actuators are controllable to provide a desired curvature to said guide catheter portion at each of a plurality of loci along the length of said catheter portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control signals correspond to a user selectable shape for said guide catheter portion.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control unit comprises an electronic memory, and wherein said user selectable shape for said guide catheter portion is stored in said electronic memory.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control signals are generated using a manual steering device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control signals are generated by a shape-generating algorithm within said control unit using medical diagnostic imaging data.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 16 , wherein said medical diagnostic imaging data is angiogram data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
68 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said catheter portion comprises a lead module and a plurality of following modules, and wherein said guide catheter portion is adapted to travel in such a way that, when each following module reaches a position previously occupied by said lead module, said actuators cause said each following module to replicate the orientation of said lead module at said position.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 18 , wherein position data is provided by a depth gauge or a linear displacement module.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 18 , wherein lead module orientation data is provided by strain gauges within said lead module.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said control signals are sent from said control unit to said actuators over a wireless interface.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are disposed along at least 10% of the fully inserted axial length of the guide catheter portion.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are disposed along at least 25% of the fully inserted axial length of the guide catheter portion.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are disposed along at least four centimeters of the guide catheter portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
27 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators are disposed along at least ten centimeters of the guide catheter portion.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
21 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide catheter portion further comprises one or more tubular structural elements.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
20 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the guide catheter portion comprises a plurality of tubular structural elements.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
34 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the one or more substrate layers in the shape of a tube and the one or more tubular structural elements are coaxial with one another.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
32 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the one or more substrate layers in the shape of a tube are disposed outside of the one or more tubular structural elements.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more substrate layers in the shape of a tube correspond to one or more rolled sheets.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
25 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide catheter portion comprises a plurality of substrate layers in the shape of a tube.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
25 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the plurality of substrate layers in the shape of a tube are coaxial with one another.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
31 words
The guide catheter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electroactive polymer actuators comprise a plurality of active members separated from a single counter-electode by a single electrolyte region.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method of introducing a guide catheter into a body lumen comprising: providing the guide catheter apparatus of claim 8 ; inserting said guide catheter portion of said guide catheter apparatus into said body lumen while controlling the shape of said guide catheter portion using said control unit.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 34 , further comprising conducting a surgical procedure by inserting an interventional device through said guide catheter portion.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein said actuators are controllable to provide a desired curvature to said guide catheter portion at each of a plurality of loci along the length of said guide catheter portion.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein the shape of said guide catheter portion is selected by an operator from a plurality of user selectable shapes.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein said control signals are generated by an operator using a manual steering device.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein said control signals are generated by a shape-changing algorithm based on medical diagnostic imaging data.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 39 , wherein said medical diagnostic imaging data is angiogram data.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein said catheter portion comprises a lead module and a plurality of following modules, and wherein said guide catheter portion is adapted to travel in such a way that, when each following module reaches a position previously occupied by said lead module, said actuators cause said each following module to replicate the orientation of said lead module at said position.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 41 , wherein position data is provided by a depth gauge or a linear displacement module.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 41 , wherein lead module orientation data is provided by strain gauges disposed in said lead module.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 34 , wherein said guide catheter portion is stiffened upon reaching a location determined by an operator.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 44 , wherein said guide catheter portion is stiffened by placing a plurality of actuators in tension with each other.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-01-19 | 2007-07-21 | 2008-01-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-01-19 | 2011-07-21 | 2012-01-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-01-19 | 2015-07-21 | 2016-01-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |