Patent ID: 11950793
Assignee: SHOCKWAVE MEDICAL, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 13:
14. A method for treating occlusions in blood vessels, comprising:
introducing a catheter into a patient's vasculature, the catheter comprising:
a tubular inner member;
an emitter assembly comprising:
a first insulated wire extending along a length of the tubular inner member with an uninsulated distal face;
a second insulated wire extending along the length of the tubular inner member having an uninsulated distal face, the second insulated wire being circumferentially offset from the first insulated wire;
an electrically conductive sheath wrapped circumferentially around the first insulated wire and the second insulated wire with a first spark gap extending between the electrically conductive sheath and the distal face of the first insulated wire and a second spark gap extending between the electrically conductive sheath and the distal face of the second insulated wire;
a flexible member sealably attached to the distal end of the catheter and surrounding the emitter assembly, said flexible member being fillable with conductive fluid;
advancing the catheter within the vasculature such that the distal end of the catheter is aligned with a first treatment region;
filling the flexible member with the conductive fluid; and
applying an electrical pulse across the first and second conductive wires to initiate first and second shock waves from the first and second spark gaps.