Patent ID: 9259184
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A probe for insertion into a living body through a guiding catheter comprising: a sheath configured to be positioned in a living body, the sheath possessing a sheath lumen and a distal end portion; a shaft movably positioned in the sheath lumen, the shaft comprising a distal end and a shaft lumen; a fiber positioned in the shaft lumen and connected to a distal tip device configured to obtain data concerning the living body; the sheath including an inside tube, an intermediate tube and an outside tube, the outside tube being positioned radially outwardly of the intermediate tube and radially outwardly of the inside tube, the intermediate tube being positioned radially between the inside tube and the outside tube; the inside tube, the intermediate tube and the outside tube each possessing a distal tip, the distal tip of the inside tube extending distally beyond the distal tip of the intermediate tube and the distal tip of the outside tube so that the distal end portion of the sheath is constituted by the inside tube; the intermediate tube being comprised of at least one layer that is either a resin layer or a metal layer; the at least one layer of the intermediate tube comprising a spiral-shaped slit extending from a distal portion of the at least one layer to a proximal portion of the at least one layer; and the spiral-shaped slit comprising a distal slit portion, a first middle slit portion proximal of the distal slit portion, a second middle slit portion proximal of the first middle slit portion and a proximal slit portion proximal of the second middle slit portion, the proximal slit portion being the proximal-most portion of the spiral-shaped slit; the distal slit portion possessing a proximal end, the first middle slit portion possessing a proximal end and a distal end, the second middle slit portion possessing a proximal end and a distal end, and the proximal slit portion possessing a distal end, the proximal end of the distal slit portion being directly connected to the distal end of the first middle slit portion, the proximal end of the first middle slit portion being directly connected to the distal end of the second middle slit portion, and the distal end of the proximal slit portion being directly connected to the proximal end of the second middle slit portion; the distal slit portion, the first middle slit portion, the second middle slit portion and the proximal slit portion each possessing a slit density; the slit density of the entire distal slit portion being different from the slit density of the entire proximal slit portion; the slit density of the distal slit portion being greater than the slit density of the first middle slit portion, the slit density of the distal slit portion being greater than the slit density of the second middle slit portion, and the slit density of the distal slit portion being greater than the slit density of the proximal slit portion; the first middle slit portion possessing a slit pitch that is 2 to 4 times greater than a slit pitch of the distal slit portion; the second middle slit portion possessing a slit pitch that is 5/4 to 5/3 times greater than a slit pitch of the proximal slit portion; and the slit density of the proximal slit portion being greater than the slit density of the second middle slit portion.