Patent ID: 9308347
Filing Date: 2016-04-12
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M

Claim Text:
1. A method of promoting uptake of a treatment agent during performing an intraluminal procedure on a patient with a turbulator for promoting mixing of fluids passing through a body lumen in a patient that includes an elongate flow perturbing component including a proximal segment and a porous distal segment, the porous distal segment having a subordinate shape memory property and including an exposed wire coil with a fixed primary shape, a fixed secondary shape, and a mutable tertiary shape; and an elongate shape controlling component freely slidable within the flow perturbing component between a distally advanced location, and a retracted location, the elongate shape controlling component including a rigid proximal segment having a dominant shape memory property, and a non-rigid distal segment; the elongate shape controlling component being positioned at the distally advanced location such that the turbulator is in a low profile, lumen access configuration at which the dominant shape memory property defines the mutable tertiary shape and the shape of the non-rigid distal segment is determined by the shape of the flow perturbing component; and the turbulator further being adjustable to an expanded profile, deployed configuration at which the subordinate shape memory property defines the mutable tertiary shape, at least in part by sliding the shape controlling component from the distally advanced location to the refracted location, to increase turbulence in the flow of a body fluid through the body lumen for mixing a treatment fluid therewith while flowing to a treatment site, and the method comprising the steps of: introducing a treatment fluid containing the treatment agent into a body lumen of the patient having a body fluid flowing therethrough; increasing mixing of the treatment fluid with the body fluid via adjusting the elongate flow perturbing component of the turbulator from a lower turbulence inducing shape to a higher turbulence inducing shape within the body lumen; and perfusing a body tissue of the patient located at a downstream treatment site with the mixed treatment fluid and body fluid.