Patent ID: 9532792
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61F,A61M

Claim:
1. A method of using an aspiration catheter in a thrombectomy procedure to treat an acute stroke condition the method comprising, tracking the aspiration catheter along a guide structure, wherein the aspiration catheter comprises a proximal portion, a distal segment wherein the distal segment comprises a single lumen and a distal opening at the distal end of the catheter, and a tube section connected between the distal segment and the proximal portion to form a continuous aspiration lumen from the connection port to the distal opening, and wherein the distal segment has a constant outer diameter with a value that is from about 25 percent to about 95 percent of the average outer diameter of the tube section, and a smaller diameter distal portion of the continuous aspiration lumen inside the distal segment has a smaller diameter relative to the diameter of the portion of the continuous lumen inside the tube section, placing the distal segment of the catheter into a small blood vessel with the distal opening of the catheter close to thrombus deposits within the vessel, and applying suction through the proximal portion of an otherwise undisrupted flow within the aspiration lumen to effect aspiration at the distal opening of the catheter through the smaller diameter distal portion of the aspiration lumen to aspirate the thrombus deposits from the vessel, wherein the small blood vessel is an artery of the brain, such that aspiration of the thrombus deposit treats the acute stroke condition.