Patent ID: 8231617
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: A61B,A61M

Abstract:
1. A radio-frequency thermal balloon catheter comprising: a catheter tube including an outer tube having an end part and an inside surface and an inner tube having an end part and an outside surface, the inside surface of the outer tube and the outside surface of the inner tube defining a vibration propagation passage having an end; a balloon connected to the end part of the outer tube and the end part of the inner tube, and capable of coming into contact with a target diseased part when inflated, the balloon including an inlet, a wall, and an interior having an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being positioned upwardly and the lower part being positioned downwardly with respect to the direction of the gravitational force; a high-frequency electrode placed in the wall of the balloon or inside the balloon to transmit high-frequency power; a lead wire electrically connected to the high-frequency electrode; a temperature sensor capable of measuring temperature inside the balloon; and a swirling current producing unit configured to make a fluid contained in the balloon swirl in a vertical plane in the balloon so as to reduce an upper-lower temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part of the interior of the balloon due to convection of the fluid to naught, the vertical plane being positioned to be parallel to the direction of the gravitational force; wherein the swirling current producing unit includes a vibratory driving unit configured to propagate a vibration through the fluid filling up the vibration propagating passage to the fluid filling up the balloon, and a vibration propagating direction deflecting unit disposed near the inlet of the balloon at the end of the vibration propagating passage to deflect the direction of propagation of the vibration upward or downward with respect to the direction of the gravitational force in the balloon, wherein the catheter tube is marked with a mark indicating a position of the balloon with respect to the direction of the gravitational force, and a position and an attitude of the vibration propagating direction deflecting unit are adjustable with respect to the direction of the gravitational force by referring to the mark, and wherein a period of the vibration generated by the vibratory driving unit includes a fluid ejection period in which the fluid is ejected into the balloon and a fluid suction period in which the fluid in the balloon is suctioned, and the fluid ejection period is shorter than the fluid suction period and a fluid ejection rate at which the fluid is ejected in the fluid ejection period is higher than a fluid suction rate at which the fluid is suctioned in the fluid suction period, or the fluid ejection period is longer than the fluid suction period and a fluid ejection rate at which the fluid is ejected in the fluid ejection period is lower than a fluid suction rate at which the fluid is suctioned in the fluid suction period.