Abstract:
A wire guided fluid catheter assembly having a collapsible guidewire lumen. Pressurization of a fluid lumen in the catheter assembly collapses the guidewire lumen, thereby increasing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not Applicable  
         STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not Applicable  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0004]    This invention is in the field of wire guided fluid catheter assemblies.  
           [0005]    2. Background Art  
           [0006]    In conventional wire guided fluid catheter assemblies intended for insertion into a vascular system of a patient, such as into blood vessels, the tubular catheter body has at least one lumen provided for the passage of a guidewire. This guidewire lumen usually passes either through the main lumen of the catheter or along the outer surface of the main catheter body. Where the guidewire lumen passes through the main lumen of the catheter, the guidewire lumen occupies space within the catheter body that would otherwise be available for the flow of fluid, thereby reducing the fluid flow capacity of a given diameter catheter body. Put differently, a catheter assembly having a given fluid flow capacity must have a larger diameter catheter body, because of the presence of the guidewire lumen.  
           [0007]    Similarly, where the guidewire lumen is positioned along the outer surface of the main catheter body, the presence of the guidewire lumen reduces the space available for the fluid lumen, in a catheter assembly having a given overall diameter. Said differently, the outer diameter of a catheter assembly having a given fluid flow capacity is increased by the presence of the guidewire lumen on the outer surface of the catheter body.  
           [0008]    In either case, either the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly is reduced, or the minimum size blood vessel in which the catheter assembly can be used is increased, thereby limiting its usefulness.  
           [0009]    It would be beneficial to have a catheter assembly in which the guidewire lumen does not reduce or limit the available space for the fluid lumen, and which does not add to the overall diameter of the catheter assembly. Such an assembly would maximize the fluid flow capacity of a catheter sized for insertion into any given size blood vessel.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention is a wire guided catheter assembly in which the guidewire lumen is adapted to collapse upon pressurization of the fluid lumen, thereby maximizing the size of the flow path available for fluid flow. The guidewire lumen is formed within the main catheter body, and within the fluid flow lumen. The entire catheter body can be used as a fluid flow lumen, or a separate fluid flow lumen may be established within a portion of the catheter body. In either case, the guidewire lumen is within the fluid flow lumen. In its expanded state, the guidewire lumen occupies a significant portion of the fluid flow lumen. In its collapsed state, the guidewire lumen occupies a very insignificant portion, or almost none, of the fluid flow lumen.  
           [0011]    The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, will be best understood from the attached drawings, taken along with the following description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which: 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a transverse section view of a first embodiment of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the guidewire lumen attached to the inside of the main body of the catheter;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a transverse section view of a second embodiment of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the guidewire lumen separately formed within the main body of the catheter;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a transverse section view of a third embodiment of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the fluid lumen separately formed within the main body of the catheter, and the guidewire lumen attached to the inside of the fluid lumen;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a transverse section view of a fourth embodiment of a catheter assembly according to the present invention, with the fluid lumen separately formed within the main body of the catheter, and the guidewire lumen separately formed within the fluid lumen; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a transverse section view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, with the guidewire lumen in its collapsed state. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    As seen in FIG. 1, the first embodiment of the catheter assembly  10  according to the present invention has a main catheter body  12 , which encompasses a fluid flow lumen  14 . Further, the main catheter body  12  encompasses a guidewire lumen  18 , which is formed in part by a guidewire lumen wall  16  and in part by a portion of the main catheter body  12 . The guidewire lumen wall  16  is constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The guidewire lumen wall  16  is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen  18  being in its expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen  18  is best suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly  10  through a vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen  18  is in its expanded state, the guidewire lumen  18  occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area of the catheter body  12 , thereby significantly reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the fluid flow lumen  14 . Therefore, for a given diameter of the catheter body  12 , the available fluid flow capacity through the fluid flow lumen  14  is significantly limited by the expansion of the guidewire lumen  18 .  
         [0021]    Once the catheter assembly  10  has been inserted to a desired point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen  14  can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause the guidewire lumen wall  16  to flex or move toward the guidewire lumen  18 , thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen  18  as shown in FIG. 2. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the guidewire lumen  18  may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can be removed from the guidewire lumen  18  before pressurization of the fluid flow lumen  14 , thereby allowing the guidewire lumen  18  to fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen  18  collapsed, the cross sectional area of the catheter body  12  available for the fluid flow lumen  14  has significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly  10  for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen  18 , the guidewire lumen  18  can be returned to its expanded state, shown in FIG. 1, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen  18  with a fluid such as a saline solution.  
         [0022]    As seen in FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the catheter assembly  20  according to the present invention has a main catheter body  22 , which encompasses a fluid flow lumen  24 . Further, the main catheter body  22  encompasses a guidewire lumen  28 , which is formed entirely by a tubular guidewire passageway  26  separately formed within the fluid flow lumen  24  of the main catheter body  22 . The tubular guidewire passageway  26  is constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The tubular guidewire passageway  26  is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen  28  being in its expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen  28  is best suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly  20  through a vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen  28  is in its expanded state, the guidewire lumen  28  occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area of the catheter body  22 , thereby significantly reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the fluid flow lumen  24 . Therefore, for a given diameter of the catheter body  22 , the available fluid flow capacity through the fluid flow lumen  24  is significantly limited by the expansion of the guidewire lumen  28 .  
         [0023]    Once the catheter assembly  20  has been inserted to a desired point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen  24  can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause the tubular guidewire passageway  26  to flex or move into the guidewire lumen  28 , thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen  28  as shown in FIG. 4. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the guidewire lumen  28  may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can be removed from the guidewire lumen  28  before pressurization of the fluid flow lumen  24 , thereby allowing the guidewire lumen  28  to fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen  28  collapsed, the cross sectional area of the catheter body  22  available for the fluid flow lumen  24  has significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly  20  for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen  28 , the guidewire lumen  28  can be returned to its expanded state, shown in FIG. 3, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen  28  with a fluid.  
         [0024]    As seen in FIG. 5, a third embodiment of the catheter assembly  30  according to the present invention has a main catheter body  31 , which encompasses a main catheter lumen  33 . The main catheter lumen  33  can be utilized for the return of fluid through the catheter assembly  30 , or for any other purpose. The main catheter body  31  also encompasses a fluid flow lumen  34 , which is formed by a separate tubular fluid flow passageway  32  within the main catheter lumen  33 . Further, the main catheter body  31  and the tubular fluid flow passageway  32  both encompass a guidewire lumen  38 , which is formed in part by a guidewire lumen wall  36  and in part by a portion of the tubular fluid flow passageway  32 . The guidewire lumen wall  36  is constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The guidewire lumen wall  36  is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen  38  being in its expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen  38  is best suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly  30  through a vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen  38  is in its expanded state, the guidewire lumen  38  occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow passageway  32 , thereby significantly reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the fluid flow lumen  34 . Therefore, for a given diameter of the catheter body  31 , and for a given diameter of the tubular fluid flow passageway  32 , the available fluid flow capacity through the fluid flow lumen  34  is significantly limited by the expansion of the guidewire lumen  38 .  
         [0025]    Once the catheter assembly  30  has been inserted to a desired point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen  34  can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause the guidewire lumen wall  36  to flex or move toward the guidewire lumen  38 , thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen  38  as shown in FIG. 6. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the guidewire lumen  38  may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can be removed from the guidewire lumen  38  before pressurization of the fluid flow lumen  34 , thereby allowing the guidewire lumen  38  to fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen  38  collapsed, the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow passageway  32  available for the fluid flow lumen  34  has significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly  30  for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen  38 , the guidewire lumen  38  can be returned to its expanded state, shown in FIG. 5, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen  38  with a fluid such as a saline solution.  
         [0026]    As seen in FIG. 7, a fourth embodiment of the catheter assembly  40  according to the present invention has a main catheter body  41 , which encompasses a main catheter lumen  43 . The main catheter lumen  43  can be utilized for the return of fluid through the catheter assembly  40 , or for any other purpose. The main catheter body  41  also encompasses a fluid flow lumen  44 , which is formed by a separate tubular fluid flow passageway  42  within the main catheter lumen  43 . Further, the main catheter body  41  and the tubular fluid flow passageway  42  both encompass a guidewire lumen  48 , which is formed entirely by a tubular guidewire passageway  46  separately formed within the fluid flow lumen  44  of the tubular fluid flow passageway  42 . The tubular guidewire passageway  46  is constructed of a relatively flexible material, and with a relatively thin wall thickness, preferably for example in the range of 0.0015 inch to 0.0020 inch. The tubular guidewire passageway  46  is shown fully distended, resulting in the guidewire lumen  48  being in its expanded state. In this condition, the guidewire lumen  48  is best suited for the passage of a guidewire (not shown), facilitating the insertion of the catheter assembly  40  through a vascular system of a patient. It can be seen that, when the guidewire lumen  48  is in its expanded state, the guidewire lumen  48  occupies a significant portion of the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow passageway  42 , thereby significantly reducing the cross sectional area which would be available for the fluid flow lumen  44 . Therefore, for a given diameter of the catheter body  41 , and for a given diameter of the tubular fluid flow passageway  42 , the available fluid flow capacity through the fluid flow lumen  44  is significantly limited by the expansion of the guidewire lumen  48 .  
         [0027]    Once the catheter assembly  40  has been inserted to a desired point in the vascular system of the patient, the fluid flow lumen  44  can be pressurized with fluid, to a pressure sufficient to cause the tubular guidewire passageway  46  to flex or move into the guidewire lumen  48 , thereby collapsing the guidewire lumen  48  as shown in FIG. 8. The pressure necessary for causing the collapse of the guidewire lumen  48  may be approximately 30 psig. The guidewire can be removed from the guidewire lumen  48  before pressurization of the fluid flow lumen  44 , thereby allowing the guidewire lumen  48  to fully collapse. It can be seen that, with the guidewire lumen  48  collapsed, the cross sectional area of the tubular fluid flow passageway  42  available for the fluid flow lumen  44  has significantly increased, essentially maximizing the fluid flow capacity of the catheter assembly  40  for a given overall diameter. When it is desired to again insert the guidewire into the guidewire lumen  48 , the guidewire lumen  48  can be returned to its expanded state, shown in FIG. 7, by pressurizing the guidewire lumen  48  with a fluid.  
         [0028]    While the invention as herein shown and disclosed is fully capable of providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended other than as described in the appended claims.