Patent ID: 8894680

Claim:
A rapid exchange balloon catheter system comprising: an outer conduit comprising a lumen and a wall surrounding said lumen, said wall comprises an elongated lateral opening formed therein; an inner conduit having a proximal end and a distal end, said inner conduit is suitable for total or partial passage over a guide wire, said inner conduit is movably disposed within the lumen of said outer conduit, said proximal end of said inner conduit has a port therein to allow passage of said guidewire within said inner conduit said proximal end of said inner conduit is laterally bent and passes through said elongated lateral opening of the wall of said outer conduit such that the laterally bent proximal end of said inner conduit can be axially moved within said lateral opening, and wherein the distal tip of said inner conduit extends beyond the distal tip of said outer conduit; a sealing sleeve for sealing said elongated lateral opening of said outer conduit, said sealing sleeve is sealingly attached to the laterally bent proximal end of said inner conduit such that said sealing sleeve may be axially moved with respect to said outer conduit when said inner conduit is axially moved within said outer conduit; a balloon whose proximal margin is sealingly attached to the outer surface of the distal tip of said outer conduit, and whose distal margin is sealingly attached to the outer surface of the portion of the inner conduit that extends beyond the distal tip of said outer conduit; a pushing-pulling mechanism disposed in said outer conduit, for causing axial pushing-pulling movements of said inner conduit and of said sealing sleeve, said pushing-pulling mechanism is configured to controllably proximally pull said inner conduit to cause intussuscepting of said balloon tube to form a cavity within said balloon; and a fluid port for the introduction of an expansion fluid into an annular space formed between the inner surface of the outer conduit and the outer surface of the inner conduit and therefrom into the lumen of said balloon, and for the removal of said expansion fluid from the lumen of said balloon and from said annular space.