Catheter Assembly For Blood Clots Removal

What is this patent about?

’703 is related to the field of medical devices, specifically endovascular catheters used for removing thromboembolic materials from the human body. The background highlights the challenges of aspirating clots, particularly harder, more organized clots that tend to clog catheters, leading to potential distal embolization and clinical complications. Existing aspiration techniques often fall short of achieving complete recanalization, creating a need for improved devices that are simple, safe, and effective in removing thromboembolic material.

The underlying idea behind ’703 is to enhance the performance of endovascular catheters by optimizing the catheter wall structure. This is achieved through a hybrid reinforcement combining a helical coil and a braid, along with a variable durometer outer jacket. The combination aims to improve pushability, flexibility, and kink resistance while maintaining a large inner lumen for effective aspiration. The design addresses the problem of catheter compression during percutaneous procedures, which can limit aspiration and overall performance.

The claims of ’703 focus on an endovascular catheter with a specific construction. It covers an elongate flexible catheter body with a central lumen, a catheter wall comprising an inner liner, the hybrid reinforcement (helical coil and braid) , and a variable outer jacket. A radiopaque marker is positioned on the distal end, bonded to the hybrid reinforcement. Crucially, the claim specifies a thickness ratio of the inner diameter to the outer diameter of 0.80 or higher, indicating a design that maximizes the lumen size relative to the overall catheter size.

In practice, the catheter's hybrid reinforcement provides a balance of strength and flexibility. The helical coil contributes to kink resistance and radial support, while the braid enhances torsional stiffness and pushability. The variable durometer outer jacket allows for a tailored flexibility profile, with a softer distal tip for atraumatic navigation and a stiffer proximal section for improved control. The radiopaque marker enables precise positioning under fluoroscopy, and the high inner-to-outer diameter ratio ensures efficient aspiration of clots.

The differentiation from prior approaches lies in the specific combination of the hybrid reinforcement and the controlled flexibility profile achieved through the variable durometer outer jacket. Traditional catheters may rely on single-layer reinforcements or uniform material properties, which can compromise either pushability, flexibility, or lumen size. By carefully selecting materials and combining a helical coil and braid, ’703 achieves a superior balance of these characteristics, leading to improved clot retrieval rates and reduced risk of complications compared to existing aspiration catheters.