Drug delivery shockwave balloon catheter system

摘要

A catheter comprises an elongated carrier and a balloon carried by the carrier in sealed relation thereto. The balloon has an outer surface and is arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon. The catheter further comprises a shock wave generator within the balloon that forms mechanical shock waves within the balloon, and a medicinal agent carried on the outer surface of the balloon. The medicinal agent is releasable from the balloon by the shock waves.

主权项

1. A catheter comprising:
an elongated carrier; a balloon carried by the elongated carrier in sealed relation thereto, the balloon having an outer surface and being arranged to receive fluid therein that inflates the balloon; a shock wave generator including a pair of electrodes located within the balloon, said pair of electrodes configured so that when a high voltage pulse is delivered thereto, a plasma arc is created which in turn creates a mechanical shock wave within the balloon; and a medicinal agent attached to the outer surface of the balloon, the medicinal agent being releasable from the outer surface of the balloon in response to the shock wave created within the balloon, wherein, the outer surface of the balloon remains sealed both during and after the creation of the shock wave and the release of the medicinal agent from the outer surface of the balloon.