WIRE GUIDED LASER CATHETER

摘要

2B410/726 AZB/dmc 09/15/86 7409B WIRE GUIDED LASER CATHETER A catheter having optical fibers for delivering laser energy to a blood vessel to remove obstructions in the blood vessel is adapted to be guided controllably and selectively by a guide wire to the site to be treated. The catheter includes a central lumen which is open at the distal end of the catheter and which receives the guide wire so that the catheter may be advanced over the guide wire. A relatively few number of optical fibers are contained within and extend longitudinally of the catheter wall. The distal tip of the catheter is provided with a cylindrical optically transparent end cap and means are provided to securely mount the distal ends of the optical fibers with respect to the end cap so that the light emitted from the ends of the fibers passes through the cylindrical wall of the end cap and is emitted at the distal emissions face of the end cap. The end cap also serves to protect the distal ends of the fibers by isolating them from contact with biological material. The catheter embodies a special construction of an inner catheter core and a surrounding sheath which provides for a high degree of flexibility to enable 2B410/726 AZB/dmc 09/15/86 7409B the catheter to be passed through tortuous passages in a patient's vasculature. The inner core is formed from a plurality of articulated segments and is surrounded by a thin flexible sheath. Longitudinal flutes formed along the articulated segments of the core receive and retain the optical fibers in a manner which permits the fibers, sheath and core to shift longitudinally with respect to each other to provide a very high degree of flexibility for the composite catheter. The catheter construction is such that it can be used with a small diameter guide wire in a manner which permits liquids to be infused and aspirated as well as to permit pressure measurements to be made through the catheter while the guide wire is in place and extends through the catheter lumen.