Researchers at University of Pittsburgh have developed a novel dual lumen intravascular ultrasound catheter, with the primary goal of optimizing the process of true lumen reentry during chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention.
Description
Traditionally, a coronary intervention involves crossing the blocked artery with a guidewire over which the angioplasty and stenting is performed. This is done with guidance based on angiographic imaging. Yet, there are certain situations where wire crossing cannot be done based solely on angiographic imaging due to the target area being either completely occluded with no dye penetration, or the exact origin of the branch to be accessed is unclear. This invention improves the guidance of guidewires during procedures by allowing direct imaging of the targeted area. This device uses real-time ultrasound imaging of the targeted area, which is expected to increase the success rate of the procedure.
Applications
• Coronary angioplasty procedures
• Interventional cardiology procedures
• Chronic total occlusions
Advantages
The proposed technology has potential advantages over current products and technologies, including increased success of reentry, additional uses beyond reentry guidance, and compatibility with higher resolution and miniaturization for coronary use. Additionally, this dual lumen catheter optimizes the process of true lumen reentry during chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention using an antegrade dissection reentry approach. The current technology, the Stingray catheter, has limitations in visualizing and selecting the best spot for successful reentry. The comparable technologies in this field are the Stingray balloon by Boston Scientific which is based on angiographic guidance and the Pioneer device by Volcano/Phillips which uses US but it is only used for very large vessels in the periphery. In contrast, this innovative miniaturized catheter device uses high definition rotational real-time ultrasound imaging of the targeted area, allowing for increased accuracy during the procedure.
Invention Readiness
The inventor has a prototype design ready for execution once funding is available.
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8827943B2
