INSTRUMENT PORT FOR EPICARDIAL ABLATION WITH INFLATABLE BALLOON
An instrument port includes an elongated shaft, a steerable tip, an offset balloon, and a working tube. The elongated shaft has proximal and distal ends and extending along a shaft axis, the elongated shaft having a fluid port defined in an external surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft. The steerable tip is attached to the distal end of the shaft. The offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft, the offset balloon having an internal volume in fluid communication with the fluid port, the offset balloon having an inflated state and a deflated state, wherein in the inflated state the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated with respect to the shaft axis. The working tube is disposed in the elongated shaft, the working tube forming a working channel to receive a medical instrument.
1 . An instrument port comprising:
an elongated shaft having proximal and distal ends and extending along a shaft axis, the elongated shaft having a fluid port defined in an external surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft;
a steerable tip attached to the distal end of the shaft;
an offset balloon attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft, the offset balloon having an internal volume in fluid communication with the fluid port, the offset balloon having an inflated state and a deflated state, wherein in the inflated state the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated with respect to the shaft axis; and
a working tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the working tube forming a working channel to receive a medical instrument.
2 . The instrument port of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the fluid tube fluidly coupled to the fluid port.
3 . The instrument port of claim 1 , wherein:
a proximal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a proximal side of the fluid port, and
a distal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a distal side of the fluid port.
4 . The instrument of claim 3 , wherein the offset balloon is formed of a wall having a variable wall thickness.
5 . The instrument port of claim 4 , wherein:
a first portion of the wall has a relatively thin wall thickness compared to a second portion of the wall that has a relatively thick wall thickness compared to the first portion of the wall, and
the first portion of the wall is on the first side of the elongated shaft, whereby in the inflated state the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated.
6 . The instrument port of claim 5 , wherein the proximal and distal sides of the offset balloon are attached to the external surface by tie-downs, bonds, and/or heat seals.
7 . The instrument port of claim 3 , wherein:
the offset balloon is attached to the external surface only on a first side of the elongated shaft, and
an offset balloon aperture in the offset balloon is fluidly coupled to the fluid port.
8 . The instrument port of claim 3 , wherein the offset balloon is disposed between a balloon restriction tube section and the external surface on a second side of the elongated shaft, the balloon restriction tube section restricting an inflation volume of the offset balloon to only a first side of the elongated shaft when the offset balloon is in the inflated state.
9 . The instrument port of claim 8 , wherein the balloon restriction tube section comprises a horizontal cylindrical segment.
10 . The instrument port of claim 1 , wherein the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated with respect to an inflation plane, the shaft axis lying in the inflation plane.
11 . The instrument port of claim 1 , wherein the offset balloon has a partially-inflated state in which a partially-inflated volume of the offset balloon is in a range of about 10% to about 90% of a fully-inflated volume of the offset balloon, the offset balloon having the fully-inflated volume when the offset balloon is in a fully-inflated state.
12 . An instrument port comprising:
an elongated shaft having proximal and distal ends and extending along a shaft axis, the elongated shaft having a fluid port defined in an external surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft;
a bendable shaft attached to the distal end of the elongated shaft;
a steerable tip attached to the distal end of the shaft, the steerable tip extending along a tip axis;
an offset balloon attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft, the offset balloon having an internal volume in fluid communication with the fluid port, the offset balloon having an inflated state and a deflated state, wherein in the inflated state the offset balloon is only inflated on a first side of the elongated shaft;
a fluid tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the fluid tube fluidly coupled to the fluid port; and
a working tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the working tube forming a working channel to receive a medical instrument.
13 . The instrument port of claim 12 , further comprising a handle attached to the proximal end of the elongated shaft, the handle including a handle fluid port that is fluidly coupled to the fluid tube to introduce or receive a fluid.
14 . The instrument port of claim 13 , wherein a distal end of the fluid tube is capped to define a closed fluid path between the fluid port and the fluid port.
15 . The instrument port of claim 14 , wherein:
the fluid tube includes a fluid tube aperture, and
the fluid tube is attached to an internal surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft to fluidly couple the fluid tube aperture and the fluid port.
16 . The instrument port of claim 12 , wherein:
a proximal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a proximal side of the fluid port, and
a distal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a distal side of the fluid port.
17 . The instrument of claim 16 , wherein the offset balloon is formed of a wall having a variable wall thickness.
18 . The instrument port of claim 17 , wherein:
a first portion of the wall has a relatively thin wall thickness compared to a second portion of the wall that has a relatively thick wall thickness compared to the first portion of the wall, and
the first portion of the wall is on the first side of the elongated shaft, whereby the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated, with respect to the shaft axis, in the inflated state.
19 . The instrument port of claim 16 , wherein the proximal and distal sides of the offset balloon are attached to the external surface by tie-downs, bonds, and/or heat seals.
20 . The instrument port of claim 16 , wherein:
the proximal and distal sides of the offset balloon are attached to the external surface on the first side of the elongated shaft, and
an offset balloon aperture in the offset balloon is fluidly coupled to the fluid port.
21 . The instrument port of claim 16 , wherein the offset balloon is disposed between a balloon restriction tube section and the external surface on a second side of the elongated shaft, the balloon restriction tube section restricting an inflation volume of the offset balloon to only the first side of the elongated shaft when the offset balloon is in the inflated state.
22 . The instrument port of claim 22 , wherein the balloon restriction tube section comprises a horizontal cylindrical segment.
23 . The instrument port of claim 12 , wherein the offset balloon is radially asymmetrically inflated with respect to an inflation plane, the shaft axis lying the inflation plane.
24 . The instrument port of claim 12 , wherein the offset balloon has a partially-inflated state in which a partially-inflated volume of the offset balloon is in a range of about 10% to about 90% of a fully-inflated volume of the offset balloon, the offset balloon having the fully-inflated volume when the offset balloon is in the inflated state.
25 . An instrument port comprising:
an elongated shaft having proximal and distal ends and extending along a shaft axis, the elongated shaft having a fluid port defined in an external surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft;
a bendable shaft attached to the distal end of the elongated shaft;
a steerable tip attached to the distal end of the shaft, the steerable tip extending along a tip axis;
an offset balloon attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft, the offset balloon having an internal volume in fluid communication with the fluid port, the offset balloon having an inflated state and a deflated state;
a fluid tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the fluid tube fluidly coupled to the fluid port; and
a working tube disposed in the elongated shaft, the working tube forming a working channel to receive a medical instrument.
26 . The instrument port of claim 25 , further comprising a handle attached to the proximal end of the elongated shaft, the handle including a handle fluid port that is fluidly coupled to the fluid tube to introduce or receive a fluid.
27 . The instrument port of claim 26 , wherein a distal end of the fluid tube is capped to define a closed fluid path between the fluid port and the fluid port.
28 . The instrument port of claim 27 , wherein:
the fluid tube includes a fluid tube aperture, and
the fluid tube is attached to an internal surface at the distal end of the elongated shaft to fluidly couple the fluid tube aperture and the fluid port.
29 . The instrument port of claim 25 , wherein:
a proximal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a proximal side of the fluid port, and
a distal side of the offset balloon is attached to the external surface of the elongated shaft on a distal side of the fluid port.
30 . The instrument port of claim 25 , wherein in the inflated state the offset balloon is radially symmetrically inflated with respect to the shaft axis.
31 . The instrument port of claim 25 , wherein the offset balloon has a partially-inflated state in which a partially-inflated volume of the offset balloon is in a range of about 10% to about 90% of a fully-inflated volume of the offset balloon, the offset balloon having the fully-inflated volume when the offset balloon is in the inflated state.