Traction balloon
Balloon catheters and methods of making and using the same. A balloon catheter may include a catheter shaft and a balloon coupled thereto. A traction member may be coupled to the balloon catheter adjacent the balloon and may extend along a portion or all of the length of the balloon. The traction member can improve traction between the balloon and a target site.
1. A balloon catheter, comprising:
an elongate shaft;
a balloon coupled to the shaft, the balloon having an outer surface, a proximal end, and a distal end; and
a wire extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the catheter along the outer surface of the balloon, the wire having a gripping region defined by a helical winding of the wire for facilitating gripping or reducing slippage disposed along the outer surface of the balloon, the wire having a proximal end attached directly to the shaft adjacent the proximal end of the balloon and a distal end attached directly to the shaft adjacent the distal end of the balloon.
2. The balloon catheter of claim 1 , wherein the shaft has a guidewire lumen defined therein.
3. The balloon catheter of claim 2 , further comprising a guidewire disposed in the guidewire lumen.
4. The balloon catheter of claim 1 , wherein the gripping region is defined by a surface texture of the wire.
5. The balloon catheter of claim 1 , wherein the wire is a single wire.
6. The balloon catheter of claim 1 , wherein the wire includes a nickel-titanium alloy.
7. A balloon catheter, comprising:
an elongate shaft having a length, wherein a guidewire lumen is defined along at least a portion of the length of the shaft;
a balloon coupled to the shaft, the balloon having an outer surface, a proximal end, and a distal end, and an inflatable portion between the proximal end and the distal end; and
a wire having a surface that facilitates gripping or reduces slippage attached to the balloon catheter and extending along the outer surface of the balloon, the wire having a proximal end attached to the balloon catheter adjacent the proximal end of the balloon and a distal end attached to the balloon catheter adjacent to the distal end of the balloon and the wire extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the catheter along the outer surface of the balloon;
wherein the distal end of the wire is attached to the catheter shaft at a location distal of the inflatable portion of the balloon; and
wherein the surface is defined by a helical winding of the wire such that a series of windings form a series of peaks.
8. The balloon catheter of claim 7 , wherein the proximal end of the wire is attached to the catheter shaft at a location proximal to the proximal end of the balloon.
9. The balloon catheter of claim 7 , wherein the proximal end of the wire is attached to the proximal end of the balloon.
10. The balloon catheter of claim 7 , wherein the wire includes a nickel-titanium alloy.
11. The balloon catheter of claim 7 , wherein the guidewire lumen extends along on a portion of the length of the shaft.
12. A balloon catheter, comprising:
an elongate shaft having a length, wherein a guidewire lumen is defined along a portion of the length of the shaft;
a balloon coupled to the shaft, the balloon having an outer surface, a proximal end, and a distal end; and
a nickel-titanium alloy wire external to the balloon and extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the catheter along the outer surface of the balloon and attached to the shaft, the wire includes a gripping region defined by a helical winding of the wire such that a series of windings form a series of peaks for facilitating gripping or reducing slippage and the wire having a proximal end attached to the shaft adjacent the proximal end of the balloon and a distal end attached to the shaft adjacent to the distal end of the balloon.