US-12623049-B2 - Intravascular device with enhanced one-beam cut pattern

Abstract

Disclosed are intravascular devices having enhanced one-beam cut patterns. An elongated member includes a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams interspersed between a plurality of circumferentially extending rings. The beams are formed using a dual-pass cutting method in which a blade makes two, rotationally offset cutting passes at a given longitudinal location of the elongated member. The resulting beam has enhanced structure that avoids overly sharp edges and minimizes structural weak points.

Inventors

• Edward J. Snyder

Assignees

• SCIENTIA VASCULAR, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20200422

Claims (18)

1. 1 . An intravascular device formed from a stock material, the intravascular device comprising: an elongated member extending between a proximal end and a distal end along a longitudinal axis, and having a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams and circumferentially extending rings in a one-beam cut pattern, wherein between each pair of adjacent circumferentially extending rings is disposed a single axially extending beam without other axially extending beams; wherein at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern includes an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a pair of lateral surfaces, wherein the lateral surfaces are substantially planar; wherein an angle formed between the interior surface and one or both of the lateral surfaces is between about 75 degrees and about 120 degrees; wherein an angle formed between the exterior surface and one or both lateral surfaces is greater than about 45 degrees; and wherein the at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern has a shape resulting from cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a first angle, and cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a second angle, wherein the first angle and the second angle are 60 degrees to 120 degrees apart.
2. 2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the angle formed between the interior surface and one or both of the lateral surfaces is between about 80 degrees and about 120 degrees.
3. 3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated member is a tube structure.
4. 4 . The device of claim 3 , further comprising a core disposed within the tube structure.
5. 5 . The device of claim 3 , further comprising an inner tube disposed within the tube structure.
6. 6 . The device of claim 3 , further comprising one or more coils disposed within the tube structure.
7. 7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated member comprises a polymer.
8. 8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the rings and beams are encapsulated in a polymer.
9. 9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated member comprises a nickel-titanium alloy.
10. 10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated member comprises stainless steel.
11. 11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the elongated member is formed from two or more different materials.
12. 12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam has a substantially uniform thickness across its circumferential length.
13. 13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the angle formed between the exterior surface and one or both lateral surfaces is about 50 degrees to about 90 degrees.
14. 14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the intravascular device is a guidewire.
15. 15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the intravascular device is a microcatheter.
16. 16 . An intravascular device formed from a stock material, the intravascular device comprising: an elongated member extending between a proximal end and a distal end along a longitudinal axis, and having a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams and circumferentially extending rings in a one-beam cut pattern, wherein between each pair of adjacent circumferentially extending rings is disposed a single axially extending beam without other axially extending beams; wherein at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern includes an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a pair of lateral surfaces; wherein an angle formed between the interior surface and one or both of the lateral surfaces is between about 75 degrees and about 130 degrees, and wherein an angle formed between the exterior surface and one or both lateral surfaces is greater than about 45 degrees, and wherein the at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern has a shape resulting from cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a first angle, and cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a second angle, wherein the first angle and the second angle are 60 degrees to 120 degrees apart.
17. 17 . An intravascular device formed from a stock material, the intravascular device comprising: an elongated member extending between a proximal end and a distal end along a longitudinal axis, and having a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams and circumferentially extending rings in a one-beam cut pattern, wherein between each pair of adjacent circumferentially extending rings is disposed a single axially extending beam without other axially extending beams; a core disposed within the tube structure; and one or more coils disposed within the tube structure; wherein at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern includes an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a pair of lateral surfaces, wherein the lateral surfaces are substantially planar; wherein an angle formed between the interior surface and one or both of the lateral surfaces is about 80 degrees to about 120 degrees; wherein an angle formed between the exterior surface and one or both lateral surfaces is about 50 degrees to about 90 degrees; and wherein the at least one beam of the one-beam cut pattern has a shape resulting from cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a first angle, and cutting the stock material to a depth of 30% to 70% of the stock material diameter from a second angle, wherein the first angle and the second angle are 60 degrees to 120 degrees apart.
18. 18 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the lateral surfaces of the at least one beam are substantially perpendicular to interior surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/842,216, filed May 2, 2019 and titled “INTRAVASCULAR DEVICE WITH ENHANCED ONE-BEAM CUT PATTERN,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by this reference. BACKGROUND Interventional devices such as guidewires and catheters are frequently utilized in the medical field to perform delicate procedures deep within the human body. Typically, a catheter is inserted into a patient's femoral, radial, carotid, or jugular vessel and navigated through the patient's vasculature to the heart, brain, or other targeted anatomy as required. Often, a guidewire is first routed to the targeted anatomy, and one or more catheters are subsequently passed over the guidewire and routed to the targeted anatomy. Once in place, the catheter can be used to deliver drugs, stents, embolic devices, radiopaque dyes, or other devices or substances for treating the patient in a desired manner. In many applications, such an interventional device must be angled through the tortuous bends and curves of a vasculature passageway to arrive at the targeted anatomy. For example, directing a guidewire and/or catheter to portions of the neurovasculature requires passage through the internal carotid artery and other tortuous paths. Such an interventional device requires sufficient flexibility, particularly closer to its distal end, to navigate such tortuous pathways. In some cases, portions of the device are microfabricated to increase flexibility. For example, a guidewire may include an outer elongated tube that includes a series of machine-cut fenestrations near the distal end and sometimes at other locations. The cuts are typically arranged to define a series of axially extending “beams” that connect a series of circumferentially extending “rings.” While such microfabricating techniques are beneficial for increasing the flexibility of elongated intravascular components, several challenges remain. There is thus a long felt and ongoing need for improved intravascular devices and methods that enable the manufacture of such devices. SUMMARY Disclosed are intravascular devices, including guidewires and microcatheters, having enhanced one-beam cut patterns. An elongated member includes a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams interspersed between a plurality of circumferentially extending rings. The beams are formed using a dual-pass cutting method in which a blade makes two rotationally offset cutting passes at each longitudinal location of the elongated member. The resulting beam has enhanced structural features that avoid overly sharp edges and minimize structural weak points. In one embodiment, an intravascular device includes an elongated member extending between a proximal end and a distal end along a longitudinal axis, the elongated member having a plurality of fenestrations that define a plurality of axially extending beams and circumferentially extending rings. At least one beam includes an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a pair of lateral surfaces, wherein an angle formed between the interior surface and one or both of the lateral surfaces is less than 135 degrees. In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing an intravascular device comprises the steps of: providing a piece of stock material; passing a blade into the stock material to form a first cut in the stock material without passing completely through the stock material, the blade being oriented such that a cutting edge is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the stock material; rotating the stock material relative to the blade without longitudinally advancing the stock material relative to the blade; and passing the blade into the stock material to form a second cut. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various objects, features, characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, all of which form a part of this specification wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures and wherein the various elements depicted are not necessarily drawn to scale; and wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary intravascular device such as a guidewire or microcatheter; FIG. 2 illustrates the distal end of an embodiment of an intravascular device configured as a guidewire; FIG. 3 illustrates an elongated member with a one-beam cut pattern; FIG. 4 illustrates a typical process for forming a one-beam cut pattern in a piece of stock material; FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the structu