US-20260123987-A1 - OPTICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR INTRAVASCULAR LITHOTRIPSY DEVICE

Abstract

A catheter system ( 100 ) for placement within a blood vessel ( 108 ) having a vessel wall ( 108 A) for treating a treatment site ( 106 ) within or adjacent to the vessel wall ( 108 A) within a body ( 107 ) of a patient ( 109 ) includes a system console ( 123 ), one or more energy guides ( 122 A), and an optical connector assembly ( 251 ). The system console ( 123 ) includes an energy source ( 124 ) and a console connection aperture ( 148 ). The one or more energy guides ( 122 A) are configured to receive energy from the energy source ( 124 ). The optical connector assembly ( 251 ) includes a guide coupling housing ( 250 ) that retains at least a portion of each of the one or more energy guides ( 122 A). The guide coupling housing ( 250 ) is configured to be mechanically connected to the system console ( 123 ) with at least a portion of the guide coupling housing ( 250 ) being configured to fit and be selectively retained within the console connection aperture ( 148 ) so that the one or more energy guides ( 122 A) are adjustably and more precisely aligned within the guide coupling housing ( 250 ) and relative to the energy from the energy source ( 124 ) to receive the energy from the energy source ( 124 ).

Inventors

• Eric Schultheis
• Alvin Salinas
• Peter Dahl

Assignees

• BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20260105

Claims (1)

1. 1 . A catheter system for use by a user in treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a blood vessel in a patient, the catheter system comprising: a system console including an energy source and a console connection aperture, the energy source generating energy; one or more energy guides that are configured to receive energy from the energy source; and an optical connector assembly including a guide coupling housing that retains at least a portion of each of the one or more energy guides, the guide coupling housing being configured to be mechanically connected to the system console, at least a portion of the guide coupling housing being configured to fit and be selectively retained within the console connection aperture so that the one or more energy guides are adjustably aligned within the guide coupling housing to better receive the energy from the energy source, the optical connector assembly including a plurality of ferrules, each ferrule being configured to retain a portion of one of the one or more energy guides, the optical connector assembly including a ferrule housing, the ferrule housing having a plurality of positioning apertures, each positioning aperture being configured to retain at least a portion of one of the plurality of ferrules, each of the plurality of positioning apertures having a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the ferrule that is retained therein so that the ferrule is movable within the positioning aperture.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/125,050, filed Mar. 22, 2023, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/326,844, filed on Apr. 2, 2022 and which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes. Any and all priority claims identified in the Application Data Sheet, or any correction thereto, are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 C.F.R. § 1.57. BACKGROUND Vascular lesions within vessels in the body can be associated with an increased risk for major adverse events, such as myocardial infarction, embolism, deep vein thrombosis, stroke, and the like. Severe vascular lesions, such as severely calcified vascular lesions, can be difficult to treat and achieve patency for a physician in a clinical setting. Vascular lesions may be treated using interventions such as drug therapy, balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, stent placement, vascular graft bypass, to name a few. Such interventions may not always be ideal or may require subsequent treatment to address the lesion. Intravascular lithotripsy is one method that has been recently used with some success for breaking up vascular lesions within vessels in the body. Intravascular lithotripsy utilizes a combination of pressure waves and bubble dynamics that are generated intravascularly in a fluid-filled balloon catheter. In particular, during an intravascular lithotripsy treatment, a high energy source is used to generate plasma and ultimately pressure waves as well as a rapid bubble expansion within a fluid-filled balloon to crack calcification at a treatment site within the vasculature that includes one or more vascular lesions. The associated rapid bubble formation from the plasma initiation and resulting localized fluid velocity within the balloon transfers mechanical energy through the incompressible fluid to impart a fracture force on the intravascular calcium, which is opposed to the balloon wall. The rapid change in fluid momentum upon hitting the balloon wall is known as hydraulic shock, or water hammer. There is an ongoing desire to enhance vessel patency and optimization of therapy delivery parameters within an intravascular lithotripsy catheter system in a manner that is relatively easy to control and is consistently manufacturable. SUMMARY The present invention is directed toward a catheter system for placement within a blood vessel having a vessel wall. The catheter system can be used by a user for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to the vessel wall within a body of a patient. In various embodiments, the catheter system includes a system console, one or more energy guides, and an optical connector assembly. The system console includes an energy source and a console connection aperture. The one or more energy guides are configured to receive energy from the energy source. The optical connector assembly includes a guide coupling housing that retains at least a portion of each of the one or more energy guides. The guide coupling housing is configured to be mechanically connected to the system console with at least a portion of the guide coupling housing being configured to fit and be selectively retained within the console connection aperture so that the one or more energy guides are adjustably and more precisely aligned within the guide coupling housing and relative to the energy from the energy source to receive the energy from the energy source. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly further includes a plurality of ferrules, and each of the plurality of ferrules is configured to retain a portion of one of the one or more energy guides. In certain embodiments, the optical connector assembly further includes a ferrule housing having a plurality of positioning apertures that are each configured to retain at least a portion of one of the plurality of ferrules spaced apart from one another. Each of the plurality of positioning apertures can be larger than a diameter of the ferrule that is retained therein to allow the ferrule to move relative to the positioning aperture. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly further includes a position compensator that is configured to provide a spring force to keep the ferrules in an aligned position relative to the console connection aperture while still allowing the ferrules to move relative to the ferrule housing. In certain embodiments, the ferrule housing is adjustably positioned within the guide coupling housing so that the ferrule housing is movable relative to the guide coupling housing. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly further includes a resilient plate that is configured to control movement of the ferrule housing within the guide coupling housing. In certain embodiments, the guide coupling housing includes a console facing side, and the plura