The present invention relates to methods and devices directed toward providing transvascular retrograde access placement in central vessels. More particularly, these methods and devices direct an initial passage of a guidewire from the inside of the vessel to the outside, followed by guided insertion of a catheter over the guidewire into the vessel.
All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification, either by an inventor common to this application or by other inventors, are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
Gaining direct access by way of a catheter to a central vein (one which goes directly to the heart) is a common procedure that is useful for a number of medical needs, including providing fluids and nutrition, administering drugs, and allowing access to the heart for cardiovascular measurements or the implantation of devices such as pacemakers. Conventional approaches for performing central venous catheterization, as shown in
While this conventional technique is usually accomplished with few or any complications and minimal pain to the patient, the technique, due to the blind percutaneous puncture, inherently carries significant risks. These risks include potentially disabling or life-threatening injuries such as injury to adjacent vascular and lymphatic structures or nerves, occurrence of stroke secondary to vascular injury, or occurrence of pneumothorax or hemothorax. The risk of eventualities such as these are more likely when the technique is performed on children or on adult patients with challenging anatomy or conditions, such emaciation or morbid obesity.
Safer and more cost-efficient alternative approaches to central vein access that obviate the need for blind percutaneous vein puncture would be a welcome addition to the possible approaches available to patients requiring central vein access.
The present invention provides methods for performing transvascular retrograde access placement in a central blood vessel as well as devices that facilitate the method. Embodiments of the method include positioning a vascular catheter within the central blood vessel such that a portion of the vascular catheter faces a desired exit site on a wall of the central blood vessel, passing a penetrating device from the vascular catheter through the desired exit site on the wall of the central blood vessel and skin of the patient, and passing an end of a secondary vascular catheter through the exit site and into the central blood vessel. Some embodiments of the method, prior to the positioning step, further include inserting the vascular catheter into a primary blood vessel of the patient and advancing the vascular catheter to the desired exit site on the wall of the central blood vessel. Exemplary central blood vessels include a jugular vein or a subclavian vein; exemplary primary blood vessels, which provide an approach to the central vessel, include a femoral vein or an antecubital vein.
Some embodiments of the method, prior to the passing the penetrating device through the central vein exit site, further include advancing the penetrating device through the vascular catheter to the desired exit site. In some of these embodiments, the catheter includes more than one channel, and advancing the penetrating device through the vascular catheter includes advancing through a one of the channels.
Some embodiments of the method, prior to passing the penetrating device through the exit site, further include forming an opening at the desired exit site in the wall of the central blood vessel with the penetrating device. Exemplary penetrating devices may include any of a needle, a radiofrequency knife, a laser, a high frequency ultrasound device, or an electrosurgical device. Some embodiments of the invention include supporting the penetrating device on an end of a stiff intravascular guidewire.
In some embodiments of the method, passing an end of the secondary vascular catheter through the exit site of the central vein includes passing the secondary vascular catheter over the penetrating device. In other embodiments of the method, the penetrating device is supported on an end of a guidewire but then removed after the penetrating device is passed through the exit site and skin, such that passing an end of the secondary vascular catheter through the exit site of the central vein includes passing it over the guidewire.
In some embodiments of the method, after passing the penetrating device through the exit site, the method further includes pulling the vascular catheter and the penetrating device through the skin; and removing the vascular catheter from the patient while leaving the guidewire in position. In some of these embodiments, the method further includes removing the vascular catheter from the patient.
Some embodiments of the method include providing a diagnostically-opaque substance into a vascular system prior to the positioning step. Still other embodiments include visualizing diagnostically-opaque markers on the vascular catheter prior to passing the penetrating device through the desired exit site.
In some embodiments, the vascular catheter used in the method comprises an angled-tip. The vascular catheter used in the method may further include a first channel and a second channel, and in these embodiments, the method may further include introducing an angled-tip stiff obturator into the vascular catheter through the first channel. In some of these embodiments, a distal tip of the angled-tip stiff obturator has a preferred angle with respect to a proximal length of the obturator, and advancing the obturator through the vascular catheter includes advancing the obturator to a distal end of the catheter; and altering an angle of the distal end of the catheter toward the preferred angle of the angled tip.
Embodiments of the invention also include methods of performing vascular access placement through an exit-formed opening in a blood vessel of a patient. This method embodiment includes positioning a vascular catheter within the blood vessel such that a portion of the vascular catheter faces a desired exit site on a wall of the blood vessel, passing a penetrating device from the vascular catheter through the desired exit site on the wall of the blood vessel and a skin site of the patient over the desired exit site, and passing an end of a secondary vascular catheter through the exit site and into the blood vessel. In various embodiments of this method, the blood vessel may be a vein, a central vein, or an artery.
In another aspect, embodiments of the invention include a method of placing a vascular access device in a central blood vessel of a patient that includes penetrating outward from within the vessel to form a pass-through site on a wall of the vessel that exits the patient; and placing the vascular access device into the vessel through the pass-through site.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the method, following the penetrating step, the method includes withdrawing the penetrating device back through the pass-through site into a vascular catheter; and advancing a guidewire from the catheter through the pass-through site to emerge through skin overlaying the blood vessel. In these embodiments of the method, the placing step may include passing the vascular access device over the guidewire. In other embodiments of this aspect of the method, the penetrating step includes advancing a stiff intravascular guidewire with a distally-mounted penetrating device through a distal tip of a vascular catheter. In these embodiments, the placing step includes passing the vascular access device over the guidewire.
Further, embodiments of this aspect of the method may include, positioning a distal tip of a vascular catheter within the vessel to face a desired pass-through site on a wall of the vessel. In these embodiments, the positioning step may include advancing the vascular catheter to the pass-through site from a direction (such as from the direction of the heart), and wherein the placing step comprises placing the vascular access device into the vessel oriented in that direction (such as toward the heart).
Embodiments of the invention include various devices adapted particularly for use in the method as summarized above. A device suitable for use in performing transvascular retrograde access placement includes a stiff intravascular guidewire and a vascular wall penetrating device supported on a distal end of the guidewire. In some embodiments, the vascular wall penetrating device is removably coupled to the guidewire, as for example, with a threaded mechanism.
Various types of tissue-penetrating devices may be used by embodiments of the stiff, penetrating guidewire, as for example, a needle, a radiofrequency knife, a laser, a high frequency ultrasound device, or an electrosurgical device. Some embodiments of a needle as a penetrating device range in length from at least about 1 cm to about 2.5 cm, such length generally being sufficient to penetrate outwardly from the jugular vein, through intervening tissue, and exit from the skin. Embodiments of the invention that are applied to vascular sites other than the jugular vein may vary from these dimensions as may be appropriate for the anatomy surrounding the vascular site. Embodiments of the stiff penetrating guidewire have a length that varies between about 150 cm and about 300 cm; particular embodiments have a length that varies between about 225 cm and about 275 cm. In some embodiments, the guidewire has a lubricious coating.
Embodiments of the invention also include a device suitable for use in performing transvascular retrograde access placement comprising a vascular catheter comprising an angled tip and two channels. In some of these embodiments, at least one of the two channels has an inner diameter of at least about that of an external diameter of a 22-gauge needle. In some embodiments, the angled-tip includes an angled portion with an angle of about 30 to about 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the catheter. In some of these embodiments, the angled portion is sufficiently elastic to become substantially linear when the catheter is within the confines of a blood vessel and to elastically assume a more acute angle when a curved obturator with an angled portion is advanced into the angled portion of the vascular catheter
Some embodiments of the angled-tip vascular catheter have one or more diagnostically-opaque markers attached to or incorporated into the catheter structure, particularly the distal portion of the catheter, to allow their visualization by diagnostic imaging methods. In some embodiments, these markers are positioned within or about the angled-tip of the angled-tip vascular catheter.
Embodiments of a method of the transvascular retrograde access placement, as provided herein, include the puncturing of a central blood vessel from the inside of the vessel with a penetrating device, such as a needle or other similarly configured device, and exiting that penetrating device from a patient through the skin. In some embodiments of the method, that penetrating device is supported at the distal end of a stiff intravascular guidewire; in other embodiments, the method may make use of an elongate needle which is then withdrawn prior to the passing a guidewire through the opening formed by the needle. By either approach, i.e., using an elongate needle or using a penetrating device at the distal end of a guidewire, the method involves passing outward through the skin, such passing originating from within the blood vessel. By such an inside-to-outside approach, the ability of a surgeon to precisely determine the location of a pass-through site in the vascular wall is substantially enhanced over prior art methods that rely on a conventional outside-to-inside approach, as shown in
After the penetrating device penetrates through the skin to the exterior of the body, a vascular catheter may be inserted into the central blood vessel by means of the passing the catheter over the penetrating device in a retrograde direction. In embodiments where the penetrating device is supported by a stiff intravascular guidewire, the vascular catheter passes over the guidewire, either after passing over the penetrating device or instead of passing over the penetrating device in the event that the penetrating device is removed after effecting passage through the skin and being pulled free therefrom. Exemplary penetrating devices or technologies other than a needle may include, for example any of a radiofrequency knife, laser, high frequency ultrasound device, or an electrosurgical device. Although exemplary penetrating devices as described and as depicted herein, are typically represented as a needle or a needle-tipped guidewire, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention include the use of any of these tissue penetrating elements.
Embodiments of the method and devices for implementing the method are directed toward various regions of the vascular system, in accordance with particular medical indications. One particular use of the methods of the invention is for central vein access, in which a central vein, such as a jugular vein or subclavian vein is accessed. The initial approach to the central vein, by way of a guidewire, followed by a vascular catheter, is by way entry into a primary vein, such as femoral vein or antecubital vein. Thereafter, a penetrating element, positioned by advancement from the primary vein site of entry to a desired site of exit in the central vein, creates an opening through the vessel wall and overlaying skin. That site of exit, in turn, becomes the site of re-entry for a central vein catheter. Inasmuch as what is initially formed as an exit site from the vessel can later be used as a site for entry for a central vein catheter, the site of opening/entry may also be neutrally referred to as a vascular pass-through site.
Embodiments of the invention, while generally described and depicted herein in the context of providing retrograde access into a central vein through an opening originally formed as an exit from the central vein, the invention may also be generally understood as providing methods of vascular entry through an exit-formed opening in blood vessels other than a central vein. This method embodiment includes positioning a vascular catheter within a blood vessel such that a portion of the vascular catheter faces a desired exit site on a wall of the blood vessel, passing a penetrating device that is advanced from the vascular catheter through the desired exit site on the wall of the blood vessel and a skin site of the patient overlaying the desired exit site, and passing an end of a secondary vascular catheter through the exit site and into the blood vessel. In various embodiments of this method, the blood vessel may be a vein, a central vein, or an artery. An example of an artery that is particularly difficult to access externally is the subclavian artery, thus there may be advantages to accessing the subclavian artery by such methods as described herein.
Some embodiments of the methods of transvascular retrograde access placement of the present invention are performed in a jugular 14 or subclavian 16 vein, although it is contemplated by the present invention that these methods may be performed through the puncture or penetration of any central blood vessel, the initial penetration occurring from the inside of the vessel, toward the outside. As shown in
Embodiments of the method of transvascular retrograde access placement of the present invention generally include performing cannulation of a primary blood vessel, as, for example, a femoral vein 12 or antecubital 18 vein; inserting an angled-tip vascular catheter 40, as may be modified by the invention as described further below, into the blood vessel; and positioning the angled-tip vascular catheter 40 inside a central blood vessel, as, for example, a jugular 14 or subclavian 16 vein, of the vascular system. The method continues with the passing of a needle or other similarly functional penetrating device, or a guidewire 50 modified so as to include a needle-tip portion 52, through or about the vascular catheter 40; and penetrating through the wall 15 of that central blood vessel with the needle, passing the needle through the subcutaneous tissue, and exiting the needle through the patient's skin. The vascular catheter 40 may then be removed from the patient, leaving the guidewire in place. A secondary vascular catheter 60 may then be passed over the needle from the outside of the skin such that a distal end of the secondary vascular catheter 60 is placed within the punctured central blood vessel while a proximal end of the secondary vascular catheter 60 remains exposed from the skin of the patient. The needle is then fully removed from the patient at either the exit site from the central blood vessel or from the initial cannulation site in the primary blood vessel.
According to the herein described methods of the present invention for performing transvascular retrograde access placement, these methods may further include using advanced diagnostic imaging technologies such as fluoroscopy, by way of example. By providing a diagnostically-opaque substance, usually an iodinated vascular contrast material, to the vascular system of the patient so that the vascular system is visible through advanced diagnostic imaging technologies, the level of safety is enhanced in performing these methods. This diagnostically-opaque substance generally is introduced into the vascular system prior to the insertion of the vascular catheter 40 into the primary blood vessel and, again, in the vicinity of a central blood vessel immediately prior to the puncture of a wall 15 of the central blood vessel.
The primary blood vessel cannulation may be achieved by means of the Modified Seldinger Technique, wherein the desired vessel or cavity is punctured with a sharp hollow needle; a round-tipped guidewire (the first of several guidewires used in this procedure) is then advanced through the lumen of the needle, and the needle is withdrawn. An introducer is then inserted over the round-tipped guidewire, and into the vessel; a “sheath” or blunt cannula is passed through the introducer; and the guidewire and introducer are then withdrawn. The sheath can then be used to introduce catheters into the vessel.
In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the Modified Seldinger Technique typically is performed with an 18-gauge hollow needle about 2⅞ inches in length, and a 5 cc syringe secured to the end of the 18-gauge needle opposite of the needle-tip. Typically, a femoral vein 12 is percutaneously cannulated with the needle. Once blood from the femoral vein 12 is aspirated into the syringe, the syringe is removed while the needle is held in place. Through this needle, a short guidewire, such as a J-tip wire measuring about 0.035 inches in diameter and about 20 centimeters in length may be advanced up the femoral vein 12 and into the iliac vein. The needle is then removed while the short guidewire is held in place. Thereafter, as shown in
Then, with the vascular sheath 20 being substantially introduced into the patient, the short guidewire and the stiff introducer are removed and the vascular sheath 20 may be flushed by inserting heparinized saline solution into the vascular sheath 20 through the hemostatic valve 22. In various embodiments of the methods of the present invention, the Modified Seldinger Technique may be performed with other similarly sized and configured needles, syringes, sheaths, and/or wires.
Thereafter in furtherance of embodiments of the method, as shown in
Embodiments of the inventive angled-tip vascular catheter 40 are typically a 5F catheter, but may be a 4F catheter, or another similarly sized and configured catheter. Embodiments of a vascular catheter 40 generally measure about 100 centimeters in length and include or support an angled-tip 42 that is typically angled at about 45 degrees from the axis of the vascular catheter 40 and is about 1.5 centimeters in length. Vascular catheter 40 may further include a lubricious coating on its inner and/or outer surfaces.
Continuing with embodiments of the method, as shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the method of transvascular retrograde access placement includes the use of an angled-tip vascular catheter 41 that has a second channel 46 in addition to a first or a main channel 45. Embodiments of his second channel 46 in the vascular catheter are configured in a diameter of at least about that of the external diameter of a 22-gauge needle (about 0.711 mm). In this method embodiment, the vascular catheter 41 with the second channel 46 is first passed over the general use guidewire 30 and positioned in the jugular vein 14 or other central blood vessel. Next, the general use guidewire 30 is removed from the vascular catheter 41 and a curved-tip stiff, solid obturator 70, having, for example, a relatively fixed curved-tip 72 of about 45 degrees from the axis of the obturator is introduced into the second channel 46 and advanced forward to the distal end of the catheter that is in position at a desired vascular exit and re-entry site 25.
Embodiments of the vascular catheter 41, as mentioned above, may include an angled-tip 42, with a predefined or preferred angle (for example, about 45 degrees from the axis of the catheter). Some embodiments of the method of the invention make use of an angled obturator (
Once the modified vascular catheter 41 with the curved-tip obturator 70 assembly is properly positioned in the jugular vein 14 at a desired exit site 25, a needle or a stiff intravascular guidewire 50 having a needle-tip portion 52 may be inserted into the second channel 46 of vascular catheter 41. The angled-tip 42 of the catheter 41 is then oriented to face the wall 15 of the jugular vein 14. The needle-tip portion 52 of the needle-tipped guidewire 50 may then pass through the tip of the exterior channel 46 of the modified vascular catheter 41 and puncture the inner wall 15 of the jugular vein 14. Thereafter, the needle-tip portion 52 and a length of the needle-tipped guidewire 50 may be passed up through the subcutaneous tissue, and exited through the skin, and the procedure continues as hereinbefore described.
In another variation of the method, an embodiment of a penetrating device, such as an elongate curved needle may be inserted through an angle-tipped vascular catheter to form an opening or pass-through which traverses from a central blood vessel to the skin, and the needle is then withdrawn back into the catheter and removed proximally therefrom. The catheter remains in place, and a guidewire is then advanced distally through the catheter, through the pass-through formed by the needle, and exiting from the body through the skin overlaying the vein. Thereafter, the initial vascular catheter is withdrawn from the site, and a secondary vascular catheter is threaded over distal end the guidewire (free, outside the body) and into the central vein in a retrograde manner as seen in
The use of a needle-tipped guidewire, as described here in, and as shown in method steps depicted in
Other embodiments of the methods of transvascular retrograde access placement procedure may be performed in a central blood vessel other than the jugular vein 14, wherein the needle, the needle-tipped guidewire 50, or any other similar device, may exit the patient through another area of the patient. For example, the transvascular retrograde access placement procedure may be performed in a subclavian vein 16, wherein a needle, a needle-tipped guidewire 50, or other similar device exits the patient through skin of the upper trunk just below a clavicle. In still other embodiments of the method, a blood vessel other than a central vein, such as a peripheral vein or an artery, may be accessed by re-entry into an opening created by outward penetration from within the vessel. The method may be particularly advantageous when external access to the vessel is complicated by normal anatomy (such being the case with the subclavian artery, for example), or by a complicating injury or medical condition.
Another embodiment of the method of transvascular retrograde access placement varies from the previously described methods in that rather approaching the central vein by way of femoral vein cannulation, an antecubital blood vein or artery (located in the antecubital fossa of an arm) is cannulated. As shown in
As has been noted in the description focused on embodiments of the method of transvascular retrograde access placement, the present invention also provides devices and device features, some of which will now be described in greater detail. One such device, as shown in
As previously noted, the scope of the tissue-penetrating guidewire 50, as described herein, includes any conventional device that can penetrate tissue with an appropriate level of precision and control, and may be sized and adapted to be supportable at the distal end of a stiff guidewire, as described herein. The mechanism of attachment or coaption to a guidewire may be by way of any conventional joining method, including fixed-connection methods, such as welding, soldering, or gluing, or removable-connection methods, such as threading, hinging, or bayonet mounting. Thus,
Embodiments of this needle-tipped guidewire 50 typically have a length of at least about 260 centimeters, but it in other embodiments of the present invention, the guidewire may have a length that varies between of about 150 cm to about 300 cm. Embodiments of this needle-tipped guidewire 50 may be configured in a variety of diameters, such as, for example, about 0.035 inches, 0.018 inches, or 0.014 inches, as may be appropriate for use in a variety of catheterization procedures involving blood vessels other than central blood vessels.
Some embodiments the vascular catheter 40 include two channels, a first channel 45 and a second channel 46 as shown in
Another feature of devices that facilitates performance of described methods relates to the modification of an angled-tip vascular catheter 40 to include one or more diagnostically-opaque markers 44 that may be positioned within or about the angled-tip 42 of the vascular catheter 40, as shown in
Unless defined otherwise, all technical terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of vascular catherization. Specific methods, devices, and materials are described in this application, but any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention. While embodiments of the invention have been described in some detail and by way of exemplary illustrations, such illustration is for purposes of clarity of understanding only, and is not intended to be limiting. Various terms have been used in the description to convey an understanding of the invention; it will be understood that the meaning of these various terms extends to common linguistic or grammatical variations or forms thereof. Moreover, any one or more features of any embodiment of the invention can be combined with any one or more a features of any other embodiment of the invention, without departing from the scope of the invention. Still further, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments that have been set forth for purposes of exemplification, but is to be defined only by a fair reading of claims that are appended to the patent application, including the full range of equivalency to which each element thereof is entitled.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/424,131 of Pillai, entitled “Methods of Transvascular Retrograde Access Placement and Devices for Facilitating Therein”, filed Jun. 14, 2006; which application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/381,229, filed May 2, 2006. Both applications are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11381229 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 11424131 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11424131 | Jun 2006 | US |
Child | 12366517 | US |