Importance

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Abstract

An intravascular material delivery dilation catheter having a pair of longitudinally spaced inflatable balloons with a drug delivery region defined therebetween. The catheter is ideally suited for use after a PTCA procedure, wherein the proximate balloon seals the blood vessel while the distal balloon is uniquely contoured when inflated to define fluid communication paths therepast and proximate a blood vessel to be treated. The distal balloon, when inflated, has four lobes but could also be textured. Each lobe is separated from the next by a groove, which groove in combination with the blood vessel inner wall forms a fluid communication path therebetween. Upon inflation of both balloons in a blood vessel, a medicament such as heparin can be injected, via the drug delivery region between the inflated balloons, wherein the medicament flows past the distal balloon at a selected rate. Accordingly, a medicament can be injected directly to a treatment site rather than injected as a bolus dose, thus, a smaller dosage may be employed to minimize side effects. Alternatively, perfusion can be accomplished by only partially inflating the proximate balloon to constrict flow therepast, or eliminating the proximate balloon entirely, where the drug delivery region is disposed upstream of the contoured distal balloon.

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First Claim