US 11,813,014 B2
Methods and systems for directed tissue ablation
Virender K. Sharma, Paradise Valley, AZ (US)
Assigned to Santa Anna Tech LLC, Santa Ana, CA (US)
Filed by Santa Anna Tech LLC, Santa Ana, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2016, as Appl. No. 15/386,285.
Application 15/386,285 is a continuation of application No. 14/158,687, filed on Jan. 17, 2014, granted, now 9,561,067.
Application 14/158,687 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/486,980, filed on Jun. 1, 2012, granted, now 9,561,066.
Application 13/486,980 is a continuation in part of application No. 12/573,939, filed on Oct. 6, 2009, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/753,831, filed on Jan. 17, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/493,344, filed on Jun. 3, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/102,885, filed on Oct. 6, 2008.
Prior Publication US 2017/0333106 A1, Nov. 23, 2017
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 18/04 (2006.01); A61B 5/107 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/03 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/24 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61B 17/42 (2006.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); A61M 25/10 (2013.01)
CPC A61B 18/04 (2013.01) [A61B 5/1076 (2013.01); A61B 5/03 (2013.01); A61B 5/6853 (2013.01); A61B 17/24 (2013.01); A61B 18/1492 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00084 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00274 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00809 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00818 (2013.01); A61B 2017/4216 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00273 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00327 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00482 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00488 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00494 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00541 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00547 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00559 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00577 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00642 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00648 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00714 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00744 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00791 (2013.01); A61B 2018/048 (2013.01); A61B 2090/064 (2016.02); A61B 2562/0204 (2013.01); A61M 25/1011 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3331 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3368 (2013.01); A61M 2210/1433 (2013.01)] 31 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vapor ablation system configured to ablate tissue in a an upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract of a patient, comprising:
a container with fluid;
a pump configured to pump the fluid from the container;
a catheter, wherein the catheter comprises:
an elongate catheter body having a lumen, a proximal end, and a distal end;
a heating component positioned within the catheter body and in fluid communication with the container, wherein the heating component is configured to apply energy to the fluid to convert the fluid to a vapor ablative agent;
at least one delivery port at the distal end of the catheter body, wherein the at least one delivery port is configured to allow the vapor ablative agent to exit the catheter body to ablate the tissue; and
an expandable positioning element attached to a distal end of the catheter body, wherein the at least one delivery port is positioned at an entrance to the expandable positioning element and not positioned on the expandable positioning element, wherein, when the expandable positioning element is expanded, the expandable positioning element is defined by an internal volume and configured to encircle the at least one delivery port and the tissue to be ablated to thereby direct-the vapor ablative agent from the at least one delivery port, through the internal volume, to the tissue to be ablated such that the vapor ablative agent exits the at least one delivery port and ablate the tissue without contacting the expandable positioning element, wherein the at least one expandable positioning element is configured to position the catheter at a fixed distance from the tissue to be ablated, wherein the expandable positioning element is defined by a conical shaped wire mesh structure that is at least partially covered by a membrane and that defines a periphery of the internal volume.