Donald E Rowe

US Patent:

55406793, Jul 30, 1996

Filed:

Jul 1, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/270060

Inventors:

Daniel B. Fram - West Hartford CT
Ellison Berns - West Hartford CT
Susan M. Ropiak - Hanscom Air Force Base MA
Donald S. Rowe - Belmont MA

Assignee:

Boston Scientific Corporation - Watertown MA

International Classification:

A61B 504

US Classification:

606 27

Abstract:

A balloon catheter is provided that includes a catheter shaft constructed for insertion into a blood vessel, a balloon mounted on the catheter shaft, and a heating device located within the balloon and arranged for heating fluid inside the balloon to permit heating of tissue by thermal conduction from the fluid to the tissue through a wall of the balloon. The balloon catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and the balloon is passed through the right atrium of the heart and into the coronary sinus of the heart. The balloon is inflated with the fluid, and the fluid is heated inside the balloon through use of the heating device, to cause heat to pass from the fluid to surrounding tissue by thermal conduction through the wall of the balloon.