CPC A61B 17/22022 (2013.01) [A61B 17/22004 (2013.01); A61B 17/2202 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22025 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22051 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22054 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22061 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22062 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22068 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22098 (2013.01); A61M 25/1002 (2013.01); A61M 2025/1072 (2013.01); A61N 1/056 (2013.01); A61N 1/38 (2013.01)] | 12 Claims |
1. An apparatus for treating vascular calcifications in a body of a patient comprising;
a catheter body that branches into at least a first body portion and a second body portion;
a balloon at a distal end of the catheter body, said balloon being fillable with conductive liquid;
a first conductor extending along the catheter body and terminating in a first electrode of a first electrode pair, the first electrode pair being located within the balloon at the first body portion;
a second conductor extending along the catheter body and terminating in a second electrode of a second electrode pair, the second electrode pair being located within the balloon at the second body portion, the first electrode pair being longitudinally spaced from the second electrode pair within the balloon, the first and second electrode pairs being configured to generate shock waves that propagate through the conductive liquid and through the balloon and impinge on the vascular calcifications to break the vascular calcifications; and
a power supply for applying voltage pulses to the first and second electrode pairs via the first and second conductors, said voltage pulses having sufficient energy to generate the shock waves from each of the first and second electrode pairs, said power supply arranged to time the shock waves for treating the vascular calcifications.
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