Rotatable catheter assembly

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and systems for a catheter assembly including a catheter shaft, a balloon positioned on the catheter shaft, where the balloon has a first balloon waist, a first lead extending longitudinally through the catheter shaft, and a first sealing member adjacent the first balloon waist and coupled to the first lead, where the first lead can provide electrical current to reversibly transition the first sealing member from a nonactivated state to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the first sealing member, and where at least a portion of the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the first sealing member engages the first balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.

1 . A catheter assembly, comprising:
 a catheter shaft;   a balloon positioned on the catheter shaft, where the balloon has a first balloon waist;   a first lead extending longitudinally through the catheter shaft; and   a first sealing member adjacent the first balloon waist and coupled to the first lead, where the first lead provides electrical current to reversibly transition the first sealing member from a nonactivated state to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the first sealing member, and where at least a portion of the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the first sealing member engages the first balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.   
   
   
       2 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , where the first sealing member is coupled to the catheter shaft. 
   
   
       3 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , where the catheter shaft includes a first fixed body and the first balloon waist is coupled to a first collar encircling the catheter shaft adjacent the first fixed body and the first sealing member is coupled to the first collar. 
   
   
       4 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , further including a second balloon waist and a second sealing member adjacent the second balloon waist and coupled to the first lead, where the first lead provides electrical current to reversibly transition the second sealing member from the nonactivated state to the activated state in response to a temperature change in the second sealing member, where the balloon rotates relative to the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the second sealing member engages the second balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative to the catheter shaft in the activated state. 
   
   
       5 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , further including a second balloon waist and a second sealing member adjacent the second balloon waist and coupled to a second lead, where the second lead provides electrical current to reversibly transition the second sealing member from the nonactivated state to the activated state in response to a temperature change in the second sealing member, where the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the second sealing member engages the second balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state. 
   
   
       6 . The catheter assembly of  claim 5 , where the catheter shaft includes an inner catheter shaft and an outer catheter shaft positioned around at least a portion of the inner catheter shaft, and where the first sealing member is coupled to the inner catheter shaft and the second sealing member is coupled to the outer catheter shaft. 
   
   
       7 . The catheter assembly of  claim 6 , where the first lead is at least partially enclosed by the inner catheter shaft and the second lead is at least partially enclosed by the outer catheter shaft. 
   
   
       8 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , where the first sealing member in the activated state has a diameter in a range of approximately 0.5 percent to 20 percent larger than the diameter of the first sealing member in the nonactivated state. 
   
   
       9 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , including a secondary guidewire housing including a substantially tubular member engaged to the balloon, the secondary guidewire housing defining a secondary guidewire lumen through which a secondary guidewire may be slidingly positioned. 
   
   
       10 . The catheter assembly of  claim 9 , where the secondary guidewire housing is coupled to an external surface of the balloon. 
   
   
       11 . The catheter assembly of  claim 1 , including a balloon expandable stent disposed about at least a portion of the balloon, where at least a proximal portion of the stent overlays at least a portion of the secondary guidewire housing. 
   
   
       12 . A method, comprising:
 positioning an expandable balloon in a delivery state on a catheter shaft, where the expandable balloon has a first balloon waist adjacent a first sealing member in a nonactivated state;   allowing at least a portion of the expandable balloon to rotate relative the catheter shaft; and   applying an electrical current to the first sealing member through a first lead to transition the first sealing member to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the first sealing member, where the first sealing member engages the first balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal to expand the expandable balloon and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , where the expandable balloon includes a second balloon waist adjacent a second sealing member and the method includes allowing the expandable balloon to rotate relative the catheter shaft. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , where the method includes applying the electrical current to the second sealing member through the first lead to transition the second sealing member to the activated state in response to a temperature change in the second sealing member, where the second sealing member engages the second balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal to expand the expandable balloon and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , where the method includes applying an electrical current to the second sealing member through a second lead to transition the second sealing member to the activated state in response to a temperature change in the second sealing member, where the second sealing member engages the second balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal to expand the expandable balloon and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 12 , including positioning a treatment device around the expandable balloon and deploying the treatment device when the first sealing member is transitioned to the activated state and the balloon is expanded. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 12 , where applying the electrical current to the first sealing member through the first lead to transition the first sealing member to the activated state in response to the temperature change in the first sealing member includes contracting at least a portion of the first sealing member to form the fluid tight seal. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 12 , where applying the electrical current to the first sealing member through the first lead to transition the first sealing member to the activated state in response to the temperature change in the first sealing member includes expanding the first sealing member to form the fluid tight seal. 
   
   
       19 . A catheter assembly, comprising:
 a catheter shaft;   a balloon positioned on the catheter shaft, where the balloon has a first balloon waist;   a first lead extending longitudinally through the catheter shaft; and   a first sealing member adjacent the first balloon waist coupled to the catheter shaft and coupled to the first lead, where the first lead can provide electrical current to reversibly transition the first sealing member from a nonactivated state to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the first sealing member, and where at least a portion of the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the first sealing member engages the first balloon waist to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.   
   
   
       20 . The catheter assembly of  claim 19 , where the first sealing member includes a plug portion, an anchor portion, and a tether portion that connects the plug portion and anchor portion, where the anchor portion and tether portion are electrically coupled, and where the first lead can provide electrical current to the anchor portion to contract the tether portion, engaging the first balloon waist to form the fluid tight seal and preventing rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft. 
   
   
       21 . The catheter assembly of  claim 19 , where the first sealing member expands to engage the first balloon waist to form the fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft. 
   
   
       22 . A catheter assembly, comprising:
 a catheter shaft;   a balloon positioned on the catheter shaft, where the balloon has a first balloon waist;   a first collar coupled to the first balloon waist and encircling the catheter shaft;   a first fixed body coupled to the catheter shaft adjacent the first collar;   a first lead extending longitudinally through the catheter shaft to the first fixed body; and   a first sealing member coupled to the first collar and in electrical contact with the first fixed body, where the first lead can provide electrical current to the first sealing member through the first fixed body to reversibly transition the first sealing member from a nonactivated state to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the first sealing member, and where at least a portion of the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the first sealing member engages the catheter shaft to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.   
   
   
       23 . The catheter assembly of  claim 22 , where the first fixed body coupled to the catheter shaft adjacent the first collar restricts the longitudinal movement of the first collar with respect to the catheter shaft. 
   
   
       24 . The catheter assembly of  claim 22 , where the first fixed body is a U-shaped ring coupled to the catheter shaft adjacent the first collar. 
   
   
       25 . The catheter assembly of  claim 22 , where the balloon has a second balloon waist, and the assembly includes:
 a second collar coupled to the second balloon waist and encircling the catheter shaft;   a second fixed body coupled to the catheter shaft adjacent the second collar; and   a second sealing member coupled to the second collar and in electrical contact with the second fixed body, where the first lead provides electrical current to the second sealing member through the second fixed body to reversibly transition the second sealing member from a nonactivated state to an activated state in response to a temperature change in the second sealing member, and where at least a portion of the balloon rotates relative the catheter shaft in the nonactivated state and the second sealing member engages the catheter shaft to form a fluid tight seal and to prevent rotation of the balloon relative the catheter shaft in the activated state.