Anchored Guidewire

Abstract

An anchored guide wire is described including at least one expansion apparatus having an outer surface for contacting surrounding tissue, an elongated guide wire with at least one lumen for supplying fluid to the expansion apparatus, and a pump that supplies fluid to the lumen to inflate the expansion apparatus, wherein the outer surface of the expansion apparatus has a textured surface for preventing slippage on surrounding tissue. A method of securing a guide wire in a bodily cavity is also described including inserting an elongated guide wire with an expansion apparatus having a textured outer surface and a lumen for supplying fluid to the expansion apparatus, into the bodily cavity, supplying fluid to the lumen with a pump until the expansion apparatus is inflated, moving a medical device along the elongated guide wire, deflating the expansion apparatus, and withdrawing the guide wire from the bodily cavity.

1 . An anchored guide wire comprising:
 at least one expansion apparatus having an outer wall, said outer wall comprising an outer surface for contacting surrounding tissue;   an elongated guide wire having at least one lumen therein for supplying fluid to said at least one expansion apparatus; and   a pump that supplies fluid to said lumen to inflate said at least one expansion apparatus;   wherein said outer surface of said expansion apparatus comprises a textured surface for preventing slippage of said outer surface on the surrounding tissue.   
     
     
         2 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , further comprising an imaging device disposed in said lumen. 
     
     
         3 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 2 , wherein said elongated guide wire includes an imaging device aperture, said imaging device has a distal end, and the distal end of said imaging device extends out through said aperture for viewing surrounding tissue. 
     
     
         4 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 3 , wherein said imaging device aperture is positioned inside said at least one expansion apparatus, and wherein the outer wall of said at least one expansion apparatus is transparent for viewing surrounding tissue via said imaging device. 
     
     
         5 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 2 , wherein said imaging device comprises a fiber optic bundle. 
     
     
         6 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 2 , wherein said imaging device comprises a flexible tip. 
     
     
         7 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 2 , wherein said elongated guide wire has a distal end comprising a transparent membrane, and wherein said imaging device extends to said membrane for viewing tissue in front of the guide wire. 
     
     
         8 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 2 , wherein said elongated guide wire has an opening at a distal end, and wherein said imaging device extends out of the opening for viewing tissue in front of the guide wire. 
     
     
         9 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 8 , wherein the opening at the distal end of said elongated guide wire includes a cleaning device affixed to an inner surface of said guide wire for cleaning said imaging device. 
     
     
         10 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion apparatus comprises an inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         11 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said textured surface of said at least one expansion apparatus comprises a mesh affixed to the outer wall of said apparatus. 
     
     
         12 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein the outer wall of said at least one expansion apparatus comprises a plurality of inflatable cavities that provide said textured surface. 
     
     
         13 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a gas. 
     
     
         14 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said pump further comprises a vacuum source that evacuates the fluid from said at least one expansion apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said pump comprises an electro-pneumatic pump. 
     
     
         16 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion apparatus comprises a plurality of segments, and wherein said at least one lumen comprises a plurality of lumens through which said pump supplies fluid to said plurality of segments such that said pump inflates at least one of said segments separately from at least one other of said segments. 
     
     
         17 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of said segments comprises two open ends to allow passage of external fluid through said at least one expansion apparatus. 
     
     
         18 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion apparatus comprises at least one imaging marker. 
     
     
         19 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 18 , wherein said at least one imaging marker comprises a radio-opaque ring. 
     
     
         20 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said elongated guide wire has a distal tip with an opening therein, and wherein said elongated guide wire further comprises a second lumen therein connected to said opening to allow fluids or instruments to be passed through the distal tip of the anchored guide wire. 
     
     
         21 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , further comprising a check valve positioned at a proximal end of said elongated guide wire for maintaining said at least one expansion apparatus in an inflated position, wherein an outer diameter of said check valve is the same as an outer diameter of said elongated guide wire. 
     
     
         22 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said pump includes at least one sensor for measuring at least one parameter and a processor that controls the supply of the fluid based on the at least one measured parameter. 
     
     
         23 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , further comprising a port positioned at a proximal end of said elongated guide wire for connection to said pump. 
     
     
         24 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion apparatus comprises a plurality of expansion apparatuses positioned at different locations along said elongated guide wire. 
     
     
         25 . An anchored guide wire comprising:
 an elongated guide wire having a proximal end and a distal end;   an expansion apparatus positioned at the distal end of said elongated guide wire and having an outer wall, said outer wall comprising an outer surface for contacting tissue;   wherein said elongated guide wire has a lumen therein for supplying fluid to said expansion apparatus;   a pump that supplies fluid to said lumen to inflate said expansion apparatus;   a check valve positioned at the proximal end of said elongated guide wire for maintaining said expansion apparatus in an inflated position; and   wherein said outer surface of said expansion apparatus comprises a textured surface for preventing slippage of said outer surface on the surrounding tissue; and   wherein an outer diameter of said check valve is the same as an outer diameter of said elongated guide wire.   
     
     
         26 . The anchored guide wire of  claim 25 , further comprising an imaging device disposed in said lumen. 
     
     
         27 . A method of securing a guide wire in a bodily cavity, comprising the steps of:
 inserting an elongated guide wire, which comprises an expansion apparatus having a textured outer surface and a lumen for supplying fluid to the expansion apparatus, into the bodily cavity until the expansion apparatus reaches an anchoring position;   supplying fluid to the lumen with a pump until the expansion apparatus is inflated such that the textured surface exerts sufficient pressure on the wall of the bodily cavity to retain the expansion apparatus in the anchoring position;   moving a medical device along the elongated guide wire through the bodily cavity while the expansion apparatus is inflated until the medical device reaches a desired position;   deflating the expansion apparatus; and   withdrawing the guide wire from the bodily cavity.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the pump includes at least one sensor for measuring at least one parameter and a processor for controlling the supply of fluid based on at the least one measured parameter. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the elongated guide wire has a check valve positioned at a proximal end thereof to maintain the inflation of the expansion apparatus, and wherein the step of deflating the expansion apparatus comprises disabling the check valve to release fluid from the expansion apparatus. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the step of moving a medical device along the elongated guide wire comprises sliding a catheter over the elongated guide wire. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising the step of using an imaging device disposed in the lumen to visualize tissue in the bodily cavity. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the step of using an imaging device comprises extending a distal tip of the imaging device through an aperture positioned inside the expansion apparatus, wherein the outer wall of the expansion apparatus is transparent. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the step of using an imaging device comprises visualizing tissue in front of the guide wire via said imaging device through a transparent membrane positioned at a distal end of the elongated guide wire. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the step of using an imaging device comprises extending a distal tip of said imaging device through an opening at a distal end of said elongated guide wire to visualize tissue in front of the guide wire. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising the step of cleaning said imaging device via a cleaning device positioned in the opening at the distal end of said elongated guide. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the expansion apparatus comprises an inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising the step of using at least one imaging marker to position the expansion apparatus within the bodily cavity. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the expansion apparatus has a distal tip with an opening therein and said elongated guide wire has a second lumen connected to said opening, further comprising the step of passing bodily fluids through the second opening and out the second lumen of the guide wire. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein:
 the expansion apparatus comprises a plurality of segments;   the elongated guide wire comprises a plurality of lumens; and   the step of supplying fluid to the expansion apparatus comprises supplying fluid to the plurality of segments such that at least one of said segments is inflated separately from at least one other of said segments.