FAST PURGE BALLOON DILATATION CATHETER

FAST PURGE BALLOON DILATATION CATHETER A balloon dilatation catheter having a guidewire lumen that extends to the distal tip of the catheter, a balloon mounted on the distal end of the catheter and an inflation lumen extending through the shaft and communicating with the interior of the balloon is provided with an improved arrangement for filling the inflation lumen and balloon with liquid while purging air from the system. The device includes a one-way valve means carried by the catheter shaft within the balloon which permits fluid flow from the guidewire lumen into the balloon under a predetermined pressure greater than about one atmosphere. The system is used by first plugging the distal end of the guidewire lumen and then pressurizing the guidewire lumen with inflation liquid sufficiently to open the one-way valve means to permit inflation liquid to fill the balloon. As the balloon fills, air is forced out of the balloon through the inflation lumen and is vented through the open proximal end of the inflation lumen. The one-way valve means is constructed to preclude reverse flow under pressures greater than 20 atm and to preclude opening in response to aspiration through the inflation lumen at a level not greater than 1 atmosphere pressure.