Cardiac drug delivery system and method for use

Abstract

Implantable cardiac drug delivery systems. The systems are installed endocardially into a chamber in the heart, and are variously capable of delivering anti-arrhythmia agents into the heart wall, and into the epicardial space outside the heart, and into other chambers in the heart through the septa of the heart.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A method of treating the heart of a human patient comprising: 
 providing a catheter with a fluid port on the distal tip of the catheter, and a lumen extending from the distal tip to the proximal end of the catheter, and a fluid source in communication with the lumen at the proximal end of the catheter;    inserting the catheter into the endocardial space of the heart, and penetrating the heart wall with the distal tip of the catheter to place the distal tip of the catheter in the epicardial space outside the heart;    delivering fluid through the catheter into the epicardial space.    
     
     
         2 . A method of treating the heart of a human patient comprising: 
 providing a catheter with a fluid port on the digital tip of the catheter, and a lumen extending from the distal tip to the proximal end of the catheter, and a fluid source in communication with the lumen at the proximal end of the catheter;    inserting the catheter into the endocardial space of a first chamber of the heart, and penetrating a septum of the heart with the distal tip of the catheter to place the distal tip of the catheter in the endocardial space in a second chamber of the heart;    delivering fluid through the catheter into the endocardial space in a second chamber of the heart.    
     
     
         3 . A catheter for use in treating the heart of a patient, capable of insertion into the endocardial space of the right atrium and subsequent insertion into the atrial wall and penetration of the atrial wall, said catheter comprising: 
 a catheter tube with a distal section in the epicardial space outside the right atrium, a proximal section in fluid communication with a fluid source located in chest of the patient, and an intermediate section extending from the proximal section, into the vena cava, through the endocardial space of the right atrium, and penetrating the wall of the right atrium;    a flange on the catheter at the point where the catheter penetrates the atrial wall, said flange secured to the atrial wall.    
     
     
         4 . The catheter of    claim 3    wherein the distal section of the catheter extends around the heart and forms a helical coil surrounding the heart.  
     
     
         5 . A method of treating arrhythmia in a chamber of the heart, said method comprising: 
 creating at least two linear lesion of slow conducting tissue in the wall of the chamber of the heart;    delivering an anti-arrhythmia agent into the wall of the heart in the vicinity of the long linear lesion(s), creating a region of slow conducting tissue effectively joining two or more linear lesions together.