Catheter Wave Innovations LLC filed Catheter Wave Innovations LLC v. Shockwave Medical, Inc., No. 0:26-cv-04074-KMM-JFD, in the District of Minnesota on September 21, 2026. Catheter Wave demands a jury and alleges infringement of six patents directed to intravascular shock-wave catheters. The case is assigned to Judge Katherine M. Menendez and referred to Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty (Dkt. 4).

Patents and exemplary asserted claims

The complaint asserts six patents and identifies exemplary claims in the counts:

  • U.S. Patent 11,925,366 - Catheter with multiple shock wave generators - exemplary claim 1.
  • U.S. Patent 12,004,760 - Catheter with shock wave electrodes aligned on longitudinal axis - exemplary claims 1 and 18.
  • U.S. Patent 12,239,332 - Catheter with multiple shock wave generators - exemplary claim 1.
  • U.S. Patent 12,364,493 - Method of treating a blood vessel with multiple shock wave discharge points in a catheter balloon - exemplary claim 1.
  • U.S. Patent 12,364,494 - Multiple shock waves catheter - exemplary claim 1.
  • U.S. Patent 12,402,900 - Blood vessel shock wave treatment catheter - exemplary claim 1.

Accused products

The complaint accuses Shockwave catheters marketed as Shockwave C2, Shockwave C2+, Shockwave C2 Aero, Shockwave L6, Shockwave M5, Shockwave M5+, Shockwave S4, and Shockwave E8, designed for use with the Shockwave IVL Generator and Connector Cable (collectively, the Accused Products). A complaint footnote states that on September 3, 2026 Shockwave announced that, effective October 1, 2026, it would transition from operating under the name Shockwave Medical and operate as Johnson & Johnson MedTech; Catheter Wave says it will continue to refer to the defendant as Shockwave for purposes of the complaint.

What the patents cover

The summaries below restate issued claim language for the lead patents. They are not findings that Shockwave practices any claim.

U.S. Patent 11,925,366

U.S. Patent 11,925,366 covers a blood-vessel catheter with multiple stationary electrode pairs that generate shock waves inside a fluid-filled balloon without heat that ablates vessel tissue, driven by a controller that can fire the pairs simultaneously, sequentially, or in a predetermined pattern.

Claim 1 covers an apparatus with a catheter sized for insertion in a blood vessel, multiple pairs of electrodes fixed along the catheter and positioned to produce shock waves without generating heat that ablates vessel tissue, a balloon that encloses fluid around those electrode pairs, and an electronic controller programmed to fire the pairs simultaneously, sequentially, or in a predetermined pattern.

U.S. Patent 12,004,760

U.S. Patent 12,004,760 covers a catheter balloon apparatus with longitudinally aligned electrodes that produce an unfocused radial pressure shock wave, plus proximal and distal radiopaque balloon markers, and a related treatment method.

Claim 1 covers an apparatus with a catheter sized to fit within a blood-vessel wall, a balloon with a liquid inlet, first and second electrodes inside the balloon aligned on a longitudinal axis that produce an unfocused radial pressure shock wave without intersecting its outward path to the vessel wall, and first and second radiopaque markers at the balloon ends. Claim 18 covers a method of treating a target area of a blood vessel wall by delivering radial pressure shock waves with the apparatus of claim 1.

U.S. Patent 12,239,332

U.S. Patent 12,239,332 covers a catheter with multiple shock-wave generators at different discharge locations inside a balloon, fired by a software-controlled electronic controller.

Claim 1 covers an apparatus with a catheter sized for insertion in a blood vessel, a plurality of shock-wave generators at different discharge point locations along the catheter, a balloon enclosing those generators, and an electronic controller programmed to fire the generators so shock waves initiate from each discharge location.

The remaining asserted patents

U.S. Patent 12,364,493 covers a method of treating a blood-vessel target by advancing a guidewire-lumen balloon with multiple shock-wave discharge points to the target, inflating the balloon, and activating electrodes at those discharge points. Exemplary asserted claim: 1.

U.S. Patent 12,364,494 covers a catheter apparatus with multiple shock-wave discharge points inside a non-perforated balloon and a software-controlled electronic controller for firing those points. Exemplary asserted claim: 1.

U.S. Patent 12,402,900 covers a blood-vessel catheter with a paired-electrode set inside a non-perforated balloon that has a liquid inlet, electrodes that do not extend beyond the catheter distal end, and radiopaque markers that mark balloon ends. Exemplary asserted claim: 1.

What the lawsuit is about

Catheter Wave alleges it is the sole owner by assignment of the six asserted patents. On notice, the complaint says prior assignee SanuWave, Inc. sent Shockwave a September 10, 2021 letter attaching U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0267615, the published application from which the '366 and '332 patents descend; that Shockwave then asked to take a non-exclusive license under that publication and any patent issuing from it; that SanuWave countered on February 17, 2022 without a deal; and that SanuWave sent Shockwave a copy of Publication No. 2023/0028890 on March 9, 2023, which issued in June 2024 as U.S. Patent 12,004,759, a family member that is not asserted here. Catheter Wave itself wrote to Shockwave on July 22, 2026 to ask whether Shockwave was interested in acquiring the patents in the family, followed up by email on September 3, 2026 with a September 15 response date, and says it received no answer to either. The complaint pleads on information and belief that Shockwave has known of each asserted patent since it issued. Catheter Wave pleads direct infringement, induced infringement, and contributory infringement, alleges willful blindness and willfulness, and seeks damages, enhanced damages, attorneys' fees under 35 U.S.C. 285, and injunctive relief.

Practice meaning

This is a medtech portfolio case aimed at Shockwave's commercial IVL catheter line. Two of the exemplary claims are treatment method claims ('760 claim 18 and '493 claim 1), which matters for divided-infringement and inducement proof where hospitals and physicians use the Generator and catheters together. On willfulness, every asserted patent issued between March 2024 and September 2025, after the last SanuWave contact in March 2023; the pre-issuance letters concerned a published application and a family member, and the 2026 correspondence was an acquisition inquiry that the complaint does not describe as an infringement notice. The Johnson & Johnson MedTech name change is pleading context for party naming after October 1, 2026; it does not by itself change the accused products.

Practice pointers

  • Map each accused SKU (C2 / C2+ / C2 Aero / L6 / M5 / M5+ / S4 / E8) to the Generator and Connector Cable early; several counts turn on the controller firing pattern.
  • The pre-suit knowledge record is the 2021 to 2023 SanuWave correspondence, which predates every asserted patent, plus the unanswered 2026 acquisition inquiry; expect the willfulness fight to turn on what that record can and cannot show.
  • Watch whether Shockwave's October 1, 2026 Johnson & Johnson MedTech rebrand prompts caption or party amendments after answer.

Why it matters

Intravascular lithotripsy is a high-visibility coronary and peripheral device category. Six recently issued patents against the core Shockwave IVL catheter family put claim construction and prior-art challenges on electrode layout, non-ablative shock-wave generation, non-perforated balloons, and controller firing logic - issues that will matter to other IVL market participants watching from the sidelines.

What to watch next

Watch Shockwave's answer and any early Rule 12 motions, claim-construction proposals on the multi-emitter and controller limitations, and whether Catheter Wave seeks preliminary injunctive relief against particular SKUs after the October 1, 2026 rebrand date. Also watch chain of title: Google Patents lists Vascular Wave LLC as the current assignee of all six patents, and the complaint pleads Catheter Wave's ownership by assignment without attaching the assignments.