Atherectomy catheters and non-contact actuation mechanism for catheters

• US 10,363,062 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avinger Inc.
• Original Assignee: Avinger Inc.
• Inventors: Spencer, Maegan K., Spinelli, Nicholas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orkin, Alexander J
• Application Number:
  US13/654,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320758 with a rotating cutting instrument, e.g. motor driven A61B17/320725, A61B17/32075 and A61B17/320783 take precedence; for removing intra-ocular material A61F9/00763; endoscopic rotatable cutting instruments A61B17/32002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00057 Light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00398 using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00876 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22039 eccentric
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22094 for crossing total occlusions, i.e. piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320791 with cutter extending outside the cutting window
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0813 Accessories designed for easy sterilising, i.e. re-usable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3614 using optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3735 Optical coherence tomography [OCT]

Abstract

An atherectomy catheter includes a deflectable distal tip, a rotatable cutter proximal to the distal tip, a cutter drive shaft configured to rotate the rotatable cutter, and a pull shaft concentric with the drive shaft and coupled to the distal tip. The pull shaft is configured such that pulling the pull shaft deflects the distal tip, thereby exposing the rotatable cutter. Also disclosed herein is a magnetic drive system configured for non-contact actuation of a catheter.

Claims

1. An atherectomy catheter comprising:

an elongate catheter shaft;

a deflectable distal tip coupled to the elongate shaft at a hinge;

a rotatable cutter proximal to the distal tip;

a cutter drive shaft configured to rotate the rotatable cutter wherein the drive shaft is hollow, and wherein an optical fiber for optical coherence tomography imaging extends within the drive shaft;

a pull shaft positioned radially inwards of the elongate catheter shaft and concentric with the drive shaft; and

a pull-wire eccentric with the drive shaft and having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end coupled to the distal tip at a location distal to the hinge and the proximal end coupled to a distal end of the pull shaft at a location proximal of the hinge such that the pull-wire axially spans the hinge, wherein the pull shaft is configured to proximally pull the pull-wire to deflect the distal tip at the hinge, thereby exposing the rotatable cutter.

2. The atherectomy catheter of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is coupled to the rotatable cutter but is otherwise free to float within the drive shaft.

3. The atherectomy catheter of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber extends along a proximal to distal length of the catheter off-axis from the drive shaft.

4. The atherectomy catheter of claim 1, wherein the pull shaft and pull-wire are movable with respect to the drive shaft.

5. The atherectomy catheter of claim 1, wherein the pull shaft deflects the distal tip without rotating the catheter.

6. An atherectomy catheter comprising:

a catheter body;

a deflectable distal tip, wherein the deflectable distal tip is hinged to a distal region of the catheter body at a pivot point;

a rotatable cutter proximal to the deflectable distal tip, the rotatable cutter having a distal cutting edge;

a pull-wire mounted to the deflectable distal tip and extending proximally lateral to the cutter and pivot point, wherein the pull-wire is pulled proximally to deflect the deflectable distal tip at the pivot point and thereby move the distal cutting edge from a protected configuration to an exposed configuration;

a pull shaft extending within and along the length of the catheter body, wherein the pull shaft pulls the pull-wire proximally to deflect the distal tip; and

an optical fiber for optical coherence tomography imaging attached to the cutter proximal to the distal cutting edge.

7. The atherectomy catheter of claim 6, wherein the optical fiber is attached to the rotatable cutter but is otherwise free to float within the catheter body.

8. The atherectomy catheter of claim 6, wherein the pull-wire and pull shaft are movable with respect to the outer shaft of the catheter body.

9. The atherectomy catheter of claim 8, wherein the pull shaft is concentric with the outer shaft.

10. The atherectomy catheter of claim 6, further comprising a drive shaft configured to rotate the rotatable cutter.

11. The atherectomy catheter of claim 10, wherein the drive shaft is hollow, and wherein the optical fiber extends within the drive shaft.

12. The atherectomy catheter of claim 6, wherein the pull-wire deflects the distal tip without rotating the catheter.

13. The atherectomy catheter of claim 6, wherein deflection of the distal tip exposes the distal cutting edge.

14. An atherectomy catheter comprising:

an elongate catheter shaft;

a deflectable distal tip coupled to the elongate shaft at a hinge;

a rotatable cutter proximal to the distal tip;

a cutter drive shaft configured to rotate the rotatable cutter;

a pull shaft positioned radially inwards of the elongate catheter shaft and concentric with the drive shaft; and

a pull-wire eccentric with the drive shaft and having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end coupled to the distal tip at a location distal to the hinge and the proximal end coupled to a distal end of the pull shaft at a location proximal of the hinge such that the pull-wire axially spans the hinge, wherein the pull shaft is configured to proximally pull the pull-wire to deflect the distal tip at the hinge, thereby exposing the rotatable cutter;

wherein the pull shaft and pull wire are movable with respect to the drive shaft; and

wherein the pull shaft extends along an entire length of the elongate catheter shaft.