Catheter including cutting element and energy emitting element

• US 10,588,653 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Rosenthal, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Julian W
• Application Number:
  US15/713,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20180092657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 606159, 606180
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/32002 with continuously rotating, oscillating or reciprocating cutting instruments
• 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 17/320783 through side-hole, e.g. sliding or rotating cutter inside catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22039 eccentric
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22095 accessing a blood vessel true lumen from the sub-intimal space
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2905 flexible
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/2927 the angular position of the head being adjustable with respect to the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/32004 having a laterally movable cutting member at its most distal end which remains within the contours of said end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320069 for ablating tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3784 both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter

Abstract

A catheter for removing tissue from a body lumen and for providing information relating to the body lumen. The catheter includes a tissue cutting element that rotates relative to the catheter body and is mounted to the drive shaft for imparting rotation to the tissue cutting element. As energy emitting element of the catheter rotates relative to the catheter body and is rotatable independently of the tissue cutting element.

Claims

1. A tissue-removing catheter for removing tissue from a body lumen, the tissue-removing catheter comprising:

an elongate catheter body having a length and opposite proximal and distal end portions, the catheter body defining a side opening proximal of the distal end portion such that the distal end portion of the catheter body defines an enclosed distal end of the side opening;

a drive shaft positioned in the catheter body, the drive shaft being rotatable relative to the catheter body;

a tissue cutting element adjacent the distal end portion of the catheter body and configured to rotate relative to the catheter body, the tissue cutting element being mounted to the drive shaft to impart rotation to the tissue cutting element;

a bearing coupled to the catheter body such that the bearing can tilt with respect to the catheter body to a first position and a second position, the bearing supporting the tissue cutting element on the catheter body such that the bearing positions the cutting element at a stowed position when the bearing is at the first position and the bearing positions the cutting element at a deployed position when the bearing is positioned at the second position; and

an actuator operatively connected to the bearing, wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the bearing relative to the catheter body between the first position and the second position;

wherein when the tissue cutting element is positioned at the stowed position, the tissue cutting element is received inside the catheter body such that no portion of the tissue cutting element protrudes outward beyond outer bounds of the side opening; and

wherein when the tissue cutting element is positioned at the deployed position, a portion of the tissue cutting element protrudes outward from the catheter body through the side opening beyond the outer bounds of the side opening.

2. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a wire connected to the bearing.

3. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 2, wherein the wire extends along the length of the catheter body.

4. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 1, wherein the tissue cutting element is received in the bearing.

5. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 4, wherein the tissue cutting element is rotatable relative to the bearing.

6. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 5, wherein the bearing has an annular shape.

7. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 1, wherein the tissue cutting element is rotatable relative to the bearing.

8. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 1, further comprising an energy emitting element.

9. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 8, wherein the energy emitting element comprises an ultrasound transducer.

10. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 9, wherein the ultrasound transducer is configured to emit and receive ultrasound energy.

11. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 9, wherein the ultrasound transducer is coupled to the tissue cutting element.

12. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 11, wherein the ultrasound transducer and the tissue cutting element are configured to rotate together.

13. A method of removing tissue from a body lumen, the method comprising:

inserting a tissue-removing catheter into the body lumen, the tissue-removing catheter including

an elongate catheter body having a length and opposite proximal and distal end portions, the catheter body defining a side opening proximal of the distal end portion such that the distal end portion of the catheter body defines an enclosed distal end of the side opening;

a drive shaft positioned in the catheter body, the drive shaft being rotatable relative to the catheter body;

a tissue cutting element adjacent the distal end portion of the catheter body and configured to rotate relative to the catheter body, the tissue cutting element being mounted to the drive shaft to impart rotation to the tissue cutting element;

a bearing coupled to the catheter body such that the bearing can tilt with respect to the catheter body to a first position and a second position, the bearing supporting the tissue cutting element on the catheter body such that the bearing positions the cutting element at a stowed position when the bearing is at the first position and the bearing positions the cutting element at a deployed position when the bearing is positioned at the second position; and

an actuator operatively connected to the bearing, wherein the actuator is configured to tilt the bearing relative to the catheter body between the first position and the second position;

wherein when the tissue cutting element is positioned at the stowed position, the tissue cutting element is received inside the catheter body such that no portion of the tissue cutting element protrudes outward beyond outer bounds of the side opening; and

wherein when the tissue cutting element is positioned at the deployed position, a portion of the tissue cutting element protrudes outward from the catheter body through the side opening beyond the outer bounds of the side opening;

operating the actuator to tilt the bearing relative to the catheter body from the first position to the second position so that the tissue cutting element extends outside the side opening; and

rotating, after said operating the actuator, the drive shaft to rotate the tissue cutting element.

14. The method of removing tissue from a body lumen set forth in claim 13, wherein the actuator comprises a wire, wherein said operating the actuator comprises moving the wire proximally relative to the catheter body to tilt the bearing relative to the catheter body.

15. The method of removing tissue from a body lumen set forth in claim 13, further comprising imaging the body lumen using an energy emitting element of the tissue-removing catheter.

16. The method of removing tissue from a body lumen set forth in claim 15, further comprising rotating the energy emitting element to image the body lumen.

17. The method of removing tissue from a body lumen set forth in claim 16, wherein the energy emitting element comprises an ultrasound transducer.

18. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 17, further comprising emitting and receiving ultrasound energy via the ultrasound transducer to image the body lumen.

19. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 17, wherein the ultrasound transducer is coupled to the tissue cutting element.

20. The tissue-removing catheter set forth in claim 19, wherein the ultrasound transducer and the tissue cutting element are configured to rotate together.