ATHERECTOMY CATHETER WITH LATERALLY-DISPLACEABLE TIP
First Claim
1. An atherectomy catheter for cutting tissue having a laterally displaceable tip, the device comprising:
- an elongate, flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis;
an elongate and laterally displaceable distal tip assembly;
a rotatable annular cutting ring between the distal end of the catheter body and the distal tip assembly; and
a distal tip control at the proximal end of the catheter that is configured to expose a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring by laterally displacing the distal tip assembly from a closed configuration in which the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body, to an open configuration in which the distal tip assembly is laterally displaced from the catheter body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Described herein are atherectomy catheters, systems and methods that include a distal tip region that may be moved laterally so that its long axis is parallel with the long axis of the main catheter body axis. Displacing the distal tip region laterally out of the main catheter body axis exposes an annular blade and opens a passageway for cut tissue to enter a storage region within the catheter. The annular blade may be internally coupled to a drive shaft that rotates the blade, and thus the exposed blade edge may have the same crossing profile (OD) as the rest of the distal end region of the catheter. Also described herein are gear-driven atherectomy devices that may use a cable drive shaft to actuate the annular blade. Both push-to-cut and pull-to-cut variations are described, as are methods for cutting tissue and systems including these atherectomy catheters.
216 Citations
53 Claims
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1. An atherectomy catheter for cutting tissue having a laterally displaceable tip, the device comprising:
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an elongate, flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis; an elongate and laterally displaceable distal tip assembly; a rotatable annular cutting ring between the distal end of the catheter body and the distal tip assembly; and a distal tip control at the proximal end of the catheter that is configured to expose a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring by laterally displacing the distal tip assembly from a closed configuration in which the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body, to an open configuration in which the distal tip assembly is laterally displaced from the catheter body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An atherectomy catheter for cutting tissue having a laterally displaceable tip, the device comprising:
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an elongate catheter body having a longitudinal axis; a laterally displaceable distal tip assembly; an annular cutting ring between the catheter body and the distal tip assembly; and a distal tip control configured to switch the distal tip assembly between a closed configuration, in which the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body, and an open configuration exposing a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring, in which the distal tip assembly is laterally displaced from the catheter body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An atherectomy catheter for cutting tissue having a laterally displaceable tip, the device comprising:
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an elongate, flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis; an elongate and laterally displaceable distal tip assembly; an annular cutting ring between the distal end of the catheter body and the distal tip assembly forming an outer surface of the atherectomy catheter; and a distal tip control at the proximal end of the catheter that is configured to switch the distal tip assembly from a closed configuration in which the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body, and an open configuration in which the distal tip assembly is laterally displaced from the catheter body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body, exposing a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring.
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36. An atherectomy catheter for cutting tissue having a laterally displaceable tip, the device comprising:
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an elongate catheter body having a longitudinal axis; a laterally displaceable distal tip assembly; an annular cutting ring between the catheter body and the distal tip assembly, wherein the cutting ring includes an internal gear surface; a drive shaft extending the length of the catheter body having a driving pinion gear for driving rotation of the annular cutting ring; and a distal tip control configured to switch the distal tip assembly between a closed configuration, in which the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body, and an open configuration exposing a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring, in which the distal tip assembly is laterally displaced from the catheter body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of performing an atherectomy to remove tissue from within a vessel lumen using an atherectomy catheter having a catheter body with a longitudinal axis, an annular cutting ring and a laterally displaceable distal tip assembly, the method comprising:
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advancing the atherectomy catheter within a vessel lumen; exposing a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring of the atherectomy catheter by laterally displacing the distal tip assembly away from the longitudinal axis of the catheter body so that the distal tip assembly is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter body; and driving the cutting edge against a wall of the vessel lumen to remove tissue. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A method of performing an atherectomy to remove tissue from within a vessel lumen using an atherectomy catheter having a catheter body, annular cutting ring and a laterally displaceable distal tip assembly, the method comprising:
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advancing the atherectomy catheter within a vessel lumen while the distal tip assembly is in-line with the catheter body of the atheterectomy catheter so that the distal tip assembly and the catheter body have a common longitudinal axis; laterally displacing the distal tip assembly to expose a cutting edge of the annular cutting ring so that the longitudinal axis of the distal tip assembly is parallel but laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of the catheter body; and driving the cutting edge against a wall of the vessel lumen while rotating the annular ring to remove tissue. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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Specification