Catheter with a rotary blade

• US 4,754,755 A
• Filed: 07/27/1987
• Issued: 07/05/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Royce H. Husted
• Original Assignee: Royce H. Husted
• Inventors: Husted, Royce H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US07/077,981
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 128/305, 128/305.1, 128/310, 128/751-758, 128/344, 128/348.1, 604/22
• US Class Current: 606/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3207 Atherectomy devices working by cutting or abrading; Similar devices specially adapted for non-vascular obstructions A61B17/32037 takes precedence; endoscopic cutting instruments A61B17/320016
• 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 18/082 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/245 for removing obstructions in blood vessels or calculi
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320733 with a flexible cutting or scraping element, e.g. with a whip-like distal filament member
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 1/02 for conveying rotary movements
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2316/10 in medical appliances, e.g. in diagnosis, dentistry, instruments, prostheses, medical imaging appliances
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 7/02 of the friction type

Abstract

A catheter for inserting into a patient'"'"'s artery and for remotely cutting and removing an obstruction therein, having a flexible tube equipped with a tubular blade rotatably mounted at its first end and driven by a motor through a flexible shaft, and a suction pump at its other end for cutting, ingesting and extracting the obstruction.

Claims

1. A catheter for clearing arterial obstructions comprising:

flexible tube means adapted to be inserted into an artery adjacent to an obstruction;

substantially hollow cutter means comprising a thin walled cylinder having a cutting edge at its forward end for rotatably slicing into said obstruction;

bearing means for supporting said cutter means in axial alignment with at least partially within the forward end of said flexible tube means;

a thin flexible wire means attached to the wall of said cylinder for imparting an off-center rotational drive force to said cutter means and providing a substantially obstruction-free passageway through said cylinder; and

drive means for rotating said flexible wire means.

2. The catheter of claim 1 wherein said cutting edge tapers inwardly for guiding cut material from said obstruction toward the interior of said thin cylinder.

3. The catheter of claim 2, further including means for applying a negative pressure to said flexible tube means for assisting entry of cut material therein.

4. The catheter of claim 1 wherein said thin cylinder includes a hole in its wall for attachment of said wire means to said cylinder, said hole extending substantially parallel to the axis of said flexible tube means.

5. A method for clearing an obstruction in an artery comprising the steps of:

inserting into an artery a flexible tubular catheter having a hollow cutter rotatably supported therein;

positioning the tubular catheter with the hollow cutter adjacent to and in contact with an obstruction;

rotating the hollow cutter by means of an off-center flexible shaft affixed to a wall of the hollow cutter to provide a substantially obstruction free passageway into the tubular catheter for reception of cut material;

applying negative pressure to the other end of the tubular catheter to suck cut material into the catheter; and

removing the catheter and its contents from the artery.