Atherectomy apparatus

• US 5,158,564 A
• Filed: 07/11/1990
• Issued: 10/27/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Angiomed GmbH & Co. Medizintechnik KG
• Original Assignee: Angiomed AG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Lindenberg, Josef, Schnepp-Pesch, Wolfram
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaler, Michael H.
• Application Number:
  US07/551,013
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 606/180, 606/170, 606/159, 606/128, 606/127, 606/169, 604/22
• US Class Current: 606/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320725 with radially expandable cutting or abrading elements A61B17/32075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22042 Details of the tip of the guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22044 with a pointed tip

Abstract

An apparatus for atherectomy comprising at least one rotatable member for removing deposits, coatings, occlusions, etc. in a vessel, with the at least one rotary member being radially expandable from a paraxial position.

Claims

1. An apparatus for atherectomy, the apparatus comprising:

a catheter;

a hollow wire guided by said catheter, said hollow wire including at least one rotary member for removing at least one of deposits, coatings and occlusions in a vessel;

a first helically wound hollow wire attachment provided on a proximal end of said at least one rotary member, and a second helically wound hollow attachment provided on a distal end of said at least one rotary member;

a taut wire extending through said first and second helically wound attachments and said rotary member;

means provided on a proximal end of said taut wire and cooperable with a proximal end of said first helically wound hollow wire attachment for enabling a radial expansion of said at least one rotary member from a paraxial position upon drawing the taut wire in a distal direction of the apparatus;

a drive for the apparatus including means for receiving said catheter, and rotary connecting means for connecting a rotary drive for the at least one rotary member, wherein the rotary connecting means is axially reciprocatable relative to the catheter by a motor; and

a sleeve firmly and rotatably connected to the rotary connecting means and in a non-rotary manner to a drive casing, said sleeve having a closed meandering groove guided around a circumference engageable with a cam of a transmission part rotating at a lower angular velocity than an angular velocity of the rotary connecting means.