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Apparatus for atherectomy

  • US 5,409,454 A
  • Filed: 05/02/1994
  • Issued: 04/25/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A catheter for excision of obstructive tissue from a vessel of a living body comprising:

  • a flexible guide wire adapted to be advanced through the obstructive tissue in the vessel of the living body so that the guide wire'"'"'s distal end is positioned beyond the obstructive tissue;

    a cut/collect catheter having a hollow torque cable surrounding said flexible guide wire and displaceable with respect thereto, said hollow torque cable having a proximal end adapted to lie outside of the living body and a distal end fixedly coupled to a central support of a cutting cylinder at a distal end thereof for rotative displacement of said cutting cylinder, said cutting cylinder having at least one tapered sharpened cutting edge at the cutting cylinder'"'"'s proximal end, the cutting edge being capable of cutting obstructive tissue off the vessel wall as it is pulled back in a retrograde direction, the cutting cylinder having attached at its distal end a hollow, tapered, flexible, elastomer tip which is adapted to penetrate through and beyond the obstructive tissue, the interior surface of the cutting cylinder forming a tissue collection chamber which is completely closed except at its proximal end and into which collection chamber all of the cut off obstructive tissue is collected, the cut/collect catheter further having a continuous central passageway which is adapted to be advanced over the guide wire, the continuous central passageway extending from the proximal end of the hollow torque cable to the distal end of the hollow elastomer tip so as to prevent contact between the outer surface of the guide wire and the cut off obstructive tissue; and

    a shielding catheter adapted to move slideably over and to fit concentrically around the cut/collect catheter for most of the length of the cut/collect catheter that is adapted to lie inside the vessel, the shielding catheter consisting for most of its length of a plastic cylinder which has a metal cutout cylinder having a proximal ring portion, said metal cutout cylinder being fixedly attached to the plastic cylinder'"'"'s distal end, the metal cutout cylinder having a longitudinal cutout wherein the metal is removed except for a partial-cylindrical arc portion which forms a shield to prevent cutting of an arc of the vessel wall, said longitudinal cutout being shorter in length as compared to the length of the cutting cylinder at its outermost diameter, said flexible tip having a shoulder formed therein for engagement of the distal edge of the metal cutout cylinder thereto.

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