Rotational thrombectomy apparatus and method with standing wave

• US 6,602,264 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Argon Medical Devices
• Original Assignee: REX Medical LP
• Inventors: McGuckin, James F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Kevin T.
• Application Number:
  US09/502,261
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 606/159,170,127,128,180 604/53,49,22
• US Class Current: 606/159
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22 Implements for squeezing-off ulcers or the like on the inside of inner organs of the body; Implements for scraping-out cavities of body organs, e.g. bones; Calculus removers; Calculus smashing apparatus; Apparatus for removing obstructions in blood vessels, not otherwise provided for dilators A61M29/00
• 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 2017/22084 stone- or thrombus-dissolving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320008 Scrapers
• 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: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic

Abstract

Apparatus for clearing lumens of thrombolytic material, comprising a motor including a control therefor operable using one hand holding the motor; an elongated wire connected to the motor for rotation by the motor; a catheter for enveloping a length of the wire; and a grip facilitating manual rotation of the catheter by the one hand independently of the wire as the wire is rotated by the motor at a speed sufficient to create a standing wave in a portion of the wire extending from the catheter.

Claims

1. A method for clearing a lumen of thrombolytic material, comprising:

a. inserting a rotatable hydrophilic wire into the interior of a lumen through an aperture; and

b. rotating the wire within the lumen at a speed at which the wire forms at least one vibrational node in the portion of the wire within the lumen.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the lumen contains thrombolytic material, further comprising moving the wire with the at least one vibrational node therein axially along the lumen to rotationally sweep thrombolytic material from the lumen.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said inserting step further comprises inserting the rotatable hydrophilic wire having a surrounding catheter from which the wire extends into the interior of the lumen through the aperture.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said rotating step further comprises rotating the wire but not the catheter within the lumen at a speed at which the wire forms at least one vibrational node in the portion of the wire within the lumen.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said rotating step further comprises rotating the wire at a speed at which the wire forms at least one vibrational node in the portion of the wire extending from the catheter within the lumen.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said rotating step further comprises rotating the wire but not the catheter within the lumen at a speed sufficient to cause the portion of the wire extending from the catheter to form a standing wave.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a. providing a motor for rotating the wire within the lumen at a speed at which the wire forms at least one vibrational node in the portion of the wire within the lumen;

b. moving the wire along the lumen by moving the motor; and

c. controlling orientation of the wire within the lumen by rotating a catheter that surrounds a portion of the wire.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the motor is a hand held motor;

moving the wire along the lumen is performed by manually moving the motor; and

controlling orientation of the wire within the lumen is performed by manually rotating the catheter.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising manually moving the motor and manually rotating the catheter with a single hand.

10. A method for clearing a surgical lumen or similar body lumen of thrombolytic material, comprising:

a. forming an aperture into a lumen;

b. inserting a rotatable hydrophilic wire into the interior of the lumen through the aperture; and

c. rotating the wire within the lumen at a speed sufficient to create a standing wave in the portion of the wire within the lumen.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the lumen contains thrombolytic material, and wherein said rotating step further comprises rotating the wire within the lumen along the length of the lumen for a sufficient time to macerate thrombolytic material within the lumen and thereby produce a standing column of liquified material within the lumen.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of removing liquified material from the lumen.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said removing step is performed by applying suction to said lumen aperture.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising rotating the wire at a speed of from about 100 to about 10,000 RPM.

15. A method for removing an obstruction from a patient'"'"'s vessel, including the acts of:

inserting one or more wires into the vessel;

rotating the one or more wires to form a standing wave in the one or more wires such that maximum points of deflection of the standing wave engage the obstruction; and

advancing the one or more wires as the one or more wires are rotated such that the points of maximum deflection are moved within the vessel.

16. An apparatus for clearing thrombus from a shunt or body lumen comprising:

a motor, a single non-abrasive flexible wire element for guiding a catheter to the desired site, the wire element operatively connected to the motor, the catheter enveloping a length of the wire element and relatively movable with respect to the wire element to control an amount of a distal portion of the wire element exposed, the wire element activated by the motor for rotational movement with respect to the catheter, without rotation of the catheter, creating multiple vortices along its length such that an outer surface of the wire element directly contacts and macerates thrombus within the shunt or body lumen, and wherein during rotation of the wire element an axis of rotation is different from a curvature of the wire element, and a first conduit communicating with the catheter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wire element is a braided wire.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wire element is rotated in a direction to resist untwisting of the braid.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wire element is a filament wire.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the catheter is manually rotatable.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the wire element is a hydrophilic wire.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein an extremity portion of the catheter is angularly disposed with respect to the catheter.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein an extremity of the wire element is angularly disposed with respect to the remainder of the wire element.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a sheath enveloping the catheter and a second conduit communicating with the interior of the sheath and externally of the catheter.