Vessel cleaner
First Claim
1. An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying fragments of the obstruction through the apparatus and out of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising in combination:
- a flexible-tube, having an open distal end, and is connectable to a negative pressure, a motor-rotateable flexible conveyor-shaft that is disposed in the flexible tube at least a part of the flexible conveyor-shaft is a spiral wire with gaps between its coils to enable the spiral to convey fragments, the direction of the spiral is such that as it rotates relative to the flexible tube it conveys the fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, from the open distal end through the flexible tube, an offset agitator that at least partially extends out of the open distal end of the flexible-tube being connected to and rotated by the distal end of the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter, wherein the flexible conveyor-shaft and the offset agitator are a continuous spiral wire formed from flattened wire, the conveyor-shaft being made of the flattened wire wound on its edge and the offset agitator being made from the flattened wire wound on its side and wherein the conveyor-shaft and the offset agitator are connected one the other by a short section of twisted wire that is an integral part of the spiral wire that does not block fragments from entering the gaps between the coils of the conveyor shaft.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying the fragments through the apparatus out of the patient'"'"'s body, having a flexible-tube with an open distal end, connected to a negative pressures, a motor-rotated, flexible, spiral conveyor-shaft disposed in the flexible tube that conveys the obstruction fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, through the flexible tube and an offset agitator that is connected to and is rotated by the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction. The offset-agitator can be moved in and out of the flexible tube, through the open distal end, to adjust its effective diameter.
188 Citations
44 Claims
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1. An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying fragments of the obstruction through the apparatus and out of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising in combination:
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a flexible-tube, having an open distal end, and is connectable to a negative pressure, a motor-rotateable flexible conveyor-shaft that is disposed in the flexible tube at least a part of the flexible conveyor-shaft is a spiral wire with gaps between its coils to enable the spiral to convey fragments, the direction of the spiral is such that as it rotates relative to the flexible tube it conveys the fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, from the open distal end through the flexible tube, an offset agitator that at least partially extends out of the open distal end of the flexible-tube being connected to and rotated by the distal end of the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter, wherein the flexible conveyor-shaft and the offset agitator are a continuous spiral wire formed from flattened wire, the conveyor-shaft being made of the flattened wire wound on its edge and the offset agitator being made from the flattened wire wound on its side and wherein the conveyor-shaft and the offset agitator are connected one the other by a short section of twisted wire that is an integral part of the spiral wire that does not block fragments from entering the gaps between the coils of the conveyor shaft. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying fragments of the obstruction through the apparatus and out of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising in combination:
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a flexible-tube, having an open distal end, and is connectable to a negative pressure, a motor-rotateable flexible conveyor-shaft that is disposed in the flexible tube at least a part of the flexible conveyor-shaft is a spiral wire with gaps between its coils to enable the spiral to convey fragments, the direction of the spiral is such that as it rotates relative to the flexible tube it conveys the fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, from the open distal end through the flexible tube, an offset agitator that at least partially extends out of the open distal end of the flexible-tube being connected to and rotated by the distal end of the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter, the offset agitator is a spiral wire with gaps between its coils that are substantially smaller than the gaps between the coils of the flexible conveyor-shaft. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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3. An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying fragments of the obstruction through the apparatus and out of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising in combination:
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a flexible-tube, having an open distal end, and is connectable to a negative pressure, a motor-rotateable flexible conveyor-shaft that is disposed in the flexible tube at least a part of the flexible conveyor-shaft being a spiral wire, the direction of spiral is such that as it rotates relative to the flexible tube it conveys the obstruction fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, from the open distal end through the flexible tube, a clearance between the flexible conveyor-shaft and the flexible tube being large enough so that the flexible conveyor-shaft rotates freely in the flexible tube and small enough so that the flexible conveyor-shaft radially supports the flexible tube to prevent it from kinking while the apparatus operates in a curved vessel, an offset agitator that at least partially extends out of the open distal end of the flexible-tube being connected to and rotated by the distal end of the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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4. An apparatus for extracting an obstruction located in a patient'"'"'s vessel by fragmenting the obstruction and conveying fragments of the obstruction through the apparatus and out of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising in combination:
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a flexible-tube, having an open distal end, and connectable to a negative pressure, a motor-rotateable flexible conveyor-shaft that is disposed in the flexible tube at least a part of the flexible conveyor-shaft is a spiral wire, the direction of spiral is such that as it rotates relative to the flexible tube it conveys the obstruction fragments, cooperatively with the negative pressure, from the open distal end through the flexible tube, an offset agitator that at least partially extends out of the open distal end of the flexible-tube being connected to and rotated by the distal end of the flexible conveyor-shaft to fragment the obstruction while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter, wherein the offset-agitator can be moved in and out of the flexible tube, through the open distal end, to adjust the effective diameter of the offset agitator. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification