Devices for Vascular Intervention, Inc.

Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Richard L Mueller, Jr

Michael A Evans

John B Simpson

Peter S Brown

Timothy R Machold

Craig E Mar

Brian Eugene Farley

James R Kermode

Richard S Jaraczewski

Michael J Horzewski

Hanson S Gifford, Iii

Gerri L Chatelain

Andrew L Lerohl

Mark E Plaia

Tommy G Davis

Chris Decaria

John P Shanahan

James F Pfeiffer

An atherectomy catheter includes a catheter body having a cylindrical housing at its distal end. The cylindrical housing includes an elongate cutting aperture on one side thereof and a mechanism for severing atheroma which enters within the opening. In a first embodiment, the cutting mechanism comprises a circular cutting blade which is advanced over an elongate guide member which defines a path for the blade. Use of the guide means helps assure that the cutting blade will not be lost from the housing during use. In a second embodiment, a rotatable helical cutting blade is mounted within the housing. In that particular embodiment, the helical cutting blade can serve as the guide member for the circular cutting blade.

Atherectomy device having helical blade and blade guide

An atherectomy device for reducing stenosis material from a vascular vessel is provided. The atherectomy device includes an elongated flexible tubular member having at least one lumen extending therethrough and having proximal and distal extremities. A flexible drive means disposed within the tubular members is free to move both rotationally and axially therein. A cutting assembly is carried by the distal extremity of the flexible tubular member with a cutter being carried by the distal extremity of the flexible drive means for removing a portion of the stenosis from the vessel wall. An inflatable dilation balloon is carried by the tubular member proximally of the cutter for further reducing the stenosis after initial reduction by the cutter. A perfusion channel maintains blood flow past the dilation balloon. Methods of the present invention include cutting and dilating a stenosis, cutting then immediately dilating a stenosis, and dilating then immediately cutting a stenosis.

Atherectomy device with angioplasty balloon and method

A vascular catheter includes a flexible catheter body having proximal and distal ends and an elongate housing secured to the distal end of the catheter body. An interactional device is disposed on one side of the housing, and at least two spaced-apart inflatable chambers are located on the other side of the housing generally at its proximal and distal ends, respectively. The inflatable chambers may be expanded simutaneously or separately, and the spaced-apart positioning of the chambers provides for stable positioning of the housing during atherectomy procedures imaging procedures, and the like.

Balloon configuration for atherectomy catheter

A catheter system comprises a flexible catheter tube or body having a housing secured to its distal end. A plurality of structurally distinct terminal components are provided to attach to the forward end of the housing, while a plurality of interchangeable interventional elements are provided to attach to a drive member within the catheter. By properly selecting the terminal components and the interventional elements, a wide variety of specific therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities may be provided.

System and method for catheter construction

An atherectomy device includes a transparent lumen for providing inflation medium to an inflatable balloon. A dual lumen flexible tube includes an opaque flexible torque member in a first lumen, while the second lumen serves as an inflation lumen. The distal end of the inflation lumen is expanded to define the balloon, and no seals are needed between the balloon and the inflation lumen.

Atherectomy catheter and method of forming the same

A vascular catheter includes a blade tip at its distal end. In the specific embodiments, a blade is mounted within the blade tip and a mechanism provided for extending the blade transversely when the blade tip is located within a region of stenosis. By extending the blade and axially translating the catheter so that the blade forms an incision within the region of stenosis, improved angioplastic treatment can be achieved.

Catheter and method for making intravascular incisions

An atherectomy device for removing stenosis materials from a vascular vessel is provided. The atherectomy device includes a flexible tubular member, a flexible drive means disposed within the tubular member, and a cutting assembly carried by the distal extremity of the tubular member. The cutting assembly includes a collection chamber which receives a cutting bit carried by the drive means. The cutting bit is rotated to remove materials from the stenosis and cause the removed materials to be withdrawn into the collection chamber as the bit is advanced. A second embodiment of the atherectomy device includes an anchor member coaxially mounted within a tubular cutting blade at the distal end of the catheter. The anchor member is first advanced into a region of stenosis where it becomes embedded, and the tubular blade is subsequently advanced over the anchor member to sever the stenosis. The tubular blade and anchor member may be retracted within the catheter and thus used to withdraw the several material from the blood vessel.

Atherectomy device and method

An improved vascular dilation catheter comprises an involuted tubular structure including outer and inner tubular walls which extend the entire length of the catheter. The outer tubular wall is enlarged at a distal end of the catheter to form a dilation balloon, and extends back the remaining length of the flexible tube at a reduced diameter to define an annular lumen which is used to inflate the balloon. Alternatively, the outer tubular wall may conform to the exterior of the inner tubular wall and separate axial lumens may be provided for inflation. By providing means for heating inflation medium within the balloon, the catheter may be utilized for performing thermal ablation therapy.

Vascular dilation catheter construction

The invention is directed to a very low-profile dilatation catheter having an inner tubular member with an inner lumen with a diameter of not more than 0.003 inch (0.076 mm) greater than the diameter of a guidewire disposed therein. Preferably, the inner diameter of the tubular member is less than 0.015 inch (0.381 mm). The inner member may be formed of a thin-walled tubing such as polyimide tubing having a wall thickness less than 0.003 inch (0.076 mm). Polyimide tubing is also preferably employed as the tubular member in low-profile steerable dilatation catheters wherein the guide elements thereof are fixed within the catheter.

Vascular catheters

Dilatation cathether, tip marker and method of manufacture wherein the tip marker comprises a split sleeve of radiopaque material having an arc length between 180.degree. and 360.degree.. In one disclosed embodiment, the tip marker is crimped in position about an inner tubular member, and an outer tubular member is bonded to the inner tubular member, with the tip marker being captured between the two members. In this particular embodiment, the outer tubular member comprises an inflatable balloon, and a vent opening extends from the balloon to the distal end of the catheter through the gap formed between the confronting edges of the marker sleeve.

Catheter with split tip marker and method of manufacture

Perfusion dilatation catheter and method of manufacturing the same. The catheter has an elongated flexible shaft with an inflatable balloon mounted near the distal end of the shaft. A first lumen in the shaft communicates with the balloon for inflating and deflating the balloon. A second lumen extends between the proximal and distal ends of the shaft and is adapted to receive a guide wire. Openings formed in the side wall of the shaft on the proximal and distal sides of the balloon communicate with the second lumen to provide a path for blood to flow past the balloon when it is inflated.

Perfusion dilatation catheter and method of manufacture

Stiffened dilation catheter and method of manufacturing the same. The catheter has a relatively stiff proximal end portion formed by bonding a relatively stiff tubular member coaxially within the proximal end portion of a relatively soft outer tubular member. The outer tubular member has a distensible portion which forms an inflatable balloon. An inner tubular member or shaft having an axial lumen adapted to receive a guide wire is positioned coaxially within the other tubular members. The distal end portions of the inner and outer tubular members are sealed together to close the distal end of the balloon, and an annular passageway for inflating and deflating the balloon is formed between the outer wall of the inner member and the inner wall of the stiffened proximal end portion of the outer tubular member. The relative wall thicknesses of the inner and outer tubular members can be varied to provide any desired stiffness or profile of stiffness along the length of the catheter.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Richard L Mueller, Jr