US4747821A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Catheter with high speed moving working head
Assignee: DSM Biomedical Inc
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Filing: 1986-10-22
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Granted: 1988-05-31
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Expires: 2006-10-22
Abstract
Abstract A flexible, small diameter catheter for effecting various surgical procedures, such as opening a restriction formed of an undesirable material, e.g., atherosclerotic plaque, in a lumen, e.g., an artery, of a living being. The catheter includes a working head having at least one, non-sharp impacting surface arranged to be moved, e.g., rotated, at a high rate of speed by an associated drive means within the catheter. The catheter with the moving working head is brought into engagement to effect the opening of the restriction by dilating the artery and/or removing undesirable material therefrom. The removal of undesirable material results from the impacting surface impacting the material of the restriction repeatedly. A fluid is provided through the catheter to the working head and a portion is thrown radially outward. The fluid at the working head also flows in a vortex to cause any particles broken off from the restriction back to the moving working head where they are impacted again and again to further reduce their size. Such action creates particles of sufficiently small size that they may be enabled to flow distally without significant deleterious effects to distally located tissue.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth Kensey
- 👤 John Nash
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 18:35
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/32; A61B17/3205; A61B17/3207; A61B17/320758; A61B17/22; A61B2017/22097; A61B2017/320044
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
183 words
A catheter for introduction into a lumen in a living being to open a restriction formed of an undesirable material in a remote portion of said lumen, said catheter comprising an elongated member having a longitudinal axis, a working head located adjacent the distal end thereof, and drive means for effecting the rotation of said working head about said axis, said working head comprising at least one, non-sharp, arcuate impacting surface repeatedly impacting said material as said working head is rotated about said axis and producing a wave in the tissue of said lumen adjacent said impacting surface, said impacting surface defining at least one curve in a plane perpendicular to said axis, with the radius of curvature of said curve in said plane being substantially equal or greater than said tissue wave, whereupon the repeated impaction of said impacting surface on said undesirable material opens said restriction and reduces in size any portion of said undesirable material broken away by the impacting action of said impacting surface to enable said portion to flow distally without significant deleterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
183 words
A catheter for introduction into a lumen in a living being to open a restriction formed of an undesirable material in a remote portion of said lumen, said catheter comprising an elongated member having a longitudinal axis, a working head located adjacent the distal end thereof, and drive means for effecting the rotation of said working head about said axis, said working head comprising at least one, non-sharp, arcuate impacting surface repeatedly impacting said material as said working head is rotated about said axis and producing a wave in the tissue of said lumen adjacent said impacting surface, said impacting surface defining at least one curve in a plane perpendicular to said axis, with the radius of curvature of said curve in said plane being substantially equal or greater than said tissue wave, whereupon the repeated impaction of said impacting surface on said undesirable material opens said restriction and reduces in size any portion of said undesirable material broken away by the impacting action of said impacting surface to enable said portion to flow distally without significant deleterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
72 words
The catheter of claim 1 wherein said restriction is opened by the dilation of said lumen portion adjacent said restriction resulting from said working head movement and/or the removal of some of said undesirable material resulting from said impacting surface impacting said undesirable material to break off portions therefrom to form particles, said particles being sufficiently small that they are enabled to flow distally without significant delterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The catheter of claim 2 wherein said catheter includes means for producing a fluid flow adjacent said working head to carry said particles into repeated engagement with said impacting surface to successively reduce the size of said particles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The cather of claim 3 wherein said working head is arranged for high speed rotation about said longitudinal axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The catheter of claim 4 wherein said fluid flow is a vortex flow produced by the rotation of said working head.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The catheter of claim 1 wherein said radius is in the range of 0.001 inch to 0.005 inch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The catheter of claim 1 wherein said working head is arranged for high speed rotation about said longitudinal axis and wherein said non-sharp, impacting surface is formed by an arcuate surface adjacent at least one cam surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The catheter of claim 7 wherein a non-sharp impacting surfact is formed at the interface of said cam surface and a relieved surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The catheter of claim 7 wherein said cam surface is a portion of spherical surface and wherein said relieved surface is planar.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The catheter of claim 9 wherein said planar surface is skewed with respect to said lonqitudinal axis.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
The catheter of claim 10 wherein said working head comprises a pair of cammed surfaces, and a pair of relieved, planar surfaces each of said planar surfaces being skewed with respect to said longitudinal axis, with said planar surfaces tapering toward each other in the direction of the distal end of said working head.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The catheter of claim 9 wherein said cam surfaces comprise a pair of substantially quarterspherical surfaces, said substantially quarterspherical surfaces being offset from each other by a tangential intermediate surface.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The catheter of claim 12 wherein said planar surface is skewed with respect to said longitudinal axis.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
The catheter of claim 13 wherein said working head comprises a pair of cammed surfaces, and a pair of planar, relieved surfaces, each of said relieved surfaces being skewed with respect to said longitudinal axis, with said relieved surfaces tapering toward each other in the direction of the distal end of said working head.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The catheter of claim 14 wherein a plane bisecting the working head through said longitudinal axis extends at an angle to a plane of at least one of said relieved surfaces.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
60 words
The catheter of claim 7 wherein said working head additionally comprises at least one relieved surface and said catheter additionally comprises means for ejecting a fluid at said working head, whereupon said relieved surface causes at least a portion of said fluid to be thrown in a direction having a component oriented outward radially with respect to said longitudinal axis.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
The catheter of claim 16 wherein said means for ejecting a fluid comprises a fluid passageway having a port located adjacent said longitudinal axis, said port being arranged to be consecutively covered and uncovered by the rotation of said working head.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
69 words
The catheter of claim 17 wherein said restriction is opened by the dilation of said lumen portion adjacent said restriction resulting from said working head rotation and/or the removal of some of said undesirable material resulting from said impacting surface impacting said undesirable material to break off particles therefrom, said particles being sufficiently small that they are able to flow distally without significant delterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
The catheter of claim 18 wherein the rotation of said working head produces a fluid flow adjacent said working head to carry said particles into repeated engagement with said impacting surface to successively reduce the size of said particles.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
12 words
The catheter of claim 19 wherein said fluid flow is a vortex.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The catheter of claim 1 wherein said radius is in the range of 0.001 inch to 0.005 inch.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
217 words
A method for opening a restriction formed of an undesirable material in a portion of a lumen in a living being using an instrument in said lumen at a location remote from said restriction, said instrument comprising a member having a longitudinal axis, a working head located at the distal end thereof, and drive means for effecting the rotation of said working head about said axis, said working head comprising at least one, non-sharp, arcuate impacting surface, said method comprising the steps of locating said working head in said lumen at the situs of said undesirable material, and operating said drive means to cause said working head to rotate, whereupon said impacting surface releatedly impacts said material and produces a wave in the tissue of said lumen adjacent said impacting surface, said impacting surface defining at least one curve in a plane perpendicular to said axis, with the radius of curvature of said curve in said plane being substantially equal or greater than said tissue wave so that the impaction of said impacting surface on said undesirable material thereby opens said restriction and reduces in size any portion of said undesirable material broken away by the impaction action of said impacting surface to enable said portion to flow distally without significant delterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
217 words
A method for opening a restriction formed of an undesirable material in a portion of a lumen in a living being using an instrument in said lumen at a location remote from said restriction, said instrument comprising a member having a longitudinal axis, a working head located at the distal end thereof, and drive means for effecting the rotation of said working head about said axis, said working head comprising at least one, non-sharp, arcuate impacting surface, said method comprising the steps of locating said working head in said lumen at the situs of said undesirable material, and operating said drive means to cause said working head to rotate, whereupon said impacting surface releatedly impacts said material and produces a wave in the tissue of said lumen adjacent said impacting surface, said impacting surface defining at least one curve in a plane perpendicular to said axis, with the radius of curvature of said curve in said plane being substantially equal or greater than said tissue wave so that the impaction of said impacting surface on said undesirable material thereby opens said restriction and reduces in size any portion of said undesirable material broken away by the impaction action of said impacting surface to enable said portion to flow distally without significant delterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
109 words
The method of claim 22 additionally comprising the steps of introducing a fluid into said lumen adjacent said working head and causing at least a portion of said fluid to flow outward, with some directional components of said flow being substantially outwardly radially, whereupon said restriction is opened by the dilation of said lumen portion adjacent said restriction resulting from said working head movement and/or the removal of some of said undesirable material resulting from said impacting surface impacting said undesirable material to break off portions therefrom to form particles, said particles being sufficiently small that they enabled to flow distally without significant delterious effects to distally located tissue.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
The catheter of claim 23 wherein said working head is rotated at a high rate of speed and wherein said fluid flow adjacent said working carries said particles into repeated engagement with said impacting surface to successively reduce the size of said particles.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-05-31 | 1991-11-30 | 1992-05-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-05-31 | 1995-11-30 | 1996-05-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-05-31 | 1999-11-30 | 2000-05-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |