Atherectomy device

Year	Description
1992	Invention patented by Donald W. Hanson on July 15th, 1992. Abstract: An apparatus for removing obstructions within a blood vessel of a patient using mechanical motion. The device has a catheter which is inserted into the vascular system at a convenient point, such as the femoral artery. The distal end of the catheter is advanced until it reaches the occlusion. A central lumen within the catheter contains a coil spring which functions as a flexible shaft to couple rotational motion provided by an electric motor or other source of rotational motion at the proximal end of the catheter to a cutting head at the distal end of the catheter. As the cutting head is rotated, the occlusion is milled away by the internal cutting edges of the cutting head. The particles cut from the occlusion are forced by the rotational motion of the cutting head into one of a number of outer lumens of the catheter. A vacuum is applied to the proximal end of some of the outer lumens to remove the particles from the patient's body.
1995	Invention patented by Leonid Shturman on April 26th, 1995. Abstract: A rotational atherectomy device having directional control for selectively removing tissue from an artery (or other bodily passageway or cavity). The atherectomy device includes a rotational atherectomy apparatus having a flexible, elongated drive shaft disposed in the lumen of a catheter. A central portion of an intermediate segment of the drive shaft is coated with an abrasive material to define an abrasive segment of the drive shaft. The drive shaft has a central lumen for receipt of a guide wire therein, and around which the drive shaft may be rotated. The guide wire has an intermediate portion with a predetermined curved positioning portion such that when the abrasive segment of the drive shaft is located along the curved positioning portion of the guide wire, such curved positioning portion of the guide wire urges the abrasive segment of the drive shaft laterally. The catheter has an elongated aperture in its side wall, the aperture having a width permitting the abrasive segment of the drive shaft to extend through it so that when the abrasive segment of the drive shaft and the curved positioning portion of the guide wire are both aligned with the aperture, then the curved positioning portion of the guide wire urges the abrasive segment of the drive shaft laterally out through the catheter aperture to engage tissue to be removed from the bodily passageway or cavity. In a preferred embodiment, the catheter includes two lumens, one for a conventional guide wire and the other for a separate positioning wire having the predetermined curved positioning portion for laterally positioning the abrasive segment of the drive shaft.
1998	Invention patented by Adi Shefaram and Youval Katzman on September 20th, 1998. Abstract: An atherectomy device is provided wherein a catheter has a cutting region including plurality of slotted tubular members interconnected by flexible segments. Each slotted tubular member includes cutting edges that sever occlusive material from the interior of a vessel when the cutting region is rotated. The flexible segments may be formed by cutting windows in a tapered hollow tubular member, or may comprise bellows-shaped tubes or helical coils, and may be coated with a flexible material allowing suction to be drawn through the device, or to permit the delivery of contrast agents, dyes, fluids or drugs to the operative site. A guide catheter also may be provided for positioning the cutting region of the atherectomy device at the operative site.
1999	Invention patented by Youval Katzman on November 21th, 1999. Abstract: An atherectomy device is provided wherein a catheter has a cutting region including plurality of slotted tubular members interconnected by flexible segments. Each slotted tubular member includes cutting edges that sever occlusive material from the interior of a vessel when the cutting region is rotated. The flexible segments may be formed by cutting windows in a tapered hollow tubular member, or may comprise bellows-shaped tubes or helical coils, or may comprise one or more tubular segments and may include a lumen that allows suction to be drawn through the device, or to permit the delivery of contrast agents, dyes, fluids or drugs to the operative site. A guide catheter also may be provided for positioning the cutting region of the atherectomy device at the operative site.
2000	Invention patented by James F. Jr. McGuckin, Peter W. Hinchliffe, and Walter H. Peters on July 30th, 2000. Abstract: Atherectomy device for removing plaque from the interior of a lumen comprising a rotatable head having a nose, central portion and tail portion. The nose position is bulbously outwardly curved, the tail portion defines a rear extremity of the head and is rectangular in transverse cross-section and tapered, and the central portion tapers from the circular nose portion to the tail portion.
Source: selected by the editor from original sources.

Atherectomy device

Invention: Atherectomy device