Claims
- 1. A vessel cleaning system for clearing an obstruction in a patient's vessel, the system comprising:
a housing connected to a flexible-tube having an open distal end; a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in said flexible-tube; and a flexible distal-agitator made of a spiral wire being connected to said agitator-shaft, said distal-agitator having an asymmetrical shape so that it extends from said open distal end only to one side of said longitudinal axis of the agitator-shaft, to break the obstruction into pieces while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter.
- 2. As in claim 1 wherein direction of the winding of said distal-agitator relative to the direction of rotation of said distal-agitator is such that said distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
- 3. As in claim 1 wherein said distal-agitator and at least part of said agitator-shaft are made of one continuous spiral wire.
- 4. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire that is longitudinally compressible so that said distal-agitator can enter into said flexible-tube when it unscrews itself and retracts from tight engagements with its surroundings.
- 5. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire that longitudinally contracts and pulls said distal-agitator into said flexible-tube when said distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
- 6. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire and a central tension member that ties a proximal and a distal end of said agitator-shaft one to the other and thereby limits the longitudinal extension of said agitator-shaft.
- 7. As in claim 1 wherein said distal-agitator has a rounded distal-tip.
- 8. As in claim 1 wherein a distal-tip of said distal-agitator is molten and solidified to form a rounded atraumatic distal-tip.
- 9. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft and said distal-agitator are made from a continuous flattened spiral wire that is wound on its flattened side.
- 10. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft radially supports said flexible-tube while said rotary agitator system is operated in a curved vessel.
- 11. As in claim 1 wherein a catheter is used to guide said flexible-tube into the vessel, said catheter having a barrier at its distal end section for temporarily blocking blood flow through the vessel.
- 12. As in claim 1 wherein said housing defines a passageway that connects an external port to said flexible-tube.
- 13. As in claim 1 wherein the catheter is inserted into the vessel through an introducer.
- 14. As in claim 12 wherein said introducer has a first side port through which fluid and particles are introduced into or removed from the vessel.
- 15. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft is mechanically connected to an output shaft of said motor by a coupling made of electrically isolating material.
- 16. As in claim 1 wherein said motor has a casing, at least a portion of said casing is made of conductive material and a first wire and a second wire supply electricity causing an output shaft of said motor to rotate, wherein a first capacitance is interposed between said portion of said casing and said first wire, a second capacitance is interposed between said portion of said casing and said second wire, and a third capacitance is interposed between said first wire and said second wire.
- 17. As in claim 1 wherein a bending radius of a proximal section of said flexible-tube is limited by a radius of curvature of a wall of a depression formed in said housing around the point at which said flexible-tube is connected to said housing.
- 18. A method for removing an obstruction from within a patient's vessel comprising:
inserting into the vessel a vessel cleaning system having a housing connected to a flexible-tube, a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in the flexible-tube, and an offset distal-agitator connected to the agitator-shaft, the distal-agitator having an asymmetrical shape so that it extends from the open distal end only to one side of the longitudinal axis of the agitator-shaft; and rotating the distal-agitator with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter and at a speed sufficient to break the obstruction into pieces.
- 19. As in claim 18 wherein the vessel cleaning system is advanced into the vessel through an introducer or a catheter.
- 20. As in claim 18 wherein the distal-agitator is rotated at such speed that a centrifugal force elastically deforms it and increases said effective diameter.
- 21. A method for removing an obstruction from within a patient's vessel comprising:
inserting into the vessel a vessel cleaning system having a housing connected to a flexible-tube, a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in the flexible-tube, and an offset distal-agitator connected to the agitator-shaft extending from the open distal end, whereas the distal-agitator is at least partially made of a spiral wire; and rotating the distal-agitator with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter at a speed sufficient to break the obstruction into pieces and in a direction, relative to the direction of the winding of the distal-agitator, that the distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
- 22. As in claim 21 wherein the vessel cleaning system is advanced into the vessel through an introducer or a catheter.
- 23. As in claim 21 wherein the distal-agitator is rotated at such speed that a centrifugal force elastically deforms it and increases the effective diameter.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/US03/05717 |
Feb 2003 |
WO |
|
CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of my co-pending application Ser. No. 10/252,290 filed on Sep. 23, 2002 (my doc. Th6) that is a CIP of my earlier application Ser. No. 9/867,307 filed on May 29, 2001 (my doc. Th5) that is a CIP of my earlier application Ser. No. 9/654,934 filed on Sep. 1, 2000 (my doc. Th4; now U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,215) that is a CIP of my earlier application Ser. No. 9/389,712 filed on Sep. 3, 1999 (my doc. Th3; now patent 6,143,009) that is a CIP of Ser. No. 9/241,802 filed on Feb. 2, 1999 (my doc. Th2; now abandoned). This application also relies for priority on my international patent application PCT/US00/01797 filed on Jan. 25, 2000 that relies for priority on the above mentioned patent application Ser. No. 9/389,712 and Ser. No. 9/241,802, and on a provisional application S. No. 60/118,611 filed on Feb. 4, 1999, and on my international patent application PCT/US03/05717, filed on Feb. 25, 2003 (my doc. Cth1 PCT). Additionally, this application is a CIP of my earlier application Ser. No. 10/086465 filed on Mar. 1, 2002 (my doc. Cth1).
[0002] All the above prior applications are herein incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60118611 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (5)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10252290 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Child |
10423677 |
Apr 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09867307 |
May 2001 |
US |
Child |
10252290 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09654934 |
Sep 2000 |
US |
Child |
09867307 |
May 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09389712 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
09654934 |
Sep 2000 |
US |
Parent |
09241802 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Child |
09389712 |
Sep 1999 |
US |