Intravascular catheter having an expandable incising portion and grating tool

1. An intravascular catheter device for treating a zone of attention located within a blood vessel comprising:

a flexible catheter tube;

an expandable portion secured to a distal end of said catheter tube and comprising a plurality of struts, the expandable portion being operable between a closed position, wherein the expandable portion has a first diameter, and an opened position, wherein the expandable portion has a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter, and wherein each of said struts extend in a linear fashion when the expandable portion is placed in the closed position;

an inner sleeve configured to accommodate a guide wire, wherein said inner sleeve is configured for sliding movement such that an inner surface of each of the struts extends along an outer surface of the inner sleeve when the expandable portion is in the closed position;

a tip member connected to a distal end of the inner sleeve such that retraction or extension of the tip member, by way of the inner sleeve, is configured to cause movement of the expandable portion between the closed position and the opened position;

an incising element provided at one of the struts and having a sharpened edge located along an upper surface of said incising element and extending along an outer surface of the strut, wherein said sharpened edge extends parallel with a longitudinal axis of the expandable portion when the expandable portion is in the closed position and is configured to create an axially extending slit in atherosclerotic material located within a blood vessel when the expandable portion is placed in the opened position and retracted through the blood vessel in a non-rotational fashion; and

a number of grating apertures located on the at least one of the struts and configured to perform atherectomy by grating when the expandable portion is placed in the opened position and retracted through the blood vessel in a non-rotating fashion.

2. The intravascular catheter device of claim 1 wherein:

each of the grating apertures comprise a first portion that is elevated relative to a second portion thereof.

3. The intravascular catheter device of claim 2 wherein:

each of the grating apertures comprise a sharpened edge.

4. The intravascular catheter device of claim 2 wherein:

the grating apertures extend over a proximal half of the struts.

5. The intravascular catheter device of claim 2 wherein:

the grating apertures extend over the majority of the struts.

6. The intravascular catheter device of claim 1 further comprising:

an embolic protection device located on and configured to surround at least a portion of the outer surface of the expandable portion when the expandable portion is located in both the opened and the closed position, wherein the embolic protection device is configured to capture the fragments of the atherosclerotic material grated by the grating apertures when said expandable portion is placed in the opened position and retracted through the blood vessel.

7. The intravascular catheter device of claim 6 wherein:

the grating apertures are located on a proximal portion of the expandable portion; and

the embolic protection device is located on a distal portion of the expandable portion.

8. The intravascular catheter device of claim 1 further comprising:

a protective sheath configured to be selectively placed over the expandable portion.

9. An intravascular catheter device for treating a zone of attention located within a blood vessel comprising:

a handle assembly;

a flexible catheter tube extending from the handle assembly;

an expandable portion secured to a distal end of said catheter tube and comprising a plurality of struts each defining an outward facing surface, the expandable portion being operable between a closed position, wherein the expandable portion has a first diameter, and an opened position, wherein the expandable portion has a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter;

an inner sleeve extending through the flexible catheter tube and in communication with the handle assembly, wherein said inner sleeve is configured to move the expandable portion between the opened position and the closed position;

a number of grating apertures located at one or more of the plurality of struts and configured to remove atherosclerotic material when the expandable portion is placed in the opened position and moved axially through the blood vessel; and

an embolic protection device located on and configured to surround at least a portion of the outward facing surfaces of the expandable portion when the expandable portion is located in the opened position and the closed position, wherein the embolic protection device is configured to capture fragments of atherosclerotic material removed by the grating apertures;

an incising member provided on and extending from the outward facing surface of the one or more of the plurality of struts, wherein said incising member comprises a sharpened edge located along an upper edge of the incising member, wherein said sharpened edge extends parallel with a longitudinal axis of the expandable portion when the expandable portion is in the closed position and is configured to score the atherosclerotic material when moved axially through the blood vessel.

10. The intravascular catheter device of claim 9 wherein:

the grating apertures are positioned on the strut such that the direction of the first portion varies.

11. The intravascular catheter device of claim 9 wherein:

said outward facing surface defines a flattened shape configured to ride along the atherosclerotic material when the expandable portion is placed in the opened position and retracted along the blood vessel to limit the depth of penetration of the incising member.

12. The intravascular catheter device of claim 9 wherein:

said inner sleeve is configured to accommodate a guide wire.

13. The intravascular catheter device of claim 9 further comprising:

a tip member attached to a distal end of the inner sleeve and a distal end of each of the plurality of struts, wherein movement of the inner sleeve is configured to cause the expandable portion to move between the opened position where the plurality of struts bow outwardly and the closed position where the plurality of struts extend along the inner sleeve, and wherein at least a portion of said tip member is located beyond a distal end of the struts and the inner sleeve when the expandable portion is in the closed position.

14. The intravascular catheter device of claim 9 further comprising:

a protective sheath configured to be selectively placed over the incising member, the grating apertures, and the embolic protection device.

15. A method for treating a zone of attention located within a blood vessel comprising:

an intravascular catheter device comprising:

a flexible catheter tube;

a selectively expandable portion secured to a distal end of said catheter tube and comprising a plurality of struts;

an inner sleeve configured to accommodate a guide wire and supported for sliding movement within the flexible catheter tube;

a tip member connected to a distal end of the inner sleeve;

an incising element provided on at least one of the struts, said incising element having a sharpened edge which extends outwardly from a flattened outer surface of the at least one strut, wherein said sharpened edge extends parallel with a longitudinal axis of the expandable portion; and

a number of grating apertures located on the flattened outer surface of the at least one strut;

placing the expandable portion in a closed position by extending the inner sleeve;

while the expandable portion is in the closed position:

inserting the expandable portion into a person's vascular system; and

negotiating the expandable portion to the zone of attention;

placing the expandable portion in an opened position by retracting the inner sleeve such that said incising element penetrates the atherosclerotic material and the flattened outer surface rests against the atherosclerotic material; and

while the expandable portion is in the opened position, retracting the expandable portion along the zone of attention in a non-rotating fashion to create axial incisions in the atherosclerotic material while simultaneously grating the atherosclerotic material.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

placing an angioplasty device within the person's vascular system;

negotiating the angioplasty device to the zone of attention; and

inflating a balloon of the angioplasty device to compress the incised and grated atherosclerotic material.