Device for applying and monitoring medical atherectomy
Device for carrying out and monitoring an atherectomy, with which a cutting knife driven in a rotating manner by an external unit and set back to project into an opening in the tip of the catheter can be pressed onto the artery wall by means of an inflatable balloon arranged on the side of the catheter casing opposite the window opening, an atherectomy catheter being connected to an OCT catheter to form an integrated unit.
1. A catheter device for performing and monitoring medical atherectomy, comprising:
an atherectomy catheter assembly including a single external elongate casing having first and second opposing ends with a catheter tip at the first end, an inlet for receiving contrast agent or rinsing fluid near the second end and an outlet for discharging contrast agent or rinsing fluid and a rotatable cutting knife positioned between the first end and the inlet, the casing including an opening in a wall portion thereof through which the catheter tip projects;
an inflatable balloon operatively positionable along the casing to press the cutting knife against a vascular wall;
an OCT sensor comprising a rotatable mirror positioned in the casing between the first and second casing ends, with the casing including a ring-shaped window positioned about the sensor;
a flexible drive assembly including a hollow shaft extending between the first and second ends and operatively coupled to simultaneously rotate both the mirror and the knife;
an external OCT signaling line drive and evaluation unit coupled to the catheter assembly at the second end and connectable to drive said OCT sensor, wherein a fiber signaling line is positionable in the hollow flexible drive shaft to effect operative coupling of said unit to the OCT sensor, wherein configuration of the knife, the sensor, the hollow shaft, the unit and the balloon about the single casing enable provision of one catheter capable of providing both OCT images and atherectomy along the vascular wall.
2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the OCT sensor is arranged in front of or behind the knife.
3. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a micro gear unit connecting the drive shaft to the knife and arranged upstream the knife.
4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the micro gear unit has a slip clutch.
5. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of magnets arranged at the catheter tip for magnetically navigating the catheter assembly.
6. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of X-ray markers arranged on a catheter shaft of the catheter assembly.
7. The device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the catheter assembly is placed about a target position and is configured to inject fluid to permit examination of a stenosis about the target position,
wherein the OCT sensor is configured to provide first images received through the window positioned about the sensor for examining the stenosis,
wherein the inflatable balloon is configured to hold the catheter tip in a desired position operatively positioned along the casing to press the cutting knife against a vascular wall,
wherein the cutting knife is configured to remove plaque from the target position based on the first images, and
wherein the OCT sensor is configured to provide second images after removal of the plaque.