Atherectomy catheter drive assemblies
A drive assembly for driving an imaging catheter has a rotatable fiber and a rotatable drive shaft. The drive assembly includes a fiber optic rotating junction and a motor configured to rotate the rotatable portion of the fiber optic rotating junction. In some embodiments, the drive assembly includes a sensor configured to detect a rotational position of the fiber optic rotating junction and a processor configured to obtain the detected rotational position and stop the motor only when the fiber optic rotating junction is in a predetermined rotational position. In some embodiments, the motor includes a hollow shaft through which at least a portion of the fiber optic rotating junction extends.
1. A method of imaging a body lumen, comprising:
positioning a proximal portion of an intravascular imaging catheter through a sterile cover such that a distal portion of the intravascular imaging catheter remains in a sterile field;
connecting the proximal portion to a drive assembly in a non-sterile field such that a fiber optic rotating junction of the drive assembly connects with a fiber of the intravascular imaging catheter;
activating a power actuator to turn on a motor of the drive assembly so that the motor simultaneously rotates a rotatable portion of the fiber optic rotating junction and the fiber while the distal portion of the intravascular imaging catheter is in the sterile field; and
imaging a lumen of the body with the fiber as the fiber rotates.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising locking the proximal portion into the drive assembly.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein connecting the proximal portion to the drive assembly automatically aligns an optical connection of the intravascular imaging catheter with a predetermined rotational position of the fiber optic rotating junction.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein imaging comprises imaging with optical coherence tomography.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein activating the power actuator further rotates a driveshaft of the intravascular imaging catheter.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising cutting within the body lumen with a cutter attached to the driveshaft.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising translating the driveshaft axially to expose the cutter.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising translating the driveshaft axially to pack cut tissue into a nosecone of the intravascular imaging catheter.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pulling the sterile cover over the drive assembly.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising moving the covered portion of the drive assembly into the sterile field.
11. A method of imaging a body lumen, comprising:
positioning a distal portion of an intravascular imaging catheter in a sterile field;
connecting a proximal portion of the intravascular imaging catheter to a drive assembly in a non-sterile field such that a fiber optic rotating junction of the drive assembly connects with a fiber of the intravascular imaging catheter and automatically aligns an optical connection of the intravascular imaging catheter with a predetermined rotational position of the fiber optic rotating junction;
activating a power actuator to turn on a motor of the drive assembly so that the motor simultaneously rotates a rotatable portion of the fiber optic rotating junction and the fiber while the distal portion of the intravascular imaging catheter is in the sterile field; and
imaging a lumen of the body with the fiber as the fiber rotates.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising locking the proximal portion into the drive assembly.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising positioning the proximal portion of the intravascular imaging catheter through a sterile cover prior to connecting the proximal portion to the drive assembly.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising pulling the sterile cover over the drive assembly.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising moving the covered portion of the drive assembly into the sterile field.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein imaging comprises imaging with optical coherence tomography.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein activating the power actuator further rotates a driveshaft of the intravascular imaging catheter.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising cutting within the body lumen with a cutter attached to the driveshaft.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising translating the driveshaft axially to expose the cutter.
20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising translating the driveshaft axially to pack cut tissue into a nosecone of the intravascular imaging catheter.