Patent ID: 11877796
Assignee: THE SPECTRANETICS CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An intravascular therapy catheter system for cutting a blood vessel occlusion of a subject, the catheter system comprising:
a catheter configured for insertion into a blood vessel of the subject, the catheter having a wall, the wall comprising a distal end carrying a cutting instrument adapted to cut material of an occlusion in the blood vessel of the subject, the distal end being reconfigurable from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration, the wall further comprising at least two flexible components, wherein the at least two flexible components have a first flexibility that is different than a flexibility for another portion of the wall, wherein the wall comprises two folds in the collapsed configuration, wherein the at least two flexible components are within the two folds, respectively, wherein the two folds create two folded portions, wherein a first of the two folded portions comprises a first U shape having a concave surface, wherein the second of the two folded portions comprises a second U shape having a convex surface, the second U shape coupled to the first U shape at the two folds, the wall further comprising a U shaped orifice disposed at the distal end between the first U shape and the second U shape, the orifice being in fluid communication with a lumen extending proximally from the distal end, the lumen being adapted to receive the cut material of the occlusion in the blood vessel of the subject; and
a release mechanism coupled to the catheter, the release mechanism being actuatable to reconfigure the distal end from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration;
wherein, in the collapsed configuration, the second of the two folded portions is spaced from an inner surface of the release mechanism by the first of the two folded portions, and in the expanded configuration, the second of the two folded portions contact the inner surface of the release mechanism.