Patent ID: 11883618
Assignee: ACCLARENT, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A  B

Claim 14:
15. A method of using an apparatus, the apparatus, comprising:
(a) a dilation catheter, the dilation catheter comprising:
(i) a shaft,
(ii) a dilator at a distal portion of the shaft, and
(iii) a bulbous distal tip secured to the shaft at a location distal to the dilator, the bulbous distal tip being configured to prevent the distal portion of the shaft from otherwise traversing a sinus ostium or an isthmus between a Eustachian tube and a middle ear, the distal portion of the shaft being configured to traverse the sinus ostium in the absence of the bulbous distal tip; and

(b) a cutting instrument, the cutting instrument comprising:
(i) a base housing, the base housing defining:
(A) a support surface configured to support the distal portion of the shaft,
(B) a tip receiving recess configured to receive the bulbous tip while the support surface supports the distal portion of the shaft,
(C) a first guide channel positioned adjacent to a first side of the support surface, and
(D) a second guide channel positioned adjacent to a second side of the support surface,

(ii) an actuator movably coupled with the base housing, the actuator including:
(A) a first guide prong, the first guide channel being configured to slidably receive the first guide prong, and
(B) a second guide prong, the second guide channel being configured to slidably receive the second guide prong,
the first guide channel, the first guide prong, the second guide channel, and the second guide prong being configured to cooperate to maintain alignment between the base housing and the actuator, and

(iii) a blade including an opening, the actuator being secured to the blade at the opening, the actuator being operable to drive the blade to sever the bulbous distal tip from the shaft while the support surface supports the distal portion of the shaft and while the bulbous tip is received in the tip receiving recess,
the distal portion of the shaft being configured to traverse the sinus ostium after the bulbous distal tip is severed from the shaft by the cutting instrument;, the method comprising:
(a) using the dilation catheter to dilate a Eustachian tube of a patient;
(b) inserting the bulbous distal tip of the dilation catheter into the tip receiving recess of the cutting instrument;
(c) actuating the actuator to thereby drive the blade to sever the bulbous distal tip from the dilation catheter;
(d) removing the dilation catheter from the cutting instrument; and
(e) using the dilation catheter to dilate a passageway associated with drainage of a paranasal sinus of the patient after the act of removing.