Patent ID: 9636138
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A tissue-removing catheter comprising: an elongate catheter body configured for insertion into a body lumen of a subject, the catheter body having opposite distal and proximal ends, a longitudinal axis extending between the distal and proximal ends; a cutter located generally at the distal end of the catheter body adapted to remove tissue from the body lumen, the cutter having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal end portions; a cutter housing adjacent the distal end of the catheter body, the cutter housing including a distal longitudinal portion located distal of the cutter, wherein the distal longitudinal portion is pivotable generally about a hinge axis, relative to the cutter between a closed position, in which the cutter is covered by the cutter housing, and an open position, in which at least a portion of the cutter is exposed; a force-transmitting member extending along the catheter body and being longitudinally movable relative to the catheter body, wherein a distal end portion of the force-transmitting member is operatively connected to the distal longitudinal portion of the cutter housing such that distal movement of the force-transmitting member relative to the catheter body and the cutter imparts pivoting of the distal longitudinal portion of the cutter housing to its open position to expose the cutter, wherein the cutter defines an axial passage extending through the proximal and distal end portions of the cutter, the force-transmitting member extending longitudinally through the axial passage defined by the cutter.