Patent ID: 7704210

Claim:
A medical device for removing a total vascular occlusion, comprising: a chronic total occlusion (CTO) catheter; stretching tongs arranged at a tip of the CTO catheter for removing the total vascular occlusion; an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheter for monitoring a location within a vessel where the vascular occlusion is applied, wherein the CTO catheter and the IVUS catheter form one integrated catheter unit; a tube-shaped catheter outer jacket for accommodating the CTO catheter; a tube-shape catheter inner jacket disposed within the tube-shaped catheter outer jacket; a rotational coupler arranged to provide a rotational freedom of movement between the inner jacket and the outer jacket; a first activating line and a second activating line each respectively connected to the stretching tongs, wherein the first and second activating lines are arranged within the catheter outer jacket for opening and closing the stretching tongs; an IVUS sensor selectively positioned based on a mode of operation of the medical device, wherein the stretching tongs have an opening for passing the IVUS sensor through the opening, wherein in a first mode of operation the IVUS sensor is positioned upstream of the stretching tongs relative to the tip to observe an occlusion, wherein in a second mode of operation to permit deployment of the stretching tongues, the IVUS sensor is withdrawn through the opening to be positioned in correspondence with a circumferential ring-shaped window of the catheter outer jacket, wherein the ring-shaped window is transparent to ultrasound; and rotating IVUS signaling lines connected to the IVUS sensor, the rotating IVUS signaling lines arranged within the catheter inner jacket.