Patent ID: 7399291

Claim:
A catheter for treatment of chronic total occlusions, comprising: an occlusion breaching device having: a cannula; and a puncture slidably disposed in said cannula for piercing a chronic total occlusion; a catheter body of a temperature-dependent softening, shape-memory, thermoplastic polymer having a first relatively flexible state and a second relatively stiff state, said catheter body having: a distal end; a heat transfer conduit having: a send conduit supplying a heating medium to said distal end for supplying heat thereto; and a return conduit fluidically connected to said send conduit for removing the heating medium from said distal end; and an occlusion device conduit for slidably receiving said occlusion breaching device therein; a heat-transferring device fluidically connected to said heat transfer conduit and selectively changing a temperature of said heat transfer conduit to, thereby, change a stiffness of said catheter body from said first flexible state to said second stiff state; a centering device connected to said catheter body and centering said catheter body in a vessel in which said catheter body is placed; and a vacuum fluidically connected to said distal end of said catheter body for drawing matter at said distal end through said catheter body.