Patent ID: 8192452

Claim:
An atherectomy catheter comprising: a body having an opening; a rotatable shaft coupled to the body, the rotatable shaft being rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the shaft; a tissue collection chamber coupled to the body and positioned distal to the cutting element; and a cutting element coupled to the rotatable shaft, the cutting element having a cup-shaped surface and a cutting edge, the cup-shaped surface being configured to re-direct tissue cut by the cutting edge in a distal direction when the cup-shaped surface moves in the distal direction, wherein the tissue collection chamber has a first closed position capable of retaining cut tissue in the chamber and a second open position capable of allowing expulsion of cut tissue from the chamber, wherein the tissue collection chamber comprises an expandable tip at a distal region of the catheter, the expandable tip having a first closed position capable of retaining cut tissue in the chamber and a second open position capable of allowing expulsion of cut tissue from a distal opening at a distal end of the chamber, and wherein in the second open position, the cutting element is configured to extend distally through the distal opening to expel the cut tissue.