Patent ID: 8790362

Claim:
A catheter, which comprises: a) a handle; b) an inner sheath providing an inner sheath lumen extending along a first length from a proximal inner sheath portion supported by the handle to a distal inner sheath portion; c) a cage gripper comprising a cage gripper sidewall providing a cage gripper lumen extending from a proximal cage gripper portion to a distal cage gripper portion having a distal cage gripper open end, wherein the proximal cage gripper portion is connected to the distal inner sheath portion to provide communication along the cage gripper lumen to the inner sheath lumen, and wherein the cage gripper sidewall has a first lateral opening providing lateral access to the cage gripper lumen and the distal cage gripper open end at a longitudinal axis of the cage gripper; d) an outer sheath providing an outer sheath lumen extending along a second length from a proximal outer sheath portion supported by the handle to a distal outer sheath portion; and e) a cage housing comprising a cage housing sidewall providing a cage housing lumen extending from a proximal cage housing portion to a distal cage housing portion having a distal cage housing open end, wherein the proximal cage housing portion is connected to the distal outer sheath portion to provide communication along the cage housing lumen to the outer sheath lumen, and wherein the cage housing has a second lateral opening providing lateral access to the cage housing lumen and the distal cage housing open end at the longitudinal axis, f) wherein at least a portion of the inner sheath rotatably resides inside the outer sheath lumen with the cage gripper rotatably housed inside the cage housing lumen, and g) wherein the inner sheath is rotatably manipulatable to move the connected cage gripper into an open position with respect to the cage housing connected to the outer sheath to thereby align the first lateral opening with the second lateral opening such that there is open access through the second lateral opening of the cage housing into the first lateral opening of the cage gripper and then to the inner sheath lumen from the proximal inner sheath portion to the distal cage gripper and distal cage housing open ends at the longitudinal axis, and h) wherein the inner sheath is rotatably manipulatable to move the connected cage gripper into a closed position with respect to the cage housing to cause an annularly extending gripper finger portion of the cage gripper sidewall to at least partially close open access of the second lateral opening of the cage housing into the first lateral opening of the cage gripper, but with the distal cage gripper open end remaining coaxially aligned with the distal cage housing open end to continue providing open communication along the inner sheath lumen from the proximal inner sheath portion to the distal cage gripper and distal cage housing open ends at the longitudinal axis.