Patent ID: 8702689

Claim:
A cryoablation catheter assembly comprising: a catheter having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a longitudinal length, the catheter configured and arranged for insertion into patient vasculature, the catheter comprising a body and defining at least one coolant outtake region extending along at least a portion of the catheter; a rotatable guide tube disposed in the catheter, the guide tube having a proximal end and a distal end, the guide tube extending along at least a portion of the catheter such that the distal end of the guide tube extends beyond the distal portion of the catheter; a coolant transfer tube disposed in the catheter, the coolant transfer tube having a distal end, the coolant transfer tube extending along at least a portion of the catheter such that the distal end of the coolant transfer tube extends beyond the distal portion of the catheter, wherein the coolant transfer tube defines a lumen configured and arranged to receive and transfer coolant from a coolant source to the distal end through the coolant transfer tube; an expansion element coupled to the distal portion of the catheter, the expansion element having a proximal end, a distal end, and defining an inner expansion-element space, the proximal end coupled to the body of the catheter and the distal end coupled to the guide tube, the inner expansion-element space in fluid communication with the at least one coolant outtake region and the distal end of the coolant transfer tube; a rotation system coupleable to, or coupled to, the proximal end of the guide tube, the rotation system configured and arranged to rotate the distal end of the expansion element relative to the proximal end of the expansion element by rotating the guide tube relative to the catheter; and wherein the rotation system comprises a linear gear assembly mated with a rotational gear assembly.