Patent ID: 8870824

Claim:
An aspiration catheter comprising: an aspiration tube possessing a proximal end, a distal end and an aspiration lumen connectable to a source of negative pressure to aspirate a foreign body from inside a living body, the aspiration lumen extending continuously from the distal end to the proximal end, the aspiration lumen opening to the proximal end of the aspiration tube and opening to the distal end of the aspiration tube, the aspiration tube having a longitudinal extent in which the aspiration tube extends from the distal end to the proximal end; a guidewire tube fixed to the aspiration tube, the guidewire tube possessing a proximal end, a distal end and a guidewire lumen extending continuously from the distal end of the guidewire tube to the proximal end of the guidewire tube, the guidewire lumen opening to a proximal opening at the proximal end of the guidewire tube and opening to a distal opening at the distal end of the guidewire tube, at least a portion of the guidewire tube being parallel to the aspiration tube and possessing a longitudinal extent less than the longitudinal extent of the aspiration tube; the aspiration tube possessing an outer surface, one circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube possessing a cylindrical shape defined by a radius of curvature, the one circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube extending over at least a portion of the longitudinal extent of the aspiration tube; an other circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube not possessing said cylindrical shape defined by said radius of curvature so that the shape of the other circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube differs from the shape of the one circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube, the other circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube extending over said portion of the longitudinal extent of the aspiration tube; and the proximal opening of the guidewire lumen being circumferentially aligned with the other circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube so that the proximal opening of the guidewire lumen is located at the other circumferential portion of the outer surface of the aspiration tube.