Patent ID: 8177801

Claim:
A high-speed rotational atherectomy device for opening a stenosis in an artery having a given diameter, comprising: a guide wire having a maximum diameter less than the diameter of the artery; a flexible, elongated, rotatable drive shaft advanceable over the guide wire; an eccentric abrasive element disposed on the drive shaft; a proximal counterweight attached to the drive shaft and spaced apart proximally from the eccentric abrasive element by an adjustable proximal spacing; and a distal counterweight attached to the drive shaft and spaced apart distally from the eccentric abrasive element by an adjustable distal spacing, wherein the proximal and distal counterweights are held in place by a locking mechanism and wherein adjustable proximal and distal spacings from the eccentric abrasive element are achieved by unlocking the locking mechanism and sliding the proximal and distal counterweights along the drive shaft and then locking the locking mechanism when the proximal and distal spacings are achieved.