Patent ID: 8323203

Claim:
A catheter, comprising: a handle having a distal end, a proximal end, a lumen between the distal and proximal ends, and a slot; a catheter sheath coupled to the distal end of the handle; an elongated tube coupled to the proximal end of the handle; an imaging core slidably received within the catheter sheath and the lumen of the handle, the imaging core comprising a hypo tube, a distal drive cable coupled to the hypo tube, and at least one transducer attached to a distal portion of the distal drive cable; a proximal drive cable received within the elongated tube and the lumen of the handle; a slider slidably received within the lumen of the handle, the slider defining a cavity and comprising, within the cavity, a coupler coupling the proximal drive cable and the hypo tube, a thrust bearing that rotatably receives the coupler to allow the hypo tube and proximal drive cable to freely rotate within the slider, and a bushing bonded to the slider to retain the thrust bearing within the slider; and a slide member extending from the slider and passing through the slot of the handle.