A method of making an ultrasonic catheter, disposing an ultrasound member in the main lumen of a flexible catheter body; providing an intermediate member and a tip, wherein at least a tip maximum-diameter portion is disposed in the intermediate member, wherein an intermediate-member outer diameter substantially matches a main lumen inner diameter, and wherein a tip distal cross-section has a tip distal cross-section area less than a tip proximal cross-section area of a tip proximal cross-section; and attaching the intermediate member to the catheter body and to the tip, wherein at least one of the tip and the intermediate member is configured to prevent separation of the tip of the ultrasound member from the catheter body.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to an aspiration catheter comprising a catheter body that can have a first end and a second end and an aspiration lumen extending through the catheter body. The aspiration lumen can have an aspiration opening located in a distal portion of the aspiration catheter. The catheter can have an assistive jet element extending through a wall of the aspiration lumen. The assistive jet element can have an assistive jet channel. The assistive jet element can be adaptable to draw blood through the assistive jet element from a location outside of the catheter body adjacent to the assistive jet element and into the aspiration lumen when suction is applied to the aspiration lumen and can be configured to break apart a thrombus or obstruction in the aspiration lumen.

Disclosed are access devices that can be used to safely guide instruments, such as EP ablation catheters, to a therapy site such one within the pericardial space of the heart. The access devices include integrated visualization, illumination, stabilization, and safety features in a single platform that can, for example, more safely and efficiently identify and ablate several ventricular tachycardia (VT) locations on the left ventricle of the heart.

MVO is treated by introducing injectate into blood vessels affected by MVO at precise flow rates, while blocking retrograde flow, such that the natural pumping of the heart aids in forcing the injectate into the affected microvessels. Monitoring pressure distal of an occlusion balloon is used to determine treatment effectiveness and heart health.

An actuated telescoping system for navigation within a vascular lumen and thrombectomy of a thrombus. The system includes a tubular catheter member having an open distal end defining a catheter lumen, a vacuum source, a rotational drive system, a flexible shaft having a channel coupled to the rotational drive system for rotational movement in response thereto, and an optional guidewire selectively inserted at least partially within the flexible shaft. The flexible shaft is at least partially disposed within the tubular catheter member configured for uncoupled rotational and translational motion therein and to optionally define a corkscrew motion in response to rotational driving force by the drive system that results in formation of hydrodynamic vortices within the catheter lumen. The telescoping system can be capable of reversibly transitioning between navigation and thrombectomy modes by differentially disposing and actuating the components and enable faster, more efficient and simpler removal of thromboembolic material.

An atherectomy catheter having an inner drive shaft which rotates a distal rotary tissue borer with a helical cutting surface which enables the catheter to cut through and cross a CTO. Additionally, the atherectomy catheter has a distal cutting element rotated by an outer drive shaft configured to cut material from the wall of a vessel at a treatment site as the catheter is pushed distally through the treatment site. The atherectomy catheter includes a collection chamber positioned proximally of the cutting element and rotary tissue borer. The atherectomy catheter may include means to direct material cut from the treatment site into the collection chamber, means to break down larger portions of material that may block or clog the collection chamber and means of transporting the material collected from the treatment site to a proximal opening in the atherectomy catheter.

A drug-delivery device for vessels comprising a catheter body, an elongate ultrasound transmission member, an inflatable balloon, and a plurality of support wires. The catheter body has at least one lumen extending longitudinally therethrough. The elongate ultrasound transmission member extends longitudinally through the lumen. The elongate ultrasound transmission member has a distal portion and a proximal end configured to be coupled to an ultrasound transducer. The inflatable balloon, having an exterior surface, is coupled to the distal portion. The plurality of support wires are connected to the elongate ultrasound transmission member at two locations. A coating of at least one drug is on the exterior surface of the inflatable balloon. The elongate ultrasound transmission member is configured to transmit longitudinal vibrations to the inflatable balloon such that the inflatable balloon is longitudinally vibrated. The coating is removed by mechanical vibration of the inflatable balloon.

The invention provides a filter assembly including a string or wire such that a lasso type cincture is effected, said filter being openable and closeable while in deployed within a bodily vessel. A string lengthen or shorting adjustment mechanism, such as a ratchet or reel allows more length of string into the device or alternatively to shorten the length of available string in the system. The described invention, when used to ameliorate venous clots and most arterio-venous dialysis grafts, a filter-tipped aspirator is used downstream from the clot to capture and remove dislocated emboli. A method of using same is disclosed.

Described here are methods and apparatuses for tracking a clot material within a lumen of a suction catheter. For example, an apparatus as described herein may include a flexible elongate body having a suction lumen, a first pair of electrodes within the suction lumen, a second pair of electrodes proximal to the first pair of electrodes, and a controller configured to track a clot material within the suction lumen based on signals from the first pair of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes.

A medical system for removing an object in a body cavity, includes a display, and a controller connectable to a drive device configured to control a medical device operated by an operator to remove the object. The controller is configured to acquire device information indicating features of different types of first devices connectable to the medical device, acquire target information indicating characteristics of a target object to be removed, rank the first devices for removing the target object using the device information and the target information, and display on the display a list of the first devices according to the rank thereof.