A cutting balloon catheter including a balloon mounted on a distal portion of a catheter shaft. An expandable frame may be disposed over the balloon. The expandable frame may include a plurality of struts extending from a proximal end region to a distal end region. One or more cutting members may be secured to the expandable frame.

A medical instrument may include a tube, a sheath provided around and coaxial with the tube, and an inflatable balloon at a distal end of the sheath. The balloon may receive a fluid from a lumen of the sheath, and may have a central opening along a longitudinal axis thereof, and into which the tube extends, a proximal portion, a middle portion adjacent to and distal of the proximal portion, and a distal portion adjacent to and proximal of the middle portion. When the balloon is inflated with the fluid, a maximum diameter of the middle portion may be less than a maximum diameter of the proximal portion, and less than a maximum diameter of the distal portion. The medical instrument may also include an extraction member provided at a distal end of the tube, distal to the balloon, and movable axially relative to the balloon.

A catheter for scoring or slicing a lesion. The catheter has a first receiver at a distal end of an expandable portion of the catheter shaft. A first carrier at least partially within the first receiver is moveable axially along the catheter shaft to deploy a first cutter along the expandable portion for cutting or scoring the lesion. In an alternative embodiment, the first carrier may be a wire having a loop, and thus forming a first length including the first cutter and a second length including a second cutter. Actuation of the wire thus causes simultaneous, reciprocal movement of the first and second cutters. Related methods are also disclosed.

A balloon guiding sheath may include an elongated sheath comprising a proximal end, a distal end, an inner tube, an outer tube surrounding the inner tube, an access port, a distal port, and a working lumen extending through an interior portion of the elongated sheath between the access port and the distal port. The balloon guiding sheath may also include an inflatable balloon located on an outer surface of the elongated sheath adjacent the distal end. The balloon guiding sheath may include a plurality of inflation holes extending through a side wall of the elongated sheath. The elongated sheath may be sized and configured to enable direct insertion into a patient's vasculature through an arteriotomy in at least one of a femoral artery and vertebral artery to position the inflatable balloon at a target site.

A device and method for intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic plaque prior to balloon angioplasty which microperforates the plaque with small sharp spikes acting as serrations for forming cleavage lines or planes in the plaque. The spikes may also be used to transport medication into the plaque. The plaque preparation treatment enables subsequent angioplasty to be performed at low balloon pressures of about 4 atmospheres or less, reduces dissections, and avoids injury to the arterial wall. The subsequent angioplasty may be performed with a drug-eluting balloon (DEB) or drug-coated balloon (DCB). The pre-angioplasty perforation procedure enables more drug to be absorbed during DEB or DCB angioplasty, and makes the need for a stent less likely. Alternatively, any local incidence of plaque dissection after balloon angioplasty may be treated by applying a thin, ring-shaped tack at the dissection site only, rather than applying a stent over the overall plaque site.

A medical device includes an elongate body and an inflatable balloon attached to and partially surrounding at least a section of the elongate body. The inflatable balloon is selectively inflatable between a deflated state and an inflated state. Engagement between the balloon and a physiological lumen is provided, in part, by multiple protrusions extending from the inflatable balloon and having various physical and functional characteristics. In certain implementations, the balloon may be configured to exhibit various separation forces by applying different strains to the balloon, such as by varying the degree to which the balloon is inflated or deflated.

A method of delivering a drug in a vessel includes positioning an inflatable balloon that is located at a distal end of an ultrasonic device within a lumen of the vessel, the inflatable balloon being deflated and coated with at least one drug; inflating the inflatable balloon; and transmitting a vibration to the distal end of the ultrasonic device to dislodge the drug from the inflated inflatable balloon and deliver the drug to an interior portion of the vessel.

A cage can be positioned around a medical balloon, such as an angioplasty balloon, to assist in a medical procedure. The cage can include a plurality of strips, each extending between a set of rings including first and second rings. As the balloon expands, the first and second rings move closer together and allow the strips to expand outward. The cage may have wedge dissectors on the strips.

A device and method for intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic plaque prior to balloon angioplasty which microperforates the plaque with small sharp spikes acting as serrations for forming cleavage lines or planes in the plaque. The spikes may also be used to transport medication into the plaque. The plaque preparation treatment enables subsequent angioplasty to be performed at low balloon pressures of about 4 atmospheres or less, reduces dissections, and avoids injury to the arterial wall. The subsequent angioplasty may be performed with a drug-eluting balloon (DEB) or drug-coated balloon (DCB). The pre-angioplasty perforation procedure enables more drug to be absorbed during DEB or DCB angioplasty, and makes the need for a stent less likely. Alternatively, any local incidence of plaque dissection after balloon angioplasty may be treated by applying a thin, ring-shaped tack at the dissection site only, rather than applying a stent over the overall plaque site.

A serration balloon can have a number of different components and can be made in a number of different manners. One or more longitudinally extending members with periodic raised wedges can be attached to a medical balloon. They can be attached with a fiber coating, a polymer coating, or other methods. A polymer matrix can be used to bond the longitudinally extending member to the surface of the balloon. The fiber coating can be, for example, a thread or mesh that secures the longitudinally extending member to the balloon. The medical balloon can be an angioplasty balloon, such as an off-the-shelf angioplasty balloon.