Featured is a surgical instrument including an end effector such as a rotating cutting implement and a heat transfer mechanism such as a cooling device, such as can include a phase change device, such as can be configured to absorb heat energy during the use of such a rotating cutting implement. The heat transfer mechanism can be configured so the absorbed heat energy is communicated to an external heat sink. Such a heat transfer mechanism can include a heat pipe, e.g., a scintered or wick type heat pipe. The heat energy is absorbed at one end of the heat pipe to minimize the potential for damage to the tissue and the like at and/or about the surgical site. Also featured are a surgical apparatus embodying such a surgical instrument and surgical or medical methods or procedures for manipulating, rotatably cutting, grinding, abrading or debriding tissue, bone or other structures or components of a mammalian body using such surgical instruments or surgical apparatus.

An atherectomy device for removing deposits such as plaque from an interior of a vessel including an outer member and a rotatable shaft positioned for rotational movement within the outer member and fixed axially within the outer member. A tip is mounted to the distal region of the rotatable shaft and is positioned distally of the distal end of the outer member to create a gap between the proximal end of the rotatable tip and the distalmost edge of the outer member. The rotatable tip has a longitudinal axis mounted to the rotatable shaft for rotation about its longitudinal axis upon rotation of the shaft, the shaft including a guidewire lumen for receiving a guidewire to enable over the wire insertion of the device.

A medical device to be inserted into a blood vessel for effectively removing an object flowing in a biological lumen while reducing the burden on the living body includes an elongated shaft portion, and an expansion portion which is an elastically deformable cylindrical body having a plurality of gaps and in which a proximal portion or a distal portion of the cylindrical body is interlocked with the shaft portion. The expansion portion has a ring-shaped or annular bent portion which protrudes toward a proximal side position radially outside the expansion portion in a bent state of being bent along an axial direction, and an axial length of a second portion from the bent portion to a proximal end of the expansion portion is shorter than an axial length of a first portion from the bent portion to the distal end of the expansion portion.

Systems and methods for removing a material from a lumen or duct include a guide wire to navigate to the material and a cutting assembly that can then be guided along the guide wire to reach the material. A proximal wire end can be connected to a pump device configured to provide an irrigation substance along a delivery channel of the guide wire and release the irrigation substance at a distal wire end. A power source can apply a current to the guide wire to magnetize a coupling assembly disposed on the guide wire. The cutting assembly can couple to the guide wire by engaging a locking mechanism of the cutting assembly with a coupling assembly of the guide wire. The locking mechanism can receive torque provided by a motor coupled to the proximal wire end of the guide wire to rotate the cutting tool of the cutting assembly to remove the material.

A method of removing tissue in a body lumen includes advancing a tissue-removing catheter over a guidewire in the body lumen to position a distal end of the catheter adjacent the tissue and a proximal end portion of the catheter outside of the body lumen. The catheter includes an elongate body, a tissue removing element mounted on a distal end portion of the elongate body, and an inner liner disposed within the elongate body. The inner liner defines a guidewire lumen in which the guidewire is disposed during the advancement of the catheter. The method further includes rotating the elongate body and tissue-removing element of the catheter to remove the tissue. Detecting wear of the inner liner caused by the elongate body contacting the inner liner during use.

Devices, systems and methods for treating diseases and disorders effecting the cardiovascular system of the human body are disclosed. An exemplary device in accordance with this disclosure comprises a shaft, tip member fixed to the shaft, and a probe extending beyond a distal surface of the tip member. In some useful embodiments, the tip member is relatively atraumatic and the probe is shaped so as to be more likely to produce trauma than the tip member.

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 device and a treatment method are disclosed that can be applied to body lumina with a wide range of inside diameters and can enhance a property for suction of a substance from the inside of a body lumen by restricting flow within the body lumen. The medical device includes an elongated shaft section; an expanding section that is an elastically deformable tubular body provided with a plurality of openings; a flexibly deformable tubular cover section that is coupled to an end portion on a proximal side of the expanding section, surrounds an outer periphery of the expanding section on the proximal side, but does not surround, and externally exposes, an outer periphery of the expanding section on a distal side; and a sheath capable of accommodating the expanding section and the cover section in a diameter-reduced state.

A method is described for performing a percutaneous operation on a patient to remove an object from a cavity within the patient. The method includes advancing a first alignment sensor into the cavity through a patient lumen. The first alignment sensor provides its position and orientation in free space in real time. The alignment sensor is manipulated until it is located in proximity to the object. A percutaneous opening is made in the patient with a surgical tool, where the surgical tool includes a second alignment sensor that provides the position and orientation of the surgical tool in free space in real time. The surgical tool is directed towards the object using data provided by both the first and the second alignment sensors.

A medical device capable of safely cutting a lesion area with relatively high accuracy while supplying a liquid into a body and discharging a cut object. The medical device that removes an object in a body lumen includes: a rotatable drive shaft; a cutting portion fixed to a distal portion of the drive shaft and configured to cut the object; an outer tubular shaft configured to rotatably accommodate the drive shaft; and a handle, in which the outer tubular shaft includes a tubular inner layer and a tubular outer layer fixed to the inner layer and surrounding the inner layer, a first lumen is formed between the outer layer and the inner layer, a second lumen is formed between the inner layer and the drive shaft, and the outer tubular shaft is rotatable with respect to the handle.