A system to be used inside a dialysis unit for dilating obstructed blood vessel, comprises a catheter, a device, a remote-control box, supportive components and connection cables. A catheter comprises an elongated portion, a proximal end and a distal end, extended longitudinally. A distal end of a catheter has a convectively heating tip with a heat generating element and an inflatable balloon. A device has a radiofrequency current generator to supply and control a heating process of a heat generating element of a catheter tip. A remote-control box comprises a valve assembly, a heat activation switch and a balloon inflation switch to facilitate a treatment process.

A system for use during revascularization includes a catheter having an adjustable balloon for delivery a stent, one or more pacing electrodes for delivering one or more pacing pulses to a patient's heart, and a pacemaker configured to generate the one or more pacing pulses to be delivered to the heart via the one or more pacing electrodes. The one or more pacing pulses are delivered at a rate substantially higher than the patient's intrinsic heart rate without being synchronized to the patient's intrinsic cardiac contractions, and are delivered before, during, or after an ischemic event to prevent or reduce cardiac injury.

A constriction removal method using a high-frequency knife (8) and a collecting instrument (7) having a longitudinal axis and an increasing-diameter part (12), whose diameter can be increased, at the distal end, the constriction removal method including: inserting the collecting instrument (7) from a proximal end opening of a constricted lumen of a constricted portion; allowing the increasing-diameter part (12) to pass through the constricted lumen and to project from the distal-end opening of the constricted lumen and allowing the diameter of the increasing-diameter part (12) having passed through the constricted lumen to increase toward the radially outer side of the constricted lumen; hooking ends of the increasing-diameter part (12) having passed through the constricted lumen on an edge of the distal-end opening of the constricted lumen; positioning the high-frequency knife (8) on the radially outer side of the proximal end opening of the constricted lumen; cylindrically coring out the constricted lumen with the high-frequency knife (8) in a state in which the ends of the increasing-diameter part (12) are hooked on the edge of the distal-end opening of the constricted lumen; and collecting the cored-out constricted lumen by pulling the collecting instrument (7) toward the proximal end of the collecting instrument (7).

A catheter system for imparting pressure to induce fractures at a treatment site within or adjacent a blood vessel wall includes a catheter, a fortified balloon inflation fluid and a first light guide. The catheter includes an elongate shaft and a balloon that is coupled to the elongate shaft. The balloon has a balloon wall and can expand to a first expanded configuration to anchor the catheter in position relative. The fortified balloon inflation fluid can expand the balloon to the first expanded configuration. The fortified balloon inflation fluid includes a base inflation fluid and a fortification component. The fortification component reduces a threshold for inducing plasma formation in the fortified balloon inflation fluid compared to the base inflation fluid. The fortification component can include at least one of carbon and iron. The first light guide is disposed along the elongate shaft and is positioned at least partially within the balloon. The first light guide is in optical communication with a light source and the fortified balloon inflation fluid. The light source provides sub-millisecond pulses of a light to the first light guide so that plasma formation and rapid bubble formation occur in the fortified balloon inflation fluid, thereby imparting pressure waves upon the treatment site.

Laser energy delivery devices and methods are provided. A laser energy delivery device may include a housing, and a coupling is carried by the housing and adapted to couple to a laser energy generator. A sheath is carried by the housing, and the sheath includes a distal end adapted to be disposed in the subject. A plurality of transport members are carried by the sheath, and the plurality of transport members are adapted to receive laser energy at the coupling, transmit laser energy through the sheath, and deliver laser energy to the subject. A fluid-driven motor is carried by the housing and adapted to be driven upon receiving a fluid from a fluid source. A drive wire is carried by the sheath and eccentrically coupled to the distal end of the sheath, and the drive wire is adapted to be rotatably driven by the fluid-driven motor and rotates to eccentrically rotate the distal end of the sheath.

A laser system suitable for modification of a calcified blood vessel includes a laser source; a feedback controller configured to regulate a dosimetry of the laser source to produce spatially and/or temporally modulated laser light; a catheter comprising a first optical delivery element, the first optical delivery element configured to guide the modulated laser light to an in-vivo object in the blood vessel; and a detecting element, configured to detect one or more physical, chemical, mechanical and/or dimensional characteristics of an area of the in-vivo object in real-time, wherein the feedback controller is configured to process the real-time detected information pertaining to the one or more physical, chemical, mechanical and/or dimensional characteristics of the area in real-time, wherein the feedback controller is further configured to regulate the dosimetry of the laser source for a controlled formation of a porous structure and/or a zone of denaturized tissue in the in-vivo object.

Described is a method and device for dilating a tubular anatomical structure. The device and method can be useful for extracting a blood clot in an artery of a mammal by concentrically irradiating an inner wall of the occluded artery using an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam delivered by an optical fiber having an external or inverted conical tip. Dilation results from photophysical production and release of nitric oxide from the cells lining the arterial wall when UV laser light is projected as a ring beam onto the inner arterial wall. This minimal contact persistent dilation system prepares the artery for safer mechanical extraction by thrombectomy, owing to decrease in friction and dissolution of chemical bonding.

A device provides for delivery and control of extremely high peak-intensity femtosecond pulses of light. The device transmits pulses from a femtosecond laser to an endovascular location via a suitable optical fiber and controls the light intensity distribution at the site of surgery. The extremely high intensity enables the instantaneous ablation of material (e.g. calcified plaque) inside the blood vessel, with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

A balloon catheter (10) has a shaft (12) having an elastically expandable balloon (11) on the distal end side and space provided inside and allowing a fluid to flow into and flow out the balloon (11), a heat generating member (22) provided in the internal space of the balloon (11), and optical fibers (20A, 20B) which are extended up to the internal space of the balloon (11) along the shaft (12) and emit light beams input into the proximal end to the heat generating member (22) from the distal end.

A method for treating a stenosis includes providing a laser ablation system including a laser catheter, the laser catheter including a distal end having a plurality of laser emitters; positioning the distal end of the laser catheter within the subject proximate the target vascular portion; delivering laser energy to the laser catheter and emitting the laser energy from the plurality of laser emitters to ablate the stenosis; withdrawing the laser catheter from the subject; providing a balloon system including a drug-coated balloon, the balloon carrying at least one therapeutic agent, the therapeutic agent being a restenosis inhibitor; positioning the balloon within the subject proximate the target vascular portion; expanding the balloon to engage the target vascular portion; delivering the therapeutic agent from the balloon to the target vascular portion; delivering the therapeutic agent from the balloon to the target vascular portion; and withdrawing the balloon from the subject.