Medical device

A medical device positionable inside a lumen in a living body and operable to cut an object in the lumen, the medical device comprising:

• an elongated drive shaft having a proximal end and an open distal end, the drive shaft including a fluid lumen that fluidly communicates with the open distal end of the drive shaft and that extends from the open distal end of the drive shaft toward the proximal end of the drive shaft, the drive shaft being a rotatable drive shaft that is rotatably driven in a rotational direction during operation of the medical device;
• a cutter fixed to the distal end of the drive shaft so that the cutter rotates with the drive shaft about a rotational axis of the cutter, the cutter having a distal portion configured to cut the object, the cutter including a lumen that is in fluid communication with the fluid lumen in the drive shaft, the lumen in the cutter communicating with outside the cutter, the cutter including an outer peripheral surface;
• the cutter including a groove and/or a slit that extends radially from the outer peripheral surface of the cutter toward the lumen in the cutter;
• the cutter including a cutting element that extends along at least a portion of the groove and/or slit to cut the object when the cutter is rotated, the cutting element being located proximal of the distal portion of the cutter that is configured to cut the object;
• and
• the groove and/or slit being inclined at an angle greater than 0° and less than 70° relative to the rotational axis of the cutter as seen in a plan view so that the groove and/or slit extends from the proximal end of the groove and/or slit to the distal end of the groove and/or slit in a direction opposite the rotational direction.

A method comprising:

• positioning a cutter in a lumen in a living body, the cutter being connected to a drive shaft, the cutter including a lumen that is in fluid communication with an open distal end of the cutter, the lumen in the cutter extending in a proximal direction from the open distal end of the cutter toward the drive shaft, the cutter including an outer peripheral surface, the outer peripheral surface of the cutter being provided with a groove and/or a slit extending in a first rotational direction in a distal direction;
• moving the cutter to an object in the lumen in the living body;
• and
• rotating the cutter in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction while the cutter is positioned adjacent the object so that the cutter cuts the object to produce debris.