Tissue removing catheter with tissue-removing element having oblique distal end face

A tissue-removing catheter for removing tissue in a body lumen, the tissue-removing catheter comprising:

• a rotational drive shaft having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal end portions spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis, the rotational drive shaft being sized and shaped to be received in the body lumen;
• a drive operatively coupled to the proximal end portion of the rotational drive shaft and configured to impart rotation of the rotational drive shaft;
• and
• a tissue-removing element operatively coupled to the distal end portion of the rotational drive shaft, the tissue-removing element having a central axis, proximal and a distal end portions spaced apart from one another along the central axis of the tissue-removing element, and an exterior surface,
• wherein the tissue-removing element is configured to be rotated about its central axis via the rotational drive shaft to remove tissue from the body lumen,
• wherein the distal end portion of the tissue-removing element defines an opening extending therethrough and includes a distal end face at a distal-most end of the tissue-removing element, the distal end face having an outer boundary at an intersection of the distal end face and the exterior surface, and an inner closed boundary at an intersection of the distal end face and an edge defining the opening, wherein the inner boundary is spaced inward from the outer boundary relative to the central axis,
• wherein the outer and inner boundaries extend completely around the opening, such that the distal end face extends completely around the opening,
• wherein an entirety of the distal end face is generally planar and lies generally within a plane that is oblique to the central axis of the tissue-removing element.