Steerable dilatation catheter with rotation limiting device

In a steerable dilatation catheter assembly, an adapter having at least one arm, a guide wire having proximal and distal ends with the proximal end extending through the adapter, a flexible tubular member having one end secured to the adapter and extending over the guide wire and having a balloon carried by a distal portion thereof, the balloon having a distal extremity, the distal extremity of the balloon being bonded to the guide wire to form a liquid-tight seal between the guide wire and the balloon, a flexible tip secured to the guide wire and means secured to the guide wire and carried by the arm for limiting the rotation of the guide wire through a number of turns less than a predetermined number of turns, said means for limiting rotation of the guide wire including a rotatable member, means securing the guide wire to the rotatable member and means engaging the rotatable member for preventing rotation of the rotatable member for more than a predetermined number of turns including a plurality of superposed discs, each of the discs including cooperative protrusion and recess means, said rotatable member being in the form of a housing having a cylindrical recess therein, said discs being disposed in said cylindrical recess.

In a steerable dilatation catheter assembly, an adapter having at least one arm, a guide wire having proximal and distal ends with the proximal end extending through the adapter, a flexible tubular member having one end secured to the adapter and extending over the guide wire and having a balloon carried by a distal portion thereof, the distal extremity of the balloon being bonded to the guide wire to form a liguid-tight seal between the guide wire and the balloon, a flexible tip carried by the guide wire, means secured to the guide wire and carried by the arm for rotating the guide wire and means for limiting the rotation of the guide wire at the proximal end to less than approximately four turns, the guide wire having sufficient torsional rigidity so that with the use of said turns, the tip will be rotated through substantially 360.degree. while preventing undue twisting of the balloon.

In a rotation limiting device for use with a steerable dilatation catheter having an adapter with at least one arm, a guide wire having proximal and distal ends with the proximal end extending through the adapter, a flexible tubular member having one end secured to the adapter and extending over the guide wire and having a balloon carried by the distal portion thereof, the balloon having a distal extremity which is bonded to the guide wire to form a liquid-tight seal between the guide wire and the balloon and a flexible tip secured to the guide wire, the rotation limiting device comprising a rotatable member, means adapated to secure the guide wire to the rotatable member, and means including a plurality of superposed discs engaging the rotatable member for preventing rotation of the rotatable member for more than a predetermined number of times, each of said discs including cooperative protrusion and recess means.