Flexible housing for intracorporeal use
AssigneeDevices for Vascular Intervention, Inc.
InventorsJohn J. Frantzen, Sepehr Fariabi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An elongated flexible housing for an atherectomy or other intracorporeal catheter which is formed of a shape memory alloy such ass an alloy formed predominantly of NiTi intermetallic compound. The housing preferably has an inner chamber with a tissue cutter or other diagnostic or therapeutic system provided within the chamber to sever stenotic material which is urged into the chamber through a opening or window in the housing. In one embodiment the housing has at least one section which is relatively flexible with adjacent sections which are relatively stiff to provide an increase in the overall flexibility of the housing.
Claims16
A housing for use within a patient's body lumen or cavity comprising a single piece of a cold worked shape memory alloy configured for intracorporeal use, having a tubular shape with an interior chamber extending therein, and at least one integral transformable shape memory section in a heat treated condition transformable from a first metallurgical phase existing at body temperature to a second metallurgical phase.
An intracorporeal housing which has a chamber therein and which is made of a single piece of a shape memory alloy configured for intracorporeal use, having at least one significant portion of the housing being relatively flexible and at least one significant portion of the housing being relatively stiff.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.