Catheter for clearing passages in a patient

A method of removing material from walls of passages in a patient's vascular system, the method comprising:

• extending a member into a passage in the patient's vascular system in a position distal to a material buildup in the passage, the member having a proximal end, a distal end with a tip, a hollow interior extending between defining openings at the proximal and distal ends, the member having bristles attached to an exterior surface at its distal end;
• providing a guide wire having a proximal end and a distal end within the hollow interior of the member, said guide wire comprising at least one channel running longitudinally along a portion of the guide wire;
• extending a capture member into the patient's vascular system from within the hollow interior of the member and distal of the bristles on the distal end of the member so that a first part of the capture member expands out and closes off the passage to trap particles removed from the material buildup, the capture member comprising non-rotating bristles that are circumferentially aligned around and fixed to an annular ring positioned around and coaxially aligned with the guide wire and having at least one tab on an inner edge of the annular ring where the at least one tab slidingly engages the at least one channel in the guide wire and the non-rotating bristles are to capture the material removed from the walls of the pre-existing passage in the patient;
• extending a cap with an open-ended conical shape from within the hollow interior of the member, said cap being open toward the proximal end of the guide wire and coaxially aligned with and attached to the guide wire distal of the non-rotating bristles and the at least one channel
• rotating the proximal end of the member to cause rotation of the distal end of the member and in turn rotate the bristles such that the bristles remove particles of material from a wall of the passage in the patient and force substantially all of the removed particles in the proximal direction;
• optionally suctioning the removed particles of the material buildup from the passage adjacent the distal end of the member;
• filtering some or substantially all of the removed particles of the material buildup in the passage with the capture member;
• and
• closing the capture member to hold the filtered particles of material buildup in the capture member by retracting the conical cap proximally such that a distal end of the at least one channel moves toward the at least one tab.