Enhanced cross stream mechanical thrombectomy catheter

A thrombectomy catheter comprising:

• a catheter body extending from a catheter distal portion toward a catheter proximal portion, the catheter body includes a catheter lumen;
• a high pressure tube extending through the catheter lumen from the catheter proximal portion toward the catheter distal portion, the high pressure tube configured for communication with a fluid source near the catheter proximal portion;
• an outflow orifice along a catheter perimeter of the catheter distal portion;
• and
• a fluid jet emanator in communication with the high pressure tube, the fluid jet emanator having at least one jet orifice for directing at least one fluid jet from said fluid jet emanator through the catheter lumen toward the outflow orifice, the fluid jet emanator configured to provide:
• a jet stream from the catheter body through the outflow orifice with the at least one fluid jet, the jet stream including first and second stream portions,
• an entrainment fluid flow circuit including at least the first stream portion of the jet stream, the entrainment fluid flow circuit configured to entrain particulate and macerate the particulate therein, and
• an exhaust fluid flow path including the second stream portion of the jet stream, the exhaust fluid flow path configured to draw entrained particulate from the entrainment fluid flow circuit at a location exterior to the catheter body, the exhaust fluid flow path configured to direct the entrained particulate toward the catheter proximal portion.

A method for using a thrombectomy catheter comprising:

• positioning a catheter distal portion of a catheter body near a thrombotic deposit;
• directing at least one fluid jet from a jet emanator through a catheter lumen of the catheter body;
• generating an entrainment fluid flow through an outflow orifice of the catheter body with the at least one fluid jet, the entrainment fluid flow entraining and macerating particulate from the thrombotic deposit and returning to the catheter lumen through an entrainment inflow orifice;
• drawing an exhaust fluid flow from the entrainment fluid flow, the exhaust fluid flow including entrained particulate and returning to the catheter lumen through an exhaust inflow orifice, the exhaust fluid flow separate from the entrainment fluid flow;
• and
• directing the exhaust fluid flow through the catheter lumen toward a catheter proximal portion of the catheter body.