Rotational atherectomy device with exchangeable drive shaft and meshing gears

A device, comprising:

• a handle, comprising:
• a proximal section;
• a distal section;
• and
• an elongated hollow intermediate section between the proximal and the distal sections, the intermediate section comprising:
• a door for accessing an interior thereof;
• an opening between the interior and the distal section;
• and
• a slot;
• a prime mover carriage comprising a prime mover, the prime mover carriage disposed within the interior of the intermediate section;
• a prime mover gear fixedly attached to a shaft of the prime mover;
• a control knob having at least a portion thereof extending through the slot and operationally coupled to the prime mover carriage such that a longitudinal displacement of the control knob induces a longitudinal displacement of the prime mover carriage, the control knob comprising:
• an unlocked state for permitting the longitudinal displacement of the control knob;
• and
• a locked state for inhibiting the longitudinal displacement of the control knob;
• an exchangeable drive shaft cartridge, comprising:
• a distal end;
• a drive shaft comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the drive shaft extending through an opening in the distal end of the drive shaft cartridge;
• and
• a gear engagement assembly comprising a drive shaft gear fixedly attached to the proximal end of the drive shaft;
• a first connector for removably and pivotally connecting the prime mover carriage and the gear engagement assembly to one another and for aligning at least the prime mover gear and the drive shaft gear with one another, the first connector comprising complementary first and second sections, wherein
• the first section is integrally formed with the prime mover carriage;
• and
• the second section is integrally formed with the gear engagement assembly;
• and
• a second connector for removably connecting the handle and the drive shaft cartridge to one another;
• wherein, removably connecting the handle and the drive shaft cartridge using the second connector removably meshes the prime mover gear and the drive shaft gear, such that a rotational movement of one of the prime mover and the drive shaft induces a rotational movement in the other.