Abstract: A medical device comprising a tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween. An adjustable filter is provided having a frame and a mesh disposed about the frame. The frame is generally circular when deployed and has a first point, a first arc extending 180° from the first point to a second point on the circular frame that is opposite the first point, and a second arc extending 180° from the first point to the second point. The filter is deployed by advancing the frame distally through the tubular member with the second point leading and the first point trailing.

Abstract: A catheter-based material removal device includes an elongated tube having a distal material removal tip thereon. The material removal tip includes a one- or two-piece housing affixed to the tube, and a rotating member therein. The rotating member includes a screw thread for coarsely chopping material received within the housing and an outwardly projecting flange for finely chopping the material. The housing includes at least one shearing member located axially adjacent the outwardly projecting flange. The shearing member has a relatively small circumferential size and a shearing edge that removes any material buildup on the axially-facing surface of the flange. Two shearing members may be provided, one each on both the proximal and distal sides of the flange. There may be three flanges restrained within a groove formed with the housing.

Abstract: A controlled advancement laser ablation device is provided for precise ablation of body matter. The laser ablation device includes a laser energy transmission mechanism such as, e.g. a fiber optic fiber mounted for controlled translational longitudinal movement relative to a housing structure. A laser energy generator is optically connected to the laser energy transmission mechanism. A controlled advancement mechanism is provided in engagement with the laser energy transmission mechanism for advancing the mechanism through the housing structure at a controlled rated coordinated with the laser energy generator output to ablate body tissue. Controlled advancement mechanisms include constant and/or variable rate springs, motors, and other mechanisms which can be coordinated with the laser energy generator to advance the laser energy transmission mechanism as the targeted substance is ablated. The device is particularly suitable for use in transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) and angioplasty procedures.

Abstract: A graft forming apparatus and method including a plurality of mandrels for receiving tubular grafts thereon and an adjacent cutting instrument for forming regular and repeated patterns of small holes therein and for severing the ends of the graft. The cutting instrument is preferably a low-powered laser to form clean and non-frayed holes and lines in fabric grafts. The mandrel are mounted for rotation about an axis underneath the cutting instrument which is movable along the axis. By computer control, the motion of the cutting instrument and mandrel can be accurately and precisely choreographed. The mandrel may be a straight cylinder for forming straight grafts, or may be a bifurcated mandrel formed of several components. The bifurcated mandrel includes a trunk portion and pair of detachable leg portions. Adapter disks are provided so that the bifurcated mandrel can be rotated either about the axis of the trunk portion, or about the axis of one of the leg portions.

Abstract: A catheter-based material removal device includes an elongated tube having a distal material removal tip thereon. The material removal tip includes a one- or two-piece housing affixed to the tube, and a rotating member therein. The rotating member includes a screw thread for coarsely chopping material received within the housing and an outwardly projecting flange for finely chopping the material. The housing includes at least one shearing member located axially adjacent the outwardly projecting flange. The shearing member has a relatively small circumferential size and a shearing edge that removes any material buildup on the axially-facing surface of the flange. Two shearing members may be provided, one each on both the proximal and distal sides of the flange. There may be three flanges restrained within a groove formed with the housing.

Abstract: A system for delivering and implanting a radially expandable endoluminal prosthesis within a body lumen (e.g., blood vessel). The system comprises a) an introducer/dilator assembly, and b) a delivery catheter/loader assembly. The introducer/dilator assembly comprises an elongate tubular introducer sheath which may be provided with a valving assembly mounted on the proximal end thereof. Such valving assembly may incorporate i) a hemostatic valve, ii) a first sealing valve and iii) a second sealing valve, positioned in series, to prevent leakage of body fluid out of the proximal end of the introducer and to permit two or more elongate members (e.g., catheters, guidewires) having differing outer diameters to be inserted through the introducer without leakage of body fluid therefrom. A dilator, which has regionalized differences in stiffness, is initially deployable within the lumen of the introducer to facilitate advancement of the introducer to its desired location within the body.

Abstract: A method for positioning an intraluminal graft within a branching vessel in a patient's body is described. The method is particularly applicable to the appropriate positioning of a trouser graft so that it bridges an aneurism which extends from a single vessel, such as the aorta, into one or more divergent vessels, for example, an iliac artery. The method can comprise the steps a of placing a first graft (10), that bifurcates in a pair of tubular sections (19a, 19b) into the pre-branching portion of a vessel (11) through one of the post-branching portions of the vessel (12, 13), positioning a second tubular graft (10b) into one of the post-branching portions (12) and connecting it to one of the tubular sections of the first graft (19a), and positioning a third tubular graft (10a) into the other of the post-branching portions (11) and connecting it to the other of the tubular sections of the first graft (19b).