Abstract: A catheter for delivering electrical energy to a selectable region of a patient's body has at least one layer of fibers with at least one electrically conductive fiber stranded over a flexible core. Each layer of fibers is stranded over the flexible core and underlying layers opposite in direction from that of the immediately preceding layer so as to provide a catheter with good torque transfer properties in addition to its electrical energy transfer properties. The outermost layer of stranded fibers is electrically conductive and is covered by an electrically insulative outer layer which is mechanically strippable to expose selectable regions of the underlying layer of stranded fibers. Electrical energy is transmitted along the outermost layer of stranded fibers to tissue which is in contact with the exposed contact region of the outermost layer of stranded fibers.

Abstract: A guide wire for a catheter has a tubular portion with a flexible body fixed to its distal end. The distal end of the body may be composed of a radiopaque material. Optical fibers are disposed within the assembly and terminate in a radiopaque tip at the distal end of the body. The guide wire may have a longitudinal marker wire or mandrel for providing stiffness and radioscopic tracking characteristics, as well as providing torsional control and tip shaping capabilities. The guide wire has a proximal end attached to the tube and a distal end that also terminates in the tip. The wire may be maneuvered in a vascular area like a conventional guide wire and may be used in conjunction with a support catheter to increase its maneuverability. Then, laser energy is conveyed to the vascular area by the optical fibers to ablate an obstruction. The proximal end of the guide wire is then removed and a larger catheter may then be slid over the guide wire to continue the ablation operation.

Abstract: A guide wire for a catheter has a tubular portion with a flexible body fixed to its distal end. The distal end of the body may be composed of a radiopaque material. Optical fibers are disposed within the assembly and terminate in a radiopaque tip at the distal end of the body. The guide wire may have a longitudinal marker wire or mandrel for providing stiffness and radioscopic tracking characteristics, as well as providing torsional control and tip shaping capabilities. The guide wire has a proximal end attached to the tube and a distal end that also terminates in the tip. The wire may be maneuvered in a vascular area like a conventional guide wire and may be used in conjunction with a support catheter to increase its maneuverability. Then, laser energy is conveyed to the vascular area by the optical fibers to ablate an obstruction. The proximal end of the guide wire is then removed and a larger catheter may then be slid over the guide wire to continue the ablation operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for ablating biological tissue having a deflectable ablation area including an elongated catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, and an elongated body portion. A plurality of optical fibers extend between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter. The distal ends of all of the plurality of optical fibers define an ablation area at the distal end of the catheter. The catheter includes a device for selectively deflecting the distal ends of all of the optical fibers so that at least a portion of the ablation area extends beyond an area defined by the cross-sectional area of the catheter while the amount of light energy over the entire ablation area remains constant.

Abstract: A fiber optic catheter has a short guide wire lumen (less than 10 cm) extending in a proximal direction from its distal end and an intermediate portion reinforced with a tapered mandrel which provides optimal steerability and trackability characteristics. The distal end of the mandrel is coextensive with a proximal portion of the guide wire lumen. The intermediate portion of the catheter may have a marker for visual identification, and the tip of the catheter may include a radiopaque tip marker band for fluoroscopic identification. The short guide wire lumen catheter provides superior flexibility, a low profile, and low-friction engagement with the guide wire.

Abstract: The present invention involves an electrical or electronic communication signal distribution system which is uniquely designed to cooperate with or interfit into the interior of a typical modular office panel. The system can be considered to have three key interacting and cooperating elements; a removable casing, a complementary raceway, and electrical or electronic wire signal distribution system incorporated into the channel. The system typically provides electrical or electronic wire communication signals to a variety of computers and communication devices such as telephones and facsimile machines. Other aspects of the invention include a panel, such as a modular office partition, or a power pole, into which the system fits, or with which it cooperatively operates; and apparatus comprising the combination of the panel and system.

Abstract: A preionization assembly is adapted for use with a laser including a laser vessel, a high voltage electrode and a ground electrode defining a discharge region extending longitudinally within the vessel. A plurality of pin assemblies are arranged in at least one line which extends longitudinally through the vessel along the discharge region. These pin assemblies are generally equally spaced along the line, each including an anode pin and a cathode pin oriented relative to each other so that a spark passing therebetween arcs in a direction which is longitudinal of the vessel along the discharge region. The pin assemblies may be oriented in two parallel lines disposed in equally spaced relationship to the discharge region.

Abstract: A catheter having an outer wall of tubular shape, a cylindrical marker attached to the distal end of the catheter. The marker band includes markings for identifying the axial, rotational and yaw position of the catheter distal end when it is located in a body and viewed fluoroscopically.

Abstract: The present invention is a catheter with a twistable tip. The catheter having a flexible wall for use in complex twisting anatomy contains a torque wire or a torquable guide wire lumen. The torque wire or torquable guide wire lumen extends through the length of the catheter and is attached to the catheter at or near the distal end thereof. The distal face of the catheter is angled to self align the catheter with an obstruction upon insertion. The proximal end of the torque wire protrudes from the proximal end of the catheter and is attached to a turn limiter. Rotation of the turn limiter imparts a torque to the torque wire or torquable guide wire lumen which is transmitted through the catheter to the distal end of the catheter where the applied torque twists the distal tip to manually align the tip with an obstruction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for relatively moving energy across an array of optical fibers. The energy may be scanned across the fiber array. A dielectric mirror mounted on a galvanometer scanner is moved so as to cause successive pulses to irradiate different segments of the fiber optic array. As a result, each fiber receives radiation having sufficient fluence while reducing the energy per pulse (or the cw equivalent). Rather, than move the energy across the fiber array, the fiber array itself may be moved. One possible manner of movement is use of a piezo electric stack.

Abstract: The present invention is a turn limiter for a catheter with a twistable tip. The catheter having a flexible wall for use in complex twisting anatomy contains a torque wire or a torquable guide wire lumen. The torque wire or torquable guide wire lumen extends through the length of the catheter and is attached to the catheter at or near the distal end thereof. The proximal end of the torque wire protrudes from the proximal end of the catheter and is attached to a turn limiter. Rotation of the turn limiter imparts a torque to the torque wire or torquable guide wire lumen. The turn limiter allows limited rotation of the proximal end of the torque wire or torquable guide wire lumen without axial dislocation. The turn limiter may have a feature for indicating the amount of torque applied to the torque element.

Abstract: A mount for connecting a light source to optical fibers in a fiber optic catheter or the like is disclosed. The optical fibers are bonded to a mount body which mates with a light source. The mount body has a notch on its end, and the ends of the optical fibers project over this notch so that the substrate is not damaged by the light source. The fibers may project over the notch freely, or an insert may be provided in the notch for added stability.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coupling laser energy into an optical fiber employs a laser with a concave reflector and a planar reflector, a plano-convex focusing lens and an optical fiber array. A divergent laser beam is emitted from the laser and is focused to a beam waist by the plano-convex lens. Within the beam waist exists a soft focal plane wherein the laser energy is relatively homogeneous across the beam's cross section. An optical fiber array is placed within the beam waist such that the soft focal plane substantially matches the size and shape of the proximal end of the optical fiber array. Thus, laser energy is coupled to the optical fiber array at the soft focal plane within the beam waist at a fluence level below the fluence damage threshold of the optical fiber array and in a relatively homogeneous fashion across the cross section of the optical fiber array.

Abstract: A coupler for efficiently coupling a laser light source to a fiberoptic catheter. The coupler contains coding for determining information about the catheter, such as the size of the optical fiber catheter which it is coupling.

Abstract: A device for terminating a surgical apparatus such as a fiber optic catheter is disclosed. A fiber optic catheter having an outer body, an inner body disposed within the outer body to form an outer lumen therebetween and an inner lumen within the inner body, and optical fibers within the outer lumen is terminated at its distal end with a two-piece tip. An outer band of the tip has one end between the outer body and the optical fibers, while an inner band contacts the ends of the inner body and the optical fibers. The terminal faces of the optical fibers may be angled to increase the surface area illuminated or ablated by the fiber optic catheter. The inner and outer bands may be flared outwardly to increase the surface area affected even more. The inner body may also be extended beyond the terminal face to aid tracking of the catheter. The inner body and inner band may be eccentric to the outer body and outer band so that the catheter may be rotated to ablate a larger vascular area.

Abstract: A laser catheter contains groups of optical fibers, each group forming a spiral pattern or radially straight lines, extending from near the inner wall of the laser catheter to the outer wall. The laser catheter is rotated about its longitudinal axis to ablate a target.

Abstract: A coupler for efficiently coupling a laser light source to a fiberoptic catheter. The coupler contains coding for determining information about the catheter, such as the size of the optical fiber catheter which it is coupling.

Abstract: An apparatus to couple a laser beam into a plurality of optical fibers is disclosed. The laser beam, having a naturally rectangular cross sectional area, is passed through a cylindrical lens to focus the laser beam into a focal line. The optical fibers are then arranged in a linear configuration at the focal line to accept the laser beam. A second cylindrical lens may be used to control the length of the focal line to match the length of the linearly configured optical fibers. A method for coupling the laser beam into the linearly configured optical fibers is also disclosed.

Abstract: An optical fiber coupling system is described including a laser for generating a laser beam through a lens having spherical aberration. The spherical aberration in the lens blurs the focal spot, thereby reducing incident fluence levels over the prior art configurations. To further reduce peak fluence levels, a small obscuration is placed between the laser beam and the lens near the center of the lens. The incident end of the optical fiber is then placed at the point where the cross sectional area of the laser beam is smallest, which is closer to the lens than both the location of peak fluence and the paraxial focal point.

Abstract: Ceramic bearings and races, each coated or implanted with metal, glass, boron fibers, carbon fibers, jade or horneblende are disclosed as bearings for the fan assembly of a laser. The bearings and races may be silicon nitride implanted with gold and may be used in the laser without potentially contaminating supplemental lubricants.