Abstract: A needle guide assembly for placement of tubular surgical instruments within a human or animal body includes a short locator needle assembled within a needle guide outer cannula for penetrating the body to locate a target area, the locator needle being removable from the needle guide assembly permitting a long guide wire to be inserted through the needle guide outer cannula into the body to locate its distal end at the target area, the needle guide outer cannula being crimped to the guide wire to form a guide assembly for advancing the tubular surgical instrument to the target area.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for removing a target object from a body passageway. The apparatus comprises a catheter, a spiral wound coil disposed within the catheter and rotatably driven by an air actuated drive means, and a parachute basket. The spiral wound coil has a cutting tip at its distal end which is housed within the distal tip of the catheter and is prevented from extending outside the catheter by a grommet. In most situations, the target object is fragmented by the cutting action of the tip of the spiral wound coil as it is rotated at high speed within the catheter by the air actuated drive means. Rotation of the spiral wound coil also facilitates transport of the target fragments through the catheter lumen simultaneously with aspiration. The parachute basket is deployed downstream of the target object in order to capture any target fragments not aspirated into the catheter lumen.

Abstract: A needle sheath complex and related process for external use of the complex for decompressing or sampling tissue within a multitude of areas in human and animal bodies.The needle sheath complex is comprised of a small gauge needle which is comprised of a stylus within a cannula and which is long enough so that a shorter outer sheath can be slidable located on the small gauge needle leaving exposed a long enough portion of the smaller gauge needle to probe the body and locate the area to be decompressed or sampled. The small gauge needle is inserted into the body and when the target area has been located, the outer sheath is slid over the small gauge needle into the body stretching the opening to the target. The smaller needle is then removed leaving the larger inside diameter sheath in place in the body through which sampling or decompression can be performed.