Atherectomy catheter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION To this end, an atherectomy catheter includes an incrementally expandable cutter and a torque member attached to the cutter.
The cutter is reversibly and incrementally expandable by the surgeon using controls remaining outside of the patient.
Preferably, these controls include a cable linked to the cutter and extending through the torque tube to a hand controller.
The torque member, which may be a tube, is attached to a motor and a guidewire is axially displaceable through the cutter.
Most desirably, the cable is a braided tube and the cutter includes a plurality of spaced apart blades radially extending from a cutter sleeve.
Each blade has a first end integrally joined to the cutter sleeve and a second end joined to the torque member.
At its exterior end, i.
e.
the end remaining outside of the patient, the torque tube is connected to a vacuum source to draw off the material cut away by the cutter.
The torque member may optionally have a surface provided with a bio-active material to promote proper healing of the surfaces cut by the cutter.
Also to this end, a method for removing an obstruction in a blood vessel includes the steps of locating the obstruction and guiding an incrementally expandable cutter to the obstruction using a guide wire.
The cutter is incrementally expanded and rotated while it is directed to engage the blockage.
The cutter may make repeated passes through the blockage removing additional blockage material with each pass.
Other and further objects will appear hereinafter.