Wire and device for vascular treatment

Abstract

A wire for use with a vascular treatment device may have a proximal end, a distal end, and a main shaft extending therebetween. The distal end may have a distal free end and a first segment. The first segment may extend from the main shaft and may be biased to a first included angle that is defined between the main shaft and the first segment and less than 180 degrees.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A wire for use with a vascular treatment device, the wire comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a main shaft extending therebetween; wherein:
 the distal end comprises a distal free end and a first segment;   the first segment extends from the main shaft; and   the first segment is biased to a first included angle that is:
 defined between the main shaft and the first segment; and 
 less than 180 degrees. 
   
     
     
         2 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal free end is ball-shaped. 
     
     
         3 . The wire of  claim 2 , wherein the first segment extends from the main shaft to the distal free end. 
     
     
         4 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end further comprises a second segment and a third segment, wherein:
 the second segment extends between the first segment and the third segment and is biased to a second included angle that is:
 defined between the first segment and the second segment; and 
 is less than 180 degrees; and 
   the third segment extends from the second segment to the free end and is biased to a third included angle that is:
 defined between the second segment and the third segment; and 
 is less than 180 degrees. 
   
     
     
         5 . The wire of  claim 4 , wherein the second included angle is greater than the first included angle. 
     
     
         6 . The wire of  claim 4 , wherein the sum of the first included angle and the third included angle, minus the second included angle, is in the range of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The wire of  claim 6 , wherein the sum of the first included angle and the third included angle, minus the second included angle, is in the range of about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The wire of  claim 7 , wherein the sum of the first included angle and the third included angle, minus the second included angle, is about 90 degrees. 
     
     
         9 . The wire of  claim 4 , wherein the third segment has a length that is smaller than an inner diameter of the sheath. 
     
     
         10 . The wire of  claim 9 , wherein the third segment has a length of less than 0.028 inches. 
     
     
         11 . The wire of  claim 9 , wherein the third segment has a length that is equal to or smaller than two-thirds of the inner diameter of the sheath. 
     
     
         12 . The wire of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second segments each have a length in the range of about 0.2 inches to about 0.3 inches. 
     
     
         13 . The wire of  claim 12 , wherein the first and second segments each have lengths in range of about 0.24 inches to about 0.26 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The wire of  claim 30 , wherein the length of the first segment is in the range of about 0.248 inches to about 0.25 inches, and the length of the second segment is in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 0.252 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The wire of  claim 14 , wherein the length of the first segment is 0.249 inches, and the length of the second segment is 0.2504 inches. 
     
     
         16 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end has at least two linear segments oriented at a non-zero angle relative to one another. 
     
     
         17 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal free end is ball-shaped, the first segment extends from the main shaft to the distal free end, and the first included angle is 140 degrees. 
     
     
         18 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal free end is textured. 
     
     
         19 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal free end is pointed. 
     
     
         20 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal free end is flat. 
     
     
         21 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end is weighted. 
     
     
         22 . The wire of  claim 21 , wherein the distal end is eccentrically weighted relative to the main shaft. 
     
     
         23 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end has a roughened surface. 
     
     
         24 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the wire further comprises a spring attached along the distal end. 
     
     
         25 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein the wire distal end comprises a curved segment. 
     
     
         26 . The wire of  claim 25 , wherein the wire distal end comprises a straight segment distal to the curved segment. 
     
     
         27 . The wire of  claim 1 , wherein a perpendicular length measured from an axis defined by the main shaft to the free end is less than 0.3 inches. 
     
     
         28 . A vascular treatment device comprising:
 a handle having:
 a motor; 
 a trigger mounted on the handle and transitionable between a first state that does not electrically couple the motor to a power source and a second state that does couple the motor to the power source; and 
 a male coupling rotably driven by the motor; and 
   a cartridge engageable with the handle and having:
 a female coupling so sized and shaped as to be engageable by, and once engaged by, to be rotated by the male coupling; 
 the wire of  claim 1 , wherein the wire proximal end is fixed to the female coupling; and 
 a sheath fixed to and extending from the cartridge, the sheath defining a lumen through which the wire runs; 
   wherein the sheath, when the female coupling is not engaged by the male coupling, covers the distal end of the wire, and wherein the sheath, when the female coupling is engaged by the male coupling, does not cover the distal end of the wire.   
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the system comprises a gate that is biased to a first position that prevents engagement of the cartridge and the handle and is transitionable to a second position that permits engagement of the cartridge and the handle. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 29 , wherein the gate is further transitionable to a third position that prevents disengagement of the cartridge and the handle. 
     
     
         31 . The device of  claim 30 , wherein the third position is intermediate the first and second positions. 
     
     
         32 . The device of  claim 30 , wherein the gate, when in the third position, is received in a detent defined in the cartridge. 
     
     
         33 . The device of  claim 29 , wherein the gate is biased to the first position by a spring contacting the handle. 
     
     
         34 . The device of  claim 29 , wherein the gate is physically coupled to a switch on the handle such that movement of the switch transitions the gate between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         35 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the handle includes a potentiometer electrically coupled to the motor to control a speed of the motor. 
     
     
         36 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the male coupling is biased toward an expanded state and transitionable from the expanded state to a contracted state. 
     
     
         37 . The device of  claim 36 , wherein the female coupling is so sized and shaped as to transition the male coupling from the expanded state to the contracted state during engagement of the handle and the cartridge. 
     
     
         38 . The device of  claim 36 , wherein the male coupling is so sized and shaped as to return to the expanded state once the cartridge and the handle are fully engaged. 
     
     
         39 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein the female coupling is disengageable from the male coupling once the male coupling has returned to the expanded state. 
     
     
         40 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein the female coupling is not disengageable from the male coupling once the male coupling has returned to the expanded state. 
     
     
         41 . The device of  claim 36 , wherein the male coupling comprises at least two prongs separated by slitted portions. 
     
     
         42 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the sheath has an inner diameter between 0.022 inches to 0.048 inches. 
     
     
         43 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the sheath has an outer diameter between 0.020 inches to 0.050 inches to facilitate insertion into a vein. 
     
     
         44 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein one or more portions of the handle define a trigger ring in which the trigger is at least partly disposed, and wherein the handle is so arranged as to be balanced when supported from only one or more portions of the handle that define the trigger ring. 
     
     
         45 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the sheath comprises external markings at regular intervals. 
     
     
         46 . The device of  claim 28 , further comprising a microswitch interposed in an electrical circuit connecting the trigger and the motor and transitionable by engagement of the cartridge and the handle from an open state to a closed state, thereby permitting the trigger and motor to be electrically coupled to one another. 
     
     
         47 . The device of  claim 28 , wherein the handle:
 comprises a casing formed from two pieces;   contains the motor and the male coupling; and   defines a receptacle in which the male coupling is positioned and which receives the female coupling of the cartridge when the cartridge and the handle engage.   
     
     
         48 . The device of  claim 28 , further comprising a syringe in fluid communication with the sheath lumen. 
     
     
         49 . The device of  claim 48 , wherein the syringe is attached to the cartridge. 
     
     
         50 . The device of  claim 48 , wherein the syringe is attachable to the cartridge with or without a stopcock. 
     
     
         51 . The device of  claim 48 , wherein the handle further comprises a support so positioned as to receive the syringe. 
     
     
         52 . The device of  claim 48 , wherein the handle and the syringe are so sized, shaped, and positioned as to permit a user to actuate the trigger with the index finger of a hand and simultaneously depress a plunger into the syringe with the thumb of the same hand.