Catheter With Retractable Sheath And Methods Thereof

Abstract

A system including a catheter assembly, which can include a housing, a sheath, and a core wire disposed within a sheath lumen. The housing can include a retraction-extension mechanism configured to retract the sheath from a first, fully extended position of the sheath, in which position a distal portion of the core wire can be wholly disposed within the sheath lumen. The housing can accommodate a proximal length of the sheath, and the retraction-extension mechanism can be configured to retract the proximal length of the sheath into the housing and expose a working length of a distal portion of the core wire. The core wire can include a sonic connector at a proximal end of the core wire configured to connect to an ultrasound-producing mechanism for ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions with the working length of the core wire.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a catheter assembly comprising:
 a housing including a retraction-extension mechanism; 
 a sheath including a sheath lumen, wherein the sheath is configured to retract from a first, fully extended position of the sheath and extend from a second, fully retracted position of the sheath; and 
 a core wire disposed within the sheath lumen, wherein the retraction-extension mechanism is configured to retract a proximal length of the sheath into the housing and expose a working length of a distal portion of the core wire for ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distal portion of the core wire is wholly disposed within the sheath lumen while the sheath is in the first position. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a maximum working length of the core wire is defined by a retraction distance over which a point on the sheath retracts from the first position to the second position. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the retraction distance is defined by a slot length in the housing configured to accommodate the proximal length of the sheath in the second position. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a distal portion of the sheath is tapered proximate to the working length of the core wire. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the retraction-extension mechanism is a hand-actuated retraction-extension mechanism. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the retraction-extension mechanism is a motor-actuated retraction-extension mechanism. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , the catheter assembly further comprising a telescopic system including two or more nested telescopic members, wherein at least one telescopic member of the two or more telescopic members is the sheath. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a console comprising an ultrasound-producing mechanism configured to convert an electric current into a vibrational energy, wherein a sonic connector at a proximal end of the core wire is configured to connect to the ultrasound-producing mechanism for the ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the ultrasound-producing mechanism includes:
 an ultrasonic generator configured to convert an alternating electric current into a high-frequency current;   an ultrasonic transducer configured to convert the high-frequency current into the vibrational energy; and   an ultrasonic horn configured to augment an amplitude of the vibrational energy, wherein the sonic connector of the core wire is configured to connect to the ultrasonic horn.   
     
     
         11 . A system, comprising:
 a catheter assembly comprising:
 a housing including a retraction-extension mechanism; 
 a sheath including a sheath lumen, wherein the sheath is configured to retract from a first, fully extended position of the sheath and extend from a second, fully retracted position of the sheath; and 
 a core wire disposed within the sheath lumen including a sonic connector at a proximal end of the core wire configured to connect to an ultrasound-producing mechanism, wherein:
 a distal portion of the core wire is wholly disposed within the sheath lumen while the sheath is in the first position; 
 the retraction-extension mechanism is configured to retract a proximal length of the sheath into the housing and expose a working length of the distal portion of the core wire for ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions; and 
 the working length is defined by a slot length in the housing configured to accommodate the proximal length of the sheath in the second position. 
 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein a distal portion of the sheath is tapered proximate to the working length of the core wire. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the retraction-extension mechanism is a hand-actuated retraction-extension mechanism. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the retraction-extension mechanism is a motor-actuated retraction-extension mechanism. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a console comprising:
 an ultrasonic generator configured to convert an alternating electric current into a high-frequency current; 
 an ultrasonic transducer configured to convert the high-frequency current into a vibrational energy; and 
 an ultrasonic horn configured to augment an amplitude of the vibrational energy, wherein the sonic connector of the core wire is configured to connect to the ultrasonic horn. 
   
     
     
         16 . A system, comprising:
 a) a catheter assembly comprising:
 a housing including a retraction-extension mechanism; 
 a sheath including a sheath lumen, wherein the sheath is configured to retract from a first, fully extended position of the sheath and extend from a second, fully retracted position of the sheath; and 
 a core wire disposed within the sheath lumen, wherein:
 a distal portion of the core wire is wholly disposed within the sheath lumen while the sheath is in the first position, and 
 the retraction-extension mechanism is configured to retract a proximal length of the sheath into the housing and expose a working length of a distal portion of the core wire for ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions; and 
 
   b) a console comprising:
 an ultrasound-producing mechanism configured to convert an electric current into a vibrational energy, wherein a sonic connector at a proximal end of the core wire is configured to connect to the ultrasound-producing mechanism for the ultrasound-based modification of one or more intravascular lesions. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein a maximum working length of the core wire is defined by a retraction distance over which a point on the sheath retracts from the first position to the second position. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein a maximum working length of the core wire is defined by a slot length in the housing configured to accommodate the proximal length of the sheath in the second position. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein a distal portion of the sheath is tapered proximate to the working length of the core wire. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , the catheter assembly further comprising a telescopic system including two or more nested telescopic members, wherein at least one telescopic member of the two or more telescopic members is the sheath.