Importance

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Abstract

A torque control mechanism for a medical catheter, comprising a torque wire affixed to a tip of the catheter, and attached to a rotation control mechanism carried by a proximal end of the catheter. The torque wire has high torsional stiffness but longitudinal flexibility, so that rotation of the torque wire is efficiently transmitted to the catheter tip, but so that the torque wire may flex easily as the catheter is put into place adjacent a treatment site within a patient. The catheter tip includes a guide wire lumen for sliding over a conventional guide wire in emplacing the catheter, and rotation of the torque wire causes the catheter tip to rotate about an axis of the guide wire. However, when high friction is encountered by the catheter, rotation of the torque wire causes rotation of the catheter tip about a central axis of the catheter. This is assisted by the configuration of a preferred embodiment, wherein the catheter tip is rotatable separately from the catheter body. The rotation mechanism includes a handle which is threaded into a swivel housing, and rotational motion of the handle is limited by stops. A threaded nut may be slidably positioned on the handle, for converting rotational motion of the handle into translational motion of the nut, which engages the stops for limiting the rotational motion of the handle, and which allows rotation of the handle to result in purely rotational motion of the torque wire, with no translational component.

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First Claim