DEVICE FOR CONTROLLED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF AN OPERATIVE ELEMENT WITHIN A CATHETER SHEATH

摘要

An operative element mover (22) is used as a part of an ultrasound imaging or other catheter system (2) including a hollow sheath (6) and a case (16) housing a rotary driver (10). A drive cable or other connecting member (8) is disposed within the sheath with a transducer (24) at its distal end (26) and its proximal end (12) coupled to the rotary driver. The rotary driver rotates the transducer about the longitudinal axis (14) of the sheath. A hemostasis valve (50) anchors the sheath to the patient where the sheath enters the patient. The transducer mover (22) is used to move the drive cable along the longitudinal axis and includes a body (38) fixedly mountable to and dismountable from the case and a movable anchor post (40). The anchor post is clipped to the sheath and is moved by a sheath anchor drive (46) to translate the sheath from or toward the case. This causes the transducer to move within the sheath in a proximal or distal longitudinal direction (52).