1. A re-entry catheter for facilitating formation of a passageway from a subintimal area to a lumen of a vessel, comprising an elongated outer tubular member having a distal end and a window adjacent the distal end, a plurality of deflectable struts arranged longitudinally within the window, and an actuating member coaxially disposed within the outer tubular member, wherein proximal ends of the deflectable struts are operatively connected to a distal end of the actuating member, such that axial motion of the actuating member relative to the outer tubular member deflects the struts radially outward.
2. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, further comprising a lateral port in the outer tubular member in a location opposing the window.
3. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, wherein the struts are formed from a nickel-titanium alloy.
4. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, wherein the outer tubular member has a circumference and wherein the window occupies a portion of the circumference corresponding to a range of approximately 120\xb0 to 240\xb0.
5. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, wherein tension applied to the actuating member increases stiffness at the distal end of the elongated tubular member.
6. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, further comprising a membrane supported by the struts and configured to distribute force between the struts.
7. The re-entry catheter of claim 2, further comprising a cutting member coaxially disposed within the actuating member.
8. The re-entry catheter of claim 7, wherein the cutting member comprises a cannula configured to be advanced out of the lateral port.
9. The re-entry catheter of claim 8, wherein the cutting member is formed from nickel-titanium alloy.
10. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, wherein the actuating member is operatively connected to a mechanical handle configured to move the actuating member distally in an axial direction by incremental amounts.
11. The re-entry catheter of claim 1, wherein the catheter has a diameter in the range of approximately 6 French and smaller.
12. A method for forming a passageway from a subintimal area to a lumen of a vessel comprising the steps of:
providing a re-entry catheter with an elongated outer tubular member having a distal end and a window adjacent the distal end, a plurality of deflectable struts arranged longitudinally within the window, an actuating member coaxially disposed within the outer tubular member, wherein proximal ends of the deflectable struts are operatively connected to a distal end of the actuating member, and a lateral port positioned opposing the window;
advancing the distal end of the catheter through a subintimal area;
moving the actuating member in a distal direction to deflect the struts radially outward; and
subsequent to the step of moving the actuating member, advancing a re-entry device through the lateral port and through an intimal layer of the vessel into the lumen.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of moving the actuating member in a distal direction to deflect the struts radially outward engages an adventitial layer of the vessel and positions the lateral port against the intimal layer.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of advancing a re-entry device through the lateral port comprises advancing a guidewire.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing a re-entry catheter further comprises providing the catheter with the re-entry device comprising a cannula coaxially disposed within the actuating member and wherein the step of advancing a re-entry device through the lateral port comprises sliding the cannula through the actuating member.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of stiffening the distal end of the catheter by applying tension to the actuating member and navigating the distal end of the catheter through vasculature to reach the subintimal area.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of providing a re-entry catheter further comprises providing the catheter with a mechanical handle operative connected to the actuating member, further comprising the step of actuating the handle to move the actuating member distally in an axial direction by an incremental amount.
18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of moving the actuating member in a distal direction to deflect the struts radially outward to create a space between the intimal layer and an adventitial layer and advancing the distal tip of the catheter into the space.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein the subintimal area is adjacent a lesion occluding the vessel and wherein the step of advancing a re-entry device through the lateral port further comprises penetrating at least a portion of the lesion.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An ink jet head comprising:
a head chip formed substantially in rectangular solid having six outer planes of a front plane, a rear plane, a top plane, a bottom plane, and two opposite side planes, wherein the head chip has drive walls made up of piezoelectric elements and channel portions alternately arranged in parallel, the channel portions are enclosed with the drive walls, the top plane and the bottom plane, and outlets and inlets of the channel portions are arranged in an opposite manner at the front plane and the rear plane of the head chip respectively;
a nozzle plate fixed on the front plane of the head chip;
a top-side base plate fixed on the top plane of the head chip, the top-side base plate having a first extended portion extending rearward beyond the rear plane of the head chip;
a bottom-side base plate fixed on the bottom plane of the head chip, the bottom side base plate having a second extended portion extending rearward beyond the rear plane of the head chip;
an ink supply room forming member for forming an ink supply room to supply ink to each of the channel portions, the ink supply room forming member being provided at the rear plane side of the head chip, sandwiched by the first extended portion of the top-side base plate and the second extended portion of the bottom-side base plate;
first lead wires to be electrically connected to their respective drive electrodes formed on the drive walls, the first lead wires being formed on a fixed plane surf ace of the head chip where the head chip is fixed to at least one of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate; and
second lead wires to be electrically connected to their respective first lead wires, the second lead wires being formed on a plane surface of at least one of the top-side base plate or the bottom-side base plate at the side of the fixed surface of the head chip
wherein each of the second lead wires is superposed on a respective lead wire of the first lead wires to form direct electrical connections between the first lead wires and the second lead wires.
2. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein the head chip comprises the drive walls and the channel portions, both of the drive walls and the channel portions being formed in two stages in the vertical direction.
3. The ink jet head of claim 2, wherein one of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate is formed to have a size relatively longer than the size of the other, and extends rearward from the ink supply room forming member to form an extension portion, the extension portion being electrically connected to a drive circuit by means of the second lead wire,
wherein on the surface of the other of the top-side base plate and bottom-side base plate having a relatively shorter size, third lead wires are formed at a side of a fixed surface where the head chip is fixed, each of the third lead wires having one end electrically connected to each of second lead wires and the other end electrically connected to a drive circuit on the outer surface of the ink supply room forming member.
4. The ink jet head of claim 3, wherein the other end of the third lead wires being made to come out to the rear surface side of the ink supply room forming member and being electrically connected to the drive circuit on the rear surface of said ink supply room forming member.
5. The ink jet head of claim 3, wherein the ink supply room forming member having a projection portion projecting rearward from the other of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate having a relatively shorter size, and the other end of the third lead wires being electrically connected to the drive circuit on the same surface as the surface of the head chip to be fixed to said base plate at said projection portion.
6. An ink jet head comprising a plurality of ink jet heads having a feature described in claim 3, said plurality of ink jet heads being stacked in a multi-stage manner in the vertical direction.
7. The ink jet head of claim 6, wherein in any two neighboring ink jet beads of the plurality of ink jet heads, a base plate having a relatively longer size of one of the two neighboring ink jet heads is placed opposite to a base plate having a relatively shorter size of the other of the two neighboring ink jet heads, and said base plate having a relatively longer size and said base plate having a relatively shorter size are formed to have approximately the same length.
8. The ink jet head of claim 6, wherein a heat dissipation member is provided between any two neighboring ink jet heads of the plurality of ink jet heads stacked.
9. The ink jet head of claim 1, further comprising rear face lead wires formed on the rear plane of the head chip, wherein the first lead wires are electrically connected through the rear face lead wires to their respective drive electrodes formed on the drive walls.
10. The ink jet head of claim 9, further comprising an electrode protection film being formed on the surface of the drive electrodes, the rear face lead wires, and the second lead wires.
11. The ink jet head of claim 1, further comprising a flexible board equipped with a drive IC, said flexible board being electrically connected to at least one of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate, on which the second lead wires are formed.
12. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein a drive IC is provided on at least one of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate, on which the second lead wires are formed.
13. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein at least one of members of the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate is made of any material selected from a ceramic material containing aluminum nitride as a constituent, a piezoelectric material, and a liquid crystal polymer.
14. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein thermal expansion coefficient of at least one of members of the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate is the thermal expansion coefficient of the piezoelectric element \xb12 ppm\xb0 C.
15. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein the ink supply room forming member comprises two opposite side walls and a rear wall, the rear wall comprising:
a front wall plane provided to face the rear plane of the head chip;
a top outer plane fixed to a plane surface of the first extended portion of the top-side base plate;
a bottom outer plane fixed to a plane surface of the second extended portion of the bottom-side base plate; and
a rear outer plane arranged opposite to the front wall plane, wherein the ink supply room is formed of a space enclosed by the first extended portion of the top-side base plate, the second extended portion of the bottom-side base plate, the rear plane of the head chip, the two opposite side walls and the front wall plane,
wherein third lead wires are formed on a surface of at least one of the top outer plane and the bottom outer plane of the rear wall of the ink supply room forming member, each of said third lead wires having one end electrically connected to each of the second lead wires as well as the other end electrically connected, to a drive circuit
wherein each of the second lead wires is superposed on a respective wire of the third lead wires to form direct electrical connections between the second lead wires and the third lead wires.
16. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein each of the other end of the third lead wires comes out to the rear outer plane of the rear wall of the ink supply room forming member, and electrically connected with the drive circuit at a surface of the rear outer plane of the rear wall of the ink supply room forming member.
17. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein the rear wall of the ink supply room forming member has a projection portion jutting out rearward from both the extended portions of the top-side base plate and the bottom-side base plate, and each of the other end of the third lead wires is electrically connected with the drive circuit, at a surface of at least one of the top outer plane and the bottom outer plane in the projection portion of the rear wall of the ink supply room forming member.
18. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein the head chip comprises the drive walls and the channel portions formed in two stages in the vertical direction.
19. An ink jet head comprising a plurality of ink jet heads having a feature described in claim 18, said plurality of ink jet heads being stacked in a multi-stage manner in the vertical direction.
20. The ink jet head of claim 19, wherein a heat dissipation member is provided between any two neighboring ink jet heads of the plurality of ink jet heads stacked.
21. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein each of the first lead wires comes out from the respective drive electrodes through at least one of a surface of the front plane and a surface of the rear plane of the head chip onto the surface of at least one of the top plane and the bottom plane of the head chip where the head chip is fixed to the top-side base plate or the bottom-side base plate.
22. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein an electrode protection film is formed on the surface of the drive electrodes, the first lead wires, and the second lead wires facing the ink supply room.
23. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein at least one of members of the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate is made of any material selected out of a ceramic material containing aluminum nitride as a constituent, a piezoelectric material, and a liquid crystal polymer.
24. The ink jet head of claim 15, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of at least one of members of the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate has the thermal expansion coefficient of the piezoelectric element \xb12 ppm\xb0 C.
25. The ink jet head of claim 1, wherein the head chip comprises the drive walls and the channel portions, both of the drive walls and the channel portions being stacked in plural stages in the vertical direction,
among the first lead wires, first lead wires to be electrically connected to the drive electrodes of the respective channel portions in a couple of stages adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the head chip being distributed to the front surface and the rear surface respectively for each stage, and being made to come out onto the upper surface or the lower surface of the head chip,
one end of those second lead wires, the other end which are electrically connected to each of first lead wires made to come out through one of the front surface and the rear surface of said head chip, being made to come Out from the surface to be fixed to the head chip to the outside surface, while one end of those second lead wires, the other end of which are electrically connected to each of, among the first lead wires, those which are made to come out through the other of the front surface and the rear surface of the head chip extending rearward on the surface to be fixed to the head chip.
26. The ink jet head of claim 25 wherein the third lead wires are formed on the ink supply room forming member and exposed on the surface of the head, the third lead wires being electrically connected with the other end of the second lead wires whose one end extend rearward on the surface to be fixed to the head chip.
27. The ink jet head of claim 26, wherein the ink supply room forming member has a projection portion projecting rearward from the top-side base plate or the bottom-side base plate on which the second lead wires are formed on both of the outer surface and the surface to be fixed to the head chip, the other end of the third lead wires being exposed on the surface of the head in the projection portion.
28. The ink jet head of claim 25, wherein an electrode protection film is formed on the surface of the drive electrodes, and the first lead wires and the second lead wires each facing the ink supply room.
29. The ink jet head of claim 25, wherein at least one of the members except for the drive walls in the head chip, the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate being made of any material selected out of a ceramic material containing aluminum nitride as a constituent, a piezoelectric material, and a liquid crystal polymer.
30. The ink jet head of claim 25, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of at least one of the members except for the drive walls in the head chip, the top-side base plate, and the bottom-side base plate is the thermal expansion coefficient of the piezoelectric element \xb12 ppm\xb0 C.