Patent attributes
The present invention provides a catheter for treating occlusions in body lumens. The catheter includes a catheter body that is fillable with fluid. An impactor is connected to the distal end of the catheter body and has a proximal end inside the catheter body and a distal end outside the catheter body. The catheter also includes a shock wave source configured to generate a shock wave, and a deflector coupled to the proximal end of the impactor in between the shock wave source and distal end of the catheter body. When the shock wave source generates a shock wave, the shock wave impinges on the deflector causing the deflector to advance in a forward direction in conjunction with the impactor such that the distal end of the impactor delivers a mechanical force to the occlusion to restore flow to the body lumen.