Inventors:
Maureen Mulvihill - Bellefonte PA, US
Kenji Uchino - State College PA, US
Gareth Knowles - Williamsport PA, US
Robert Harbaugh - Hershey PA, US
International Classification:
H01L 41/08
Abstract:
A piezoelectric micro-disruptor capable of disrupting a blockage both mechanically and vibrationally is presented. The micro-disruptor includes a rotor, a stator disposed about and contacting the rotor, a cutting element, and a flexible guide wire. In one embodiment, the stator is composed of a flexible cylinder with at least two piezoelectric elements attached thereto. Piezoelectric elements are electroded, wired to power leads within the flexible guide wire, and poled to function as an actuator. Expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric elements causes the flexible cylinder to wobble, thus driving the rotor and cutting element in a rotary fashion. In another embodiment, the stator is a piezoelectric cylinder with at least two electrodes attached separately thereto so as to contact and rotate a rotor assembly. Piezoelectric elements and cylinder are electrically driven so as to vibrate the stator, rotor, and cutting element. The present invention has immediate applicability within medical devices for the removal and disruption of an embolus, thrombus, kidney stone, gallstone, fatty deposit, or the like.