CPC A61B 1/00082 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00183 (2013.01); A61B 1/05 (2013.01); A61B 1/051 (2013.01); A61B 1/018 (2013.01); A61B 1/06 (2013.01)] | 13 Claims |
1. A direct visualization catheter comprising:
a handle;
a balloon;
an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the proximal end coupled to the handle, the distal end coupled to the balloon and defining a longitudinal axis; and
a camera assembly coupled to the distal end of the elongate shaft and disposed within the balloon, the camera assembly including:
a camera; and
an adjustment mechanism for varying a configuration of the camera relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration, the camera facing primarily in a radial direction in the delivery configuration and the camera facing primarily in an axial direction in the deployed configuration;
wherein the adjustment mechanism includes:
a hinge coupling the camera to the distal end of the elongate shaft, the hinge configured to permit the camera to move relative to the distal end of the elongate shaft;
a biasing element configured to apply a first force about the hinge and arranged such that the camera is biased about the hinge in the delivery configuration to thereby bias a viewing direction of the camera radially inward toward the longitudinal axis.
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