| CPC A61B 17/221 (2013.01) [A61B 2017/22074 (2013.01); A61B 2017/22079 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2215 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |

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1. A method of retrieving biological material from a blood vessel comprising:
advancing a distal part of a catheter system into the blood vessel while the catheter system is in a preconfigured delivery state in which a funnel-shaped sleeve of the catheter system is compressed within a catheter of the catheter system, the catheter system being preconfigured to have:
a partially-deployed state in which (i) a predetermined distal part of the funnel-shaped sleeve is disposed out of a distal opening of the catheter, and (ii) a predetermined intermediate part of the funnel-shaped sleeve and a predetermined proximal part of the funnel-shaped sleeve are disposed within the catheter,
a fully-deployed state in which (i) the distal part and the intermediate part are disposed out of the distal opening, and (ii) the proximal part is disposed within the catheter;
while the distal part of the catheter system remains in the blood vessel, transitioning the catheter system into the partially-deployed state by advancing the distal part of the funnel-shaped sleeve out of the distal opening;
while the catheter system remains in the partially-deployed state, applying suction to trap at least part of the biological material within the funnel-shaped sleeve; and
subsequently, transitioning the catheter system into the fully-deployed state by advancing the intermediate part out of the distal opening; and
while the catheter system remains in the fully-deployed state, applying further suction to draw more of the material into the funnel-shaped sleeve.
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