A clot and foreign body removal device is described which comprises a
catheter with at least one lumen. Located within the catheter is a clot
capture coil that is connected to an insertion mandrel. In one embodiment,
the clot capture coil is made out of a solid elastic or superelastic
material which has shape memory, preferably nitinol. The elasticity or
superelasticity of the coil allows it to be deformed within the catheter
and to then reform its original coil configuration when the coil is moved
outside of the catheter lumen. In another embodiment the coil is a
biphasic coil which changes shape upon heating or passing an electric
current. Once the coil configuration has been established, the coil can be
used to ensnare and corkscrew a clot in a vessel. A clot is extracted from
the vessel by moving the clot capture coil and catheter proximally until
the clot can be removed or released into a different vessel that does not
perfuse a critical organ. Foreign bodies are similarly captured by
deploying the coil distal to the foreign body and moving the clot capture
coil proximally until the foreign body is trapped within the coil. By
removing the device from the body, the foreign material is also removed.