Steerable catheter with reinforced tip
First Claim
1. A steerable catheter comprising:
- an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough;
a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body, the tip section comprising a flexible plastic tubing having at least one off-axis lumen extending therethrough;
a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body;
a puller wire extending through the off-axis lumen of the tip section and lumen of the catheter body, and having a proximal end anchored to the control handle and a distal end anchored to the tip section, whereby the puller wire is longitudinally moveable relative to the catheter body to cause deflection of the tip section in a plane in a first direction; and
one or more stabilizing features extending longitudinally along at least a portion of the length of the tip section and positioned generally symmetrically about a diameter of the tip section corresponding to the plane in which the tip section is deflectable, the one or more stabilizing features comprising a material that has a higher modulus of elasticity than the plastic of the tip section.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A steerable catheter having a reinforced distal end for improved deflection is provided. The catheter comprises an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough. A tip section is provided at the distal end of the catheter body. The tip section comprises a flexible plastic tubing having at least one off-axis lumen extending therethrough. A control handle is provided at the proximal end of the catheter body. At least one puller wire extends through the off-axis lumen of the tip section and lumen of the catheter body. The puller wire has a proximal end anchored to the control handle and a distal end anchored to the tip section. The puller wire is longitudinally moveable relative to the catheter body to cause deflection of the tip section in a plane in a first direction. The catheter further comprises one or more stabilizing features extending longitudinally along at least a portion of the length of the tip section and positioned generally symmetrically about a diameter of the tip section corresponding to the plane in which the tip section is deflectable. The one or more stabilizing features comprise a material that has a higher modulus of elasticity than the plastic of the tip section.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A steerable catheter comprising:
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an elongated, flexible tubular catheter body having proximal and distal ends and a lumen extending therethrough;
a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body, the tip section comprising a flexible plastic tubing having at least one off-axis lumen extending therethrough;
a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body;
a puller wire extending through the off-axis lumen of the tip section and lumen of the catheter body, and having a proximal end anchored to the control handle and a distal end anchored to the tip section, whereby the puller wire is longitudinally moveable relative to the catheter body to cause deflection of the tip section in a plane in a first direction; and
one or more stabilizing features extending longitudinally along at least a portion of the length of the tip section and positioned generally symmetrically about a diameter of the tip section corresponding to the plane in which the tip section is deflectable, the one or more stabilizing features comprising a material that has a higher modulus of elasticity than the plastic of the tip section. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification