Steerable catheter with fixed curve
First Claim
1. A steerable catheter, comprising:
- a preshaped distal section,a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section,a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, said proximal section being shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient, andmeans for steering the distal section of the seated catheter into contact with tissue within the patient by flexing said flexible intermediate section.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A steerable catheter is disclosed which includes a complexly curved proximal section shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient. The catheter also includes a flexible intermediate section which has comparatively greater flexibility than other sections of the catheter. The flexible intermediate section bends in response to forces applied by an attached steering device and substantially all of the flex in the catheter may be contained within the flexible intermediate section. The catheter further has a pre-shaped distal section which is urged into contact with tissue within the patient when the flexible intermediate section flexes. In a preferred embodiment, the distal section supports a plurality of ring electrodes and is shaped to generally correspond to the physiology of a wall of the heart.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A steerable catheter, comprising:
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a preshaped distal section, a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section, a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, said proximal section being shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient, and means for steering the distal section of the seated catheter into contact with tissue within the patient by flexing said flexible intermediate section. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A steerable catheter for insertion within a heart, comprising:
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a distal section shaped to generally correspond to the physiology of the inner wall of the right atrium of the heart, a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section, a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, said proximal section being shaped to seat the catheter across the annulus of the tricuspid valve to prevent prolapse of the catheter through the tricuspid valve, said proximal section, flexible intermediate section, and distal section each being insertable within the right atrium of the heart, and means for steering the distal section of the seated catheter into contact with the inner wall of the right atrium by flexing said flexible intermediate section. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of positioning a catheter into contact with a site within a patient relative to an anatomical feature within the patient, comprising the steps of:
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providing a steerable catheter having a preshaped distal section, a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section, a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, and a means for steering the distal section into contact with tissue within the patient, advancing the steerable catheter into the patient, seating said complexly curved proximal section relative to the anatomical feature within the patient, applying a pulling force to a wire to thereby steer said distal end into contact with the site, said flexible intermediate section flexing in response to the applied pulling force.
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Specification