Transvascular TMR device and method

A device for making channels in the myocardial tissue of a patient's heart from a coronary blood vessel, said device comprising:

• a laser channeling catheter (81) having a distal segment adapted for insertion into a coronary blood vessel, said laser channeling catheter having a longitudinal axis;
• said laser channeling catheter comprising a catheter body (82), an optical fiber (83) for carrying laser light housed within the catheter body, said optical fiber having an optical outlet (84) within the distal segment of the catheter, and a laser power source operably connected to the optical fiber:
• said device characterized in that:
• said optical outlet (84) is aligned to emit laser light in the distal direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter;
• a mirror (86) is disposed within the catheter body, distal to the optical outlet and aligned to reflect laser light from the optical outlet radially outward toward an optical window (87) on the side of the distal segment of the laser channeling catheter;
• and
• said laser power source is operable to deliver laser energy through the optical fiber to the coronary blood vessel and heart sufficient to lase narrow channels through the myocardial tissue.