Enhanced systems, processes and apparatus for facilitating intranasal treatment of a patient and products thereby

An apparatus for facilitating intranasal treatment of a patient's sphenopalatine/pterygopalatine recess, the apparatus comprising:

• a sheath hub having an exterior surface opposing an interior surface, wherein the interior surface defines a catheter hub receiving space;
• a catheter hub positioned longitudinally adjacent to the sheath hub and partially received within the catheter hub receiving space of the sheath hub, the catheter hub comprising:
• (i) a manipulation portion, the manipulation portion defining a stopping surface of the catheter hub for contacting an adjoining end of the adjacent sheath hub to arrest further insertion of the catheter hub within the catheter hub receiving space;
• and
• (ii) an insertion portion, the insertion portion extending from the stopping surface defined by the manipulation portion and slideably received within the catheter hub receiving space;
• a sheath coupled to and extending from a distal end portion of the sheath hub, and a catheter coupled to and extending from a distal end portion of the catheter hub, wherein:
• (i) an insertion end of the catheter has an intrinsic curvature;
• (ii) the sheath straightens the intrinsic curvature of the catheter when the catheter hub is positioned in an extended position;
• (iii) the catheter is traversed within the sheath when the insertion portion of the catheter hub is advanced into the catheter hub receiving space of the sheath hub from the extended position;
• (iv) the intrinsic curvature of the catheter is maintained in a straightened form until the insertion end of the catheter exits from an introduction end of the sheath;
• and
• (v) an outer diameter of the introduction end of the sheath is tapered and rotationally symmetric around a longitudinal axis of the sheath such that the introduction end of the sheath slopes to a vertex, the vertex aligning with a beginning of a curve of a tip of the insertion end of the catheter to form a continuous transition between the vertex and the beginning of the curve when the catheter hub is positioned in the extended position.

A method of facilitating intranasal treatment within a patient's sphenopalatine/pterygopalatine recess, the method comprising:

• providing an apparatus comprising a sheath hub, a catheter hub, a sheath and a catheter having an intrinsic curvature, the sheath coupled to and extending from a distal end portion of the sheath hub, and the catheter coupled to and extending from a distal end portion of the catheter hub, wherein the catheter hub is constructed to be slidably received within the sheath hub to retract and advance the catheter in a lateral direction;
• repositioning the catheter hub into an extended position relative to the sheath hub, wherein the intrinsic curvature of the catheter is straightened within the sheath when the catheter hub is in the extended position;
• inserting an introduction end of the sheath into the patient's naval cavity;
• advancing the introduction end of the sheath to an anatomical location of the patient's naval cavity proximal to a target tissue site within a sphenopalatine/pterygopalatine recess;
• repositioning the catheter hub into an inserted position relative to the sheath hub, wherein the intrinsic curvature of the catheter is revealed when the catheter hub is in the inserted position, and wherein the intrinsic curvature of the catheter provides access to the target tissue site within the sphenopalatine/pterygopalatine recess;
• and
• delivering a medical treatment via the catheter to the target tissue site within the sphenopalatine/pterygopalatine recess.