Devices, systems, and methods for delivering catheters or other medical devices to locations within a patient's body

A method for positioning a stent or other hardware at a site of interest inside a patient's vasculature, the method comprising:

• (i) assembling a system comprising a mother catheter, an inner support catheter, and a transporter catheter, the transporter catheter comprising a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the inner support catheter comprising a lumen having a proximal end and a distal end, the transporter catheter extending within the lumen of the inner support catheter;
• (ii) inflating at least one anchor balloon formed on the transporter catheter to anchor the transporter catheter to the inner support catheter;
• (iii) inflating at least one orienting balloon formed proximate the distal end of the transporter catheter, the at least one orienting balloon upon inflation protruding at least partially outside the distal end of the inner support catheter and engaging a wall of a lumen in the patient's vasculature while advancing the inner support catheter in the patient's vasculature beyond a stenosis in the patient's vasculature;
• (iv) withdrawing the transporter catheter after deflating the at least one orienting balloon and the at least one anchor balloon;
• (v) placing the stent or other hardware through the inner support catheter distal to the stenosis;
• (vi) withdrawing the inner support catheter;
• and
• (vii) positioning the stent or other hardware at the site of interest;
• wherein the transporter catheter comprises at least one internal channel for a guidewire, the guidewire extending along the at least one internal channel of the transporter catheter with a proximal end of the guidewire extending beyond the proximal end of the of the transporter catheter and a distal end of the guidewire extending beyond the distal end of the transporter catheter, the method further comprising the step of advancing the distal end of the guidewire beyond the stenosis in the patient's vasculature;
• and
• wherein at least one imaging marker is placed at a location selected from a group consisting of the at least one orienting balloon, the at least one anchor balloon, and a distal portion of the shaft.

A method for advancing a stent or other hardware to a site of interest inside a patient's vasculature, the method comprising:

• (i) assembling a system comprising a mother catheter, an inner support catheter, and a transporter catheter, the transporter catheter comprising a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the inner support catheter comprising a lumen having a proximal end and a distal end, the transporter catheter extending within the lumen of the inner support catheter;
• (ii) inflating at least one anchor balloon formed on the transporter catheter to anchor the transporter catheter to the inner support catheter;
• (iii) inflating at least one orienting balloon formed proximate the distal end of the transporter catheter, the at least one orienting balloon upon inflation protruding at least partially outside the distal end of the inner support catheter and engaging a wall of a lumen in the patient's vasculature while advancing the inner support catheter in the patient's vasculature beyond a stenosis in the patient's vasculature;
• (iv) withdrawing the transporter catheter after deflating the at least one orienting balloon and the at least one anchor balloon;
• and
• (v) advancing the stent or other hardware through the inner support catheter.