Guideless catheter segment

A catheter having a longitudinal axis, said catheter comprising:

• A. a flexible hollow shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end sized to be inserted into a patient's body lumen;
• B. said shaft including at least a segment having:
• (a) a polymeric tube having interior and exterior surfaces separated by a wall thickness, said interior surface defining a catheter lumen extending coaxially with said longitudinal axis, said exterior surface sized for said tube to be passed through the vasculature of a patient;
• (b) at least a first substantially straight, flexible guide member disposed within said wall thickness between said interior and exterior surfaces of said tube, said guide member extending in a substantially straight path parallel to and radially spaced from said axis and said guide member asymmetrical with respect to said axis, said guide member having a longitudinal dimension with a distal end extending to said distal end of said shaft;
• (c) said guide member fixed from movement relative to said tube;
• and
• (d) said guide member plastically deformable, at any one of a plurality of points along said longitudinal dimension of said guide member, when bent around a bending axis perpendicular to said longitudinal dimension beyond a bending limit with said bending axis perpendicular to and spaced from said longitudinal axis with said guide member and said tube defining a non-linear geometry at said bending axis to which said segment is biased in the absence of a deforming force on said segment.