Back to results
US 7,731,706 B2Granted
True angular catheter shaft deflection apparatus
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
InventorDaniel J. Potter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a steerable catheter having a distal section with reduced variation in deflection path during deflection. The distal section of the catheter includes stripes of different material hardness along the length of the distal section affecting the directionality of catheter deflection upon the application of a deflection force like that applied by pull wires. The stripes result in preferential bending in a desired path with greater reproducibility.
Claims26
A catheter comprising:
- an elongated catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one lumen in a longitudinal direction of the elongated catheter body, the elongated catheter body including a distal section near the distal end;
- wherein the distal section includes a plurality of circumferential segments disposed adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the circumferential segments each having a circumferential span less than 360 degrees and extending in the longitudinal direction to form an outer wall of the distal section, a first one of the circumferential segments containing a material having a material hardness different from a material hardness of a material in a second one of the circumferential segments, the outer wall formed by the circumferential segments providing a change in material hardness in the circumferential direction between the first circumferential segment and the second circumferential segment.
A catheter comprising:
- an elongated catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one lumen in a longitudinal direction of the elongated catheter body, the elongated catheter body including a distal section near the distal end;
- wherein the distal section includes a plurality of circumferential segments, the circumferential segments each having a circumferential span less than 360 degrees and extending in the longitudinal direction to form an outer wall of the distal section,
- wherein the distal section includes a first pair of soft circumferential segments that are disposed about 180° from one another and are circumferentially spaced from one another by circumferential segments that are higher in material hardness than the first pair of soft circumferential segments.
A catheter comprising:
- an elongated catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one lumen in a longitudinal direction of the elongated catheter body, the elongated catheter body including a distal section near the distal end;
- wherein the distal section includes a plurality of circumferential segments disposed adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the circumferential segments each having a circumferential span less than 360 degrees and extending in the longitudinal direction to form an outer wall of the distal section,
- wherein the distal section includes a soft circumferential segment that is adjacent one or more circumferential segments that are higher in material hardness than the soft circumferential segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.