Steerable catheter and methods of making the same

A method of manufacturing a flexible tubular body for a catheter or sheath, the method comprising:

• forming a flexible tubular body having an inner layer and an outer layer, said flexible tubular body comprising a polymer;
• forming a wire lumen extending along at least a portion of the flexible tubular body in at least one of the inner layer and the outer layer adjacent an interface between the inner layer and the outer layer;
• placing a deflection wire in the wire lumen;
• and
• injecting a fluid into the wire lumen with the deflection wire in the wire lumen.

A method of manufacturing a catheter having flexible tubular body, the method comprising:

• forming a lumen having an inner diameter large enough to accept a deflection wire therethrough;
• inserting a deflection wire into the lumen;
• pressurizing the lumen to a pressure sufficient to resist collapse of the wire lumen during lamination of the flexible tubular body via heating;
• applying a layer of shrink-wrap about the flexible tubular body to exert pressure on and prevent expansion of the flexible tubular body during heating thereof;
• and
• heating the flexible tubular body while the lumen is pressurized and contains the deflection wire.

A method of manufacturing a flexible tubular body for a catheter or sheath, the flexible tubular body comprising a melt-processable polymer, the method comprising:

• providing an inner layer;
• applying an outer layer about the inner layer;
• forming a wire lumen in at least one of the inner layer and the outer layer adjacent an interface between the inner layer and the outer layer;
• injecting a fluid into the wire lumen;
• and
• melt-processing the flexible tubular body to bond the inner layer and the outer layer together while the fluid is in the wire lumen.