Importance

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Abstract

A deflectable catheter comprises a catheter body, a tip section, and a control handle for affecting deflection of the tip section. The tip section comprises a flexible tubing having proximal and distal ends and at least two lumens extending therethrough. The proximal end of the tip section is fixedly attached to the distal end of the catheter body. The flexible tubing comprises a plastic core, a metal braid over the core, a plastic skin over the braid, and at least two pieces of plastic tubing in longitudinal arrangement extruded over the plastic skin, wherein the at least two pieces of plastic tubing have different stiffnesses and are arranged with the stiffer plastic being proximal the less stiff plastic. The tip section is made by extruding a plastic core over at least one mandrel and braiding a metal over the plastic core. Thereafter, at least two pieces of plastic tubing having different degrees of stiffness are assembled along the length of the plastic core so that the piece of plastic tubing having the greatest stiffness is at the proximal end of the tip section and the piece of plastic having the lowest stiffness is near the distal end of the tip section. The pieces of plastic tubing are then melted to the plastic core.

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First Claim