Importance

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Abstract

A steerable catheter comprises a catheter body, a control handle, and a tip section. The catheter body comprises an outer wall having proximal and distal ends and at least one lumen extending therethrough. The control handle is situated at the proximal end of the catheter body. The tip section comprises a flexible tubing having proximal and distal ends and at least one off axis lumen. The catheter also comprises a spacer at the junction of the catheter body and tip section. The spacer is made of a material more flexible than the catheter body but less flexible than the flexible tubing of the tip section. The spacer is fixedly situated between the proximal end of the tip section and the distal end of the catheter body. The catheter further comprises a compression coil and a puller wire. The compression coil extends through a lumen in the catheter body and into an off axis lumen in the tip section. The compression coil is fixedly attached at its proximal end to the proximal end of the catheter body and is fixedly attached at its distal end to the tip section at a location distal to the spacer. The puller wire extends from the control handle through the compression coil and into the off axis lumen in the tip section. The distal end of the puller wire is anchored to the tip section at a location distal to the distal end of the compression coil. Manipulation of the control handle results in deflection of the tip section.

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First Claim