Steerable delivery catheter

摘要

A steerable delivery catheter includes an outer sheath with a housing disposed at a distal end thereof to define a chamber for a medical device, the chamber having an open distal end and a proximal inner shelf. An inner shaft is slidably disposed within the sheath and has an abutment attached to the distal end of the shaft, the abutment being slidably contained within the chamber. During navigation of the catheter, when the inner shaft is tensioned the abutment engages the shelf to apply a compressive force to the sheath to selectively deflect a distal region of the catheter. When the catheter has been navigated to the deployment site the sheath is withdrawn while the abutment maintains the medical device in place as it is deployed. A delivery method also is disclosed.

主权项

1. A steerable catheter for delivering and deploying a medical device comprising:
an elongate tubular outer sheath having proximal and distal ends and a linear axis; a housing mounted to the distal end of the sheath, the housing defining a chamber adapted to contain the medical device, the housing having an open distal port at its distal end; an inner shaft extending through the sheath, the inner shaft being inextensible under tension; an abutment secured to the distal end of the inner shaft, the abutment being disposed in the chamber and defining the proximal end of the chamber, the inner shaft and abutment being movable longitudinally with respect to the sheath and housing; the outer sheath having a shelf adjacent the proximal region of the housing and proximal of the abutment, the shelf being adapted to be engaged by a proximally facing surface of the abutment to apply a compressive load to the outer sheath in response to tensioning of the inner shaft; the outer sheath being sufficiently torsionally rigid to transmit, controllably, rotation applied at the proximal end to the distal end; the outer sheath being constructed to bend longitudinally away from the linear axis under the compressive load applied by the abutment against the shelf, the degree of bending corresponding to the degree of compression load applied to the sheath; and the outer sheath being retractable relative to the abutment whereby a medical device contained in the chamber may be at least partially deployed at a selected location by retracting the outer sheath relative to the abutment.