CATHETER DESIGN THAT FACILITATES POSITIONING AT TISSUE TO BEDIAGNOSED OR TREATED

摘要

A catheter used for diagnosing and treating, for example, atrial fibrillatio n. The catheter includes a catheter shaft 14 that has a proximal portion 16 and a distal portion 18. The distal portion is adapted to be inserted into a body cavity having tissue 20 to be diagnosed or treated and is disposed remotely from the proximal portion. The distal portion, whic h may be curved or straight, comprises an outer peripheral wall 26, 26' having an active region 38, 38', and the distal portion has a cross-sectional configuration along the active region. The cro ss- sectional configuration is adapted to bias the active region against the tissue to be diagnosed or treated.