DELIVERY CATHETER

摘要

A medical catheter (1) for the transvascular deployment of a collapsible medical device such as a filter (2) has a tubular body formed by an inner tubular core (11) surrounded by an outer thin-walled tube (10) which is fixed to the core (11). The outer thin-walled tube (10) extends outwardly beyond a distal end (12) of the core (11) to form a fixed thin-walled medical device embracing pod (3). The filter (2) is carried on a guidewire (6) which is slidably engagable within a central lumen of the core (11) and the filter (2) can be collapsed against the guidewire (6) for loading within the pod (3). With the filter (2) thus loaded within the pod (3) the distal end of the catheter (1) can be manoeuvred through a patient's vascular system to a desired deployment site where the filter (2) is discharged from the pod (3) allowing the filter (2) to expand within the blood vessel for use filtering blood flowing through the blood vessel.