초록 ▼

A steerable catheter is disclosed which includes a complexly curved proximal section shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient. The catheter also includes a flexible intermediate section which has comparatively greater flexibility than other sections of the cathe

A steerable catheter is disclosed which includes a complexly curved proximal section shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient. The catheter also includes a flexible intermediate section which has comparatively greater flexibility than other sections of the catheter. The flexible intermediate section bends in response to forces applied by an attached steering device and substantially all of the flex in the catheter may be contained within the flexible intermediate section. The catheter further has a pre-shaped distal section which is urged into contact with tissue within the patient when the flexible intermediate section flexes. In a preferred embodiment, the distal section supports a plurality of ring electrodes and is shaped to generally correspond to the physiology of a wall of the heart.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A steerable catheter, comprising:a preshaped distal section,a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section,a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, said proximal section

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A steerable catheter, comprising:a preshaped distal section,a flexible intermediate section having a distal end connected to said distal section,a complexly curved proximal section having a distal end connected to said flexible intermediate section, said proximal section being shaped to seat the catheter relative to an anatomical feature within a patient, andmeans for steering the distal section of the seated catheter into contact with tissue within the patient by flexing said flexible intermediate section.