An irrigated electrophysiology catheter has a tip electrode having a shell, and a support member configured to plug the shell and support one or more tip components and/or facilitate their functions. Advantageously, the support member has an electrically-conductive interface portion and an insert-molded portion, wherein the interface portion, typically constructed of a precious metal alloy, is structurally minimized, yet still configured for electrical connection with the shell and the lead wire, so as to reduce the amount and hence the cost of its manufacture, whereas the insert-molded portion is constructed of a significantly less-costly material and is readily configured with micro-complex 3-D geometry adapted to support tip structure and functions including irrigation, force sensing and temperature sensing, as a further cost savings in the manufacturing of the tip electrode by reducing materials, labor and time.

The present invention provides a system for enriching a flowing liquid with a dissolved gas inside a conduit. The system comprises two or more capillaries, each capillary delivering a stream of a gas-enriched liquid to the flowing liquid. The first ends of the capillaries are positioned to form an intersecting angle with respect to the effluent streams such that these streams of gas-enriched liquid collide with each other upon exit from the first ends of the capillaries, effecting localized convective mixing within the larger liquid conduit before these gas-enriched streams are able to come into close contact with the boundary surfaces of the conduit, whereby the gas-enriched liquid mixes with the flowing liquid to form a gas-enriched flowing liquid. In the preferred embodiment, no observable bubbles are formed in the gas-enriched flowing liquid. Methods of making and using such system are also provided.

A deflectable, flexible device includes an elongate body, a convoluted tip portion at a distal end of the elongate body, and a lumen to receive one or more wires. The convoluted tip portion includes an electroformed pleated region which is formed by electrodepositing a metal on a mandrel having a pleated region. The convoluted tip portion may be hermetically sealed to permit repeated sterilization. The electroformed pleated region may include one or more fluid emission orifices. The convoluted tip portion extends or bends in response to fluid pressure manipulation, contact with tissue, manipulation with an internal spring or wire, or by a user pushing, pulling, or twisting the catheter directly or via an introducer sheath or the like. The convoluted tip portion may further include an RF ablation element or other energy-driven technique to create continuous linear lesions or a sensing element.

A catheter having a distal tip comprising two sections of different hardness, and a method of making the same, is herein disclosed. The first section of the two sections is distal to the second section of the two sections and the second section is comprised of a material that is harder than the material of the first section. Additionally, the distal tip is bonded to a catheter shaft and the material of the catheter shaft is harder than the material of the first and second sections. The material of the catheter shaft, first section, and second section can comprise polyether block amide, with each section and the catheter shaft having different properties.

A system can include a handle and a needle fixedly secured to the handle. The needle can include a distal tip that can be inserted through a sidewall of a vessel of a patient. The system can further include a catheter that defines a lumen through which the needle extends and includes an engagement surface at an interior thereof. A stiffener can be positioned within the lumen of the catheter at an exterior of the needle and can include an engagement surface that can press distally on the engagement surface of the catheter to advance the catheter distally over the needle and through a lumen of the vessel when the stiffener is advanced distally over the needle. The system can further include a stiffener hub attached to the stiffener, the stiffener hub being movably coupled with the handle so as to translate relative thereto. The stiffener hub can be configured to move distally relative to the handle from a retracted position to a deployed position to advance the stiffener and the catheter over the needle and to a target depth within the lumen of the vessel as the handle is held stationary relative to the vessel.

A catheter has extruded length of tubing and an injection molded tip that facilitates insertion of the catheter into the body. The catheter is fabricated by the steps of providing the tubing, for example, by extruding the tubing from a thermoplastic resin cutting the tubing to the desired length, inserting a plug into the tubing, inserting one end of the tubing into an injection mold cavity, creating and forming a tip in an injection molding step, and demolding the tubing with the formed tip.

Ablation systems and methods of the present disclosure control lesion depth and width such that, for example, wide and shallow lesions can be formed in target tissue in an anatomic structure of a patient during a medical procedure. Such wide and shallow lesions can be useful for treating, for example, thin tissue such as atrial tissue in atria of the heart of the patient.

In some examples, a catheter includes an elongated body comprising proximal and distal portions. The distal portion of the elongated body comprises an inner liner that includes a proximal liner section and a distal liner section that include different materials, and an outer jacket positioned over the inner liner. The distal liner section has a first hardness and the proximal liner section has a second hardness, where the first hardness is less than the second hardness.

In one embodiment, an integrated cannula and sensor assembly is disclosed. The integrated cannula and sensor assembly includes a cannula with a proximal end and a distal end. The cannula also has a body and a tip. The body includes a channel and a body distal that is defined between the proximal end and the distal end. The tip is defined between the body distal and the distal end. The assembly further includes a sensor assembly that is located within the channel, wherein the tip further includes an undercut configured to retain the sensor assembly.

A method of manufacturing a catheter tip by electroplating a conductive material over an insert comprising a negative to a domelike shape thereby forming a shape of the catheter tip comprising a dome with the domelike shape, selectively positioning a plurality of irrigation holes between outer and inner surfaces of the catheter tip, removing the insert thereby leaving the catheter tip and the plurality of irrigation holes, and electropolishing the catheter tip. In other examples, the insert is not removed and instead the step of electroplating causes the insert to be encapsulated with the conductive material thereby forming the catheter tip.