Transradial access of mammalian vasculature enhances and renders novel approaches to the heart, brain and other associated organ systems less fraught with risk and more appropriate for ageing populations and challenging vessel morphologies, inter alia. Cerebral access is emphasized.

A guiding catheter has a proximal portion constructed of a tubular braid and a shape-retentive distal portion including a superelastic hypotube cut to define particular mating, support, shape-retentive and flexibility characteristics. A tubular liner extends through both of the tubular braid and the hypotube. The hypotube is joined to the braid using a mechanical interlock that has high torque transfer from the braid to the hypotube. A short portion of high stiffness polymer tube is provided at a joint between the braid and the hypotube. A polymeric outer jacket is provided over the proximal and distal portions, including the polymer tube. The jacket is heat set over the hypotube to remove residual stress.

A catheter is provided comprising localized regions of modified flexibility. The regions of modified flexibility may comprise a softened inner liner, for example softened via stretching the inner liner or disposing a plurality of holes in the inner liner, to modify the bending stiffness and/or tensile stiffness of the catheter. The catheter may further include an axially extending filament that at least partially overlaps the softened portion of the inner liner. The axially extending filament may include an anchoring section to anchor the at least one axially extending filament in a section of the catheter that includes the helical coil.

The present invention relates to a shaft for a catheter which may be usable having a tubular core which may be usable with a minimally invasive procedure such as intravascular medical treatment system. It also relates to a method of fabricating such shaft. The shaft has a longitudinal axis defining a radial distance, and a cross section having a polar axis defining an angular position, wherein the shaft comprises a tubular core which has an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, and an outer layer for improving mechanical properties, which encloses the tubular core such that the outer perimeter of the core and the outer layer face each other, wherein the radial distance between the outer perimeter and the inner perimeter differs at different polar angular positions, forming zones of different stiffness at different angular positions, wherein different planes of the shaft oriented along the longitudinal axis and cutting the cross section at different polar angular positions have different flexural properties which are determined by the stiffness of the zones.

Embodiments of the invention include tools and methods for performing thrombectomy in patients' internal carotid arteries. A balloon guiding sheath in accordance with embodiments comprises an elongated 7-9 Fr sheath having a working section length of about ninety centimeters, an access port on a proximal end portion and a distal port on a distal end portion. A 6-8 Fr working lumen extends through the sheath between the access port and the distal port. An inflatable balloon is on the distal end portion of the sheath. An inflation lumen extends in the sheath between the balloon and an inflation port. The guiding sheath is configured with stiffness and other characteristics to enable direct insertion of the working length of the sheath into a patient's vasculature through an arteriotomy in the femoral artery, and to position the balloon in the internal carotid artery.

The invention comprises an indwelling medical device which is capable of delivering a therapeutic agent evenly along the length of the indwelling portion, including the outer wall, of the device.

Disclosed herein is a method comprising transporting a conduit and a template through a guide tube; the template being disposed on an outer surface of the conduit between the conduit and the guide tube; and transferring a texture from the template to the conduit as the conduit and the template are transported through the guide tube. Disclosed herein too is an apparatus comprising a guide tube; the guide tube being operative to facilitate a transfer of a pattern from a template to a conduit; a first feed spool and a first take-up spool for feeding the conduit through the guide tube and for taking up the conduit after it has travelled through the guide tube respectively; and a second feed spool and a second take-up spool for feeding the template through the guide tube and for taking up the template after it has travelled through the guide tube respectively.

A catheter includes a hypotube and a liner. The hypotube may extend substantially along a length of the catheter. The liner may extend along a majority of a length of the hypotube, and may extend along substantially an entirety of the length of the hypotube. The hypotube includes flexibility enhancing features along its length. In addition, the hypotube may include one or more operational features, which may enable various procedures to be performed with the catheter. The liner may be positioned adjacent to an interior surface of a wall of the hypotube, or it may be positioned adjacent to an exterior surface of the wall of the hypotube. Any operational features of the hypotube may be exposed through or beyond a longitudinal extent of the liner or a portion thereof. Methods for manufacturing catheters that include hypotubes and liners are also disclosed.

A guide catheter extension, including a push member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end; a tube frame defining a lumen therein, a longitudinal axis, and a proximal segment and a distal segment, wherein the tube frame comprises a plurality of cut patterns therein; and a tongue element extending from the proximal segment of the tube frame, wherein the tongue element is coupled to the push member.

Cut-pattern designs creating a frame structure from a solid tube, which may be used as a portion of medical device, such as a catheter. The tube includes a plurality of units of cutout segments which are distributed in band around a circumference of the tube. A tube can have multiple different zones, each having units with varying cutout segments. The cutout segments can have varying cutout surface area allowing the flexibility of the tube to be modified at any point along the tube by altering the cutout surface area with zones having greater cutout surface areas as compared to another zone are more flexible. The tube can be incorporated into a catheter.