A medical device such as a catheter may have an elongate shaft that includes a hypotube having a cut formed therein. The elongate shaft may define a lumen that extends within the elongate shaft. A polymer may be disposed over at least a portion of the hypotube. A medical device may include a cut hypotube having a constant pitch and may be configured to reversibly and temporarily alter the pitch of at least a portion of the cut hypotube. In some cases, the medical device may be configured to reversibly and/or temporarily alter a compressive strength of at least a portion of the cut hypotube.

A device, a method of making a device and a method of inserting a device into a tubular path. The device includes a tubular sheath with one or more helical slots formed therein and a control element that fits within the sheath. In one form, the device is an endoluminal device that simultaneously improves flexibility and structural rigidity though variations in one or both of slot width along the length of the slot and slot pitch along the length of the tubular sheath. When the operator pulls at the proximal end of the control element while holding the outer sheath in place, the slots will tend to close in a preferential manner such that more precise control of device length and bending is enabled, while simultaneously providing improvements in structural rigidity during device insertion and navigation through a body lumen or related tubular member where tortuous paths may be encountered along the member path.

An instrument (203; 204) for endoscopic applications. The instrument is able to be guided through a curved shaped tube (201; 202) and has an intermediate cylindrical element (3) with a handling end portion with a flexible portion and actuating means located at an actuating end portion. The intermediate cylindrical element (3) has a first cylindrical part (31; 151) at the handling end portion, a second cylindrical part (35; 155) at the actuating end portion and a number of longitudinal elements (38; 60; 70; 80; 90; 100; 110; 130; 153) for transferring the movement of the actuating means to the handling end portion. The longitudinal elements are separated by longitudinal slits in the intermediate cylindrical element.

In some examples, a catheter includes a catheter body including an outer jacket and an inner liner. The inner liner may include a proximal section including a proximal end of the inner liner and a distal section including a distal end of the inner liner. The distal section may include an inner liner defining a plurality of cuts. Each cut may extend at least partially through the liner wall. The one or more cuts defined in the liner wall of the distal section of the inner liner may increase a bending flexibility of the distal section relative to the proximal section of the inner liner, while maintaining a suitable tensile strength of the distal section.

Catheter lead for a procedure comprising a tubular member with at least one conductive wire. The tubular member having a proximal end and a distal end with the distal end of the catheter comprising at least one electrode in communication with the conductive wire and wherein the at least one electrode comprises a conductive polymeric material.

A flexible, elongated catheter tube having distal and proximal ends and a laser cut section there between. The laser cut section makes up a majority of the catheter length and is cut in a continuous helical pattern forming interlocking teeth which can be sinusoidal, triangular, square or likes shapes, preferably sinusoidal. The interior of the catheter tube has a polymeric bi-layer of a nylon or like polymer at the interface of the tube interior and a Teflon or like polymer forms the interior lumen of the catheter. The exterior of the tube has a thin polymer coating of nylon or the like. A short portion of the distal end is uncut and is followed by a narrower terminal section which can be tapered for better blockage penetration. The interlocking teeth disengage and reengage in a fish scale manner without undergoing plastic deformation and without substantial polymer separation.

A catheter manufacturing method includes the step of providing a hollow cylindrical part of a catheter, having a longitudinal axis, to be bonded to a given part along respective edge surfaces of the hollow cylindrical and the given parts. One or more undercut structures that are disposed circumferentially with respect to the longitudinal axis and also generally parallel to the longitudinal axis, the undercut structures having a radial orientation with respect to the longitudinal axis, are formed at least in the edge surface of the hollow cylindrical part. The hollow cylindrical part and the given part are connected using the undercut structures.

The designs herein can be for a flexible and kink-resistant catheter with a support tube which can be radially expanded to enable it to be slid over an inner liner on a mandrel during assembly. The designs are flexible enough to allow the catheter to access remote vessel occlusions but also benefit from good compressive and tensile stiffness. The designs can have a laser cut frame with interlocking structure of circumferentially discontinuous rib struts. The discontinuities can be aligned to form at least one continuous axial seam which is separable to allow for the radial expansion during manufacturing. A series of polymeric outer jackets can coat or encapsulate the struts of the frame, giving variable stiffness and preventing disengagement of the interlocking structure while the catheter is pushed through tortuous anatomy.

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.

A flexible, elongated catheter tube having distal and proximal ends and a laser cut section there between. The laser cut section makes up a majority of the catheter length and is cut in a continuous helical pattern forming interlocking teeth which can be sinusoidal, triangular, square or like shapes, preferably sinusoidal. The interior of the tube has a polymeric layer which forms the internal lumen of the catheter. The exterior of the tube has a polymer coating. A short portion of the distal end is uncut and is followed by a narrower terminal section which can be tapered for better blockage penetration. The interlocking teeth disengage and reengage in a fish-scale manner without undergoing plastic deformation of the metal tube and without substantial polymer separation from the tube exterior.