The present disclosure provides a strong, flexible catheter shaft for use in a catheter system. The flexible catheter shaft includes a nitinol tube having one or more sets of cuts therein in combination with one or more outer jacket layers. The flexible catheter shaft provides a shaft having sufficient stiffness and kink resistance to allow an operator to advance an electrode basket connected to the flexible catheter shaft through a guide catheter to a target ablation site without causing vessel trauma. The distal tip of the flexible catheter shaft is designed to have sufficient flexibility to reduce any risk of kicking out a guide catheter when tracking the electrode basket around turns in the vasculature of a patient.

A flexible joint and a manufacturing method thereof, and a bending section for surgical instruments are provided. The flexible joint comprises a first sub-joint, two opposite sides of which are each provided with a rotation slot and a rotary joint protruding from the rotation slot; a second sub-joint provided with two protruding rotation wings corresponding to each rotation slot, and a rotation interface for the rotary joint to be embedded; the rotation wing being embedded into the rotation slot and capable of rotating along a slot wall of the rotation slot with the rotary joint as a rotation center; wherein two opposite sides of the first sub-joint are each provided with an engaging part, and the second sub-joint is provided with a corresponding engaged part; the engaging part and the engaged part being fitted with each other to prevent the first sub-joint and the second sub-joint from being separated.

A tubular support member located in a distal portion of an elongate flexible medical device is provided with a plurality of wall openings, e.g., axially-spaced, substantially transverse slots, formed therein to thereby increase a flexibility of the support member. A layer of sealing material overlays an outer surface the support member so as to provide a sealed portion of the support member including the wall openings, the sealing material having respective flexible invaginations formed therein overlaying the wall openings in the support member so that the sealing material does not substantially impede flexibility of the support member.

A medical device is disclosed for cutting substances inside a body lumen, the medical device including a rotatable tubular drive shaft; a treatment member arranged on a distal side of the drive shaft; and a device handle configured to retract the drive shaft, the device handle comprising: a fixed guide cover disposed to cover the drive shaft and an outer sheath disposed to cover the guide cover; and an annular gap between the outer sheath and the guide cover on a proximal side of a fluid connection configured to supply a physiological salt solution into the outer sheath.

A guidewire device comprising: a micro-fabricated elongated outer member having an outer surface and an interior surface forming a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end, wherein said outer member is formed from two or more stock materials; and an inner member disposed within a portion of said lumen, and embodiments thereof.

An instrument for endoscopic applications, which instrument has a tube like member (3) having a first end portion and a second end portion opposing the first end portion. The tube like member (3) has a handling end portion with a flexible portion at the first end portion and actuating means located at the second end portion, which actuating means has a first cylindrical part (35). The handling end portion has a second cylindrical part (31) connected to the actuating means by means of a number of longitudinal elements (38) for transferring a movement of the actuating means to a bending of the handling end portion. The longitudinal elements (38) are separated from one another by a number of longitudinal slits formed in the tube like member. Each longitudinal element is composed of a strip (91, 93; 101, 103; 111), adjacent strips (91, 93; 101, 103; 111) being separated by a gap (94, 95; 104, 105; 112). A plate (96, 97; 106, 107; 113) is located in the gap (94, 95; 104, 105; 112) and is arranged to move in a longitudinal direction of the gap but has a circumferential width filling the width of the gap such as to guide the strip (101, 103; 111).

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 tissue treatment catheter includes a catheter shaft having a guidewire lumen and a guidewire port extending through an outer shaft wall between the guidewire lumen and a surrounding environment. The tissue treatment catheter includes a port brace disposed in the guidewire lumen. The port brace includes a proximal brace section in the guidewire lumen proximal to the guidewire port. The port brace includes a distal brace section in the guidewire lumen distal to the guidewire port. The proximal brace section is stiffer than the distal brace section. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

An enhanced flexibility catheter shaft having an elongate flexible body with a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen extending therethrough. A distal, flexible section on the body has a ribbed or corrugated tubular membrane having at least a first reinforcement structure, such as a first helical support, on a radially exterior or interior surface of the membrane and optionally a second reinforcement structure, such as a second helical support, on the other of the radially interior or exterior surface of the membrane

An enhanced flexibility catheter shaft having an elongate flexible body with a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen extending therethrough. A distal, flexible section on the body has a ribbed or corrugated tubular membrane having at least a first reinforcement structure, such as a first helical support, on a radially exterior or interior surface of the membrane and optionally a second reinforcement structure, such as a second helical support, on the other of the radially interior or exterior surface of the membrane