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.

A catheter assembly including a tapered steering spine having a varying stiffness along an axial length. The tapered steering spine is tailored to provide increasing flexibility from proximal to distal in a way that makes the bend radius more uniform along the length of the steering section. In one embodiment, the tapered steering spine includes structures on adjacent rings that engage with each other when the steering section is flexed to limit the minimum bend radius to a predetermined minimum and which enhances the torsional rigidity of the steering section regardless of the degree of flexure of the steering section. The limited bend radius can prevent excessive bending of components such as fiber optics. The enhanced torsional rigidity can negate the need for torque braid in the section of the catheter shaft that surrounds the tapered steering spine.

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.

A method of forming a fenestrated tubular support member includes determining a first iso-stiffness curve corresponding to a first function of beam length versus ring width for the first stiffness; determining a second iso-stiffness curve corresponding to a second function of beam length versus ring width for the second stiffness; determining an iso-volume curve corresponding to a third function of beam length versus ring width for a given fenestration volume; identifying a first intersection point where the iso-volume curve intersects the first iso-stiffness curve; and identifying a second intersection point where the iso-volume curve intersects the second iso-stiffness curve. The first section ring width and first section beam length are determined from the first intersection point, and the second section ring width and second section beam length are determined from the second intersection point.

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.

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.

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.

A catheter that has a catheter tube everting inside-out during the process of catheterization is disclosed. The catheter tube has a plurality of longitudinal protrusions extending from the first end of the catheter tube through at least a portion of the catheter tube, and forming an angle of 0 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the catheter tube and facing radially inwards, and provides for dilating a circumference of the catheter tube upon everting the catheter tube inside-out from the first end of the catheter tube.

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.

Medical devices and methods for making and using the same. An example medical device may include a tubular member and a liner disposed within the tubular member. The tubular member may have a plurality of slots formed therein. A space may be defined between the tubular member and the liner. One or more bonding members may be disposed in the space.