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 disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods to convey fluid delivered from a delivery catheter. Exemplary catheters are disclosed which include fluid distribution devices for delivery of fluid and delivery of pass-through medical instruments, such as cryodecompression tubes, within body lumens.

A medical fluid suspension generating apparatus includes a Venturi-agitating tip assembly, a source of pressurized chemical solution, a source of a medical solution, and a dual lumen catheter connecting the Venturi-agitating tip assembly to the source of pressurized chemical solution and the source of the medical solution.

An actuated telescoping system for navigation within a vascular lumen and thrombectomy of a thrombus. The system includes a tubular catheter member having an open distal end defining a catheter lumen, a vacuum source, a rotational drive system, a flexible shaft having a channel coupled to the rotational drive system for rotational movement in response thereto, and an optional guidewire selectively inserted at least partially within the flexible shaft. The flexible shaft is at least partially disposed within the tubular catheter member configured for uncoupled rotational and translational motion therein and to optionally define a corkscrew motion in response to rotational driving force by the drive system that results in formation of hydrodynamic vortices within the catheter lumen. The telescoping system can be capable of reversibly transitioning between navigation and thrombectomy modes by differentially disposing and actuating the components and enable faster, more efficient and simpler removal of thromboembolic material.

The present invention relates to a catheter 10. The catheter 10 includes a catheter tube 12 having a tip end 13 and a distal end 14, with the distal end 14 being coupled to or forming at least part of a funnel 16 for discharging fluid from within the catheter tube 12. A sleeve 18 is provided about the catheter tube 12 which is coupled at an end thereof to the funnel 16 and extends towards the tip end 13 of the catheter tube 12. The catheter 10 additionally includes a wetting mechanism 20 which is integrally formed with the funnel 16 and includes a holding chamber 22 and a fluid outlet 26 operable to allow fluid 24 from within the holding chamber 22 to be released within the sleeve 18 for wetting an outer surface of the catheter tube 12.

A method and apparatus for fluid delivery enables navigation through tortuous, spatially restricted body anatomy to access narrow diameter body lumens for the continuous delivery of fluids, including therapeutic fluids, to the lumen in an atraumatic manner that avoids damage to the body lumen. The fluid delivery device can have a flexible conduit having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending along an interior of the flexible conduit providing a fluid flow path between the proximal and distal ends, where the lumen transitions into a micro-lumen exiting through a port through which a high concentration of fluid injected into the lumen exits laterally out along an image viewable zone at the distal end of the flexible conduit. The flexible conduit has a maximum outer diameter sized sufficient to navigate narrow diameter body lumens.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein that generally involve CED devices with various features for reducing or preventing backflow. In some embodiments, CED devices include a tissue-receiving space disposed proximal to a distal fluid outlet. Tissue can be compressed into or pinched/pinned by the tissue-receiving space as the device is inserted into a target region of a patient, thereby forming a seal that reduces or prevents proximal backflow of fluid ejected from the outlet beyond the tissue-receiving space. In some embodiments, CED devices include a bullet-shaped nose proximal to a distal fluid outlet. The bullet-shaped nose forms a good seal with surrounding tissue and helps reduce or prevent backflow of infused fluid.

A luer connection device is disclosed having a housing including a side wall having an inside surface defining a lumen with a central axis, an proximal end, and a distal end including a male luer tip within the lumen having a central flow diverter extending outwardly from the central axis to direct a fluid to a circumferential dead space distal to the male luer tip. A luer connection device is also disclosed having a flow expansion channel disposed in the lumen tapering outward from the wall of tubular housing and partially extending along a longitudinal axis from the tip opening toward the base opening for increasing mixing and flow through a circumferential dead space in the fluid path distal to the male luer tip.

Methods are disclosed which involve a catheter having a distal end that includes electrically and thermally conducting inner and outer layers, a polymer layer between the inner and outer layers, thermal bridges selectively positioned between the inner and outer layers through the polymer layer to transfer heath between the two layers through the polymer layer. An ablation method includes inserting the distal end into a body of a subject, contacting tissue with the outer layer, passing ablation current via the outer layer into tissue such that heat is transferred to the inner layer via the thermal bridges, and passing irrigation fluid through irrigation channels through the inner layer, outer layer, and polymer layer to evacuate heath from the inner layer into blood.

A medical fluid suspension generating apparatus for performing medical procedures includes a Venturi-agitating tip assembly composed of a multi-channel arrangement at a proximal first end thereof and a tip at a distal second end thereof. The apparatus also includes a compressed medical fluid unit fluidly connected to the multi-channel arrangement at a proximal first end of the Venturi-agitating tip assembly and a medical solution fluidly connected to the multi-channel arrangement at a proximal first end of the Venturi-agitating tip assembly. Pressurized sclerosant or other chemical medical solution, from the compressed medical fluid unit, and the medical solution of sclerosant or other chemical medical solution are combined within the Venturi-agitating tip assembly in a manner generating an enriched medical suspension that is ultimately dispensed from the suspension delivery apparatus to spray or wash the inner wall of a lumen.