Disclosed is a system including an electrode and a stylet configured to steer the electrode towards its intended position during implantation, and a method for such system's use. An electrode is provided having regions with varied flexibility. A stylet having bends that are indexed to specific regions of flexibility of the electrode may be inserted into the electrode, and upon minimal radial and/or longitudinal movement of the stylet within the electrode, will cause the magnitude of the angle to which the lead is bent to either increase or decrease so as to aid the operator in placement of the electrode.

A catheter for mapping and/or ablating a region of the heart includes an intermediate section that is connected to a tip assembly at a preset angle by a flexible preshaped section that is more flexible than the intermediate section. The flexible section may absorb displacement force applied to the tip assembly, such as when the tip assembly encounters uneven tissue surface, without displacing the intermediate section. The flexible section prevents excessive force from being applied to the tip assembly, reducing the risk of any of the following: a) mechanical perforation, b) steam pop, c) burying the tip assembly in the myocardium resulting in high temperatures, low energy delivery, thrombus formation and char formation.

A catheter has a distal assembly with at least one loop with ring electrodes. A single continuous puller wire for bidirectional deflection is pre-bent into two long portions and a U-shape bend therebetween. The U-shape bend is anchored at a distal end of a deflectable section which is reinforced by at least one washer having at least two holes, each hole axially aligned with a respective lumen in the deflectable section. Each hole is centered with a lumen so that each puller wire portion therethrough is straight and subjected to tensile force only. A proximal end of the support member is flattened and serrated to provide a better bonding to the distal end of the deflectable section.

An injection catheter system that includes (a) an actuator; (b) an outer needle comprising a sharp tip and a tubular body defining a lumen, and extending distally from the actuator; and (c) an inner needle at least partially disposed within the lumen and extending distally from the actuator, the inner needle having a distal tip configured such that at least a portion of the distal tip has a surface contour with an interstitial cavity adapted to receive a therapeutic gel. The system is configured such that (a) in a first position, the distal tip is fully disposed within the lumen to temporarily retain the therapeutic gel in the interstitial cavity and (b) in a second position, the outer needle is retracted proximally, exposing the interstitial cavity to deliver the therapeutic gel to a target area in a body.

A probe, consisting of a flexible insertion tube, for insertion into a subject via a body lumen. The probe includes a sequence of tubular modules contained within the insertion tube, each module having a rigid tube segment having a preset shape and containing internal grooves on an interior surface of the tube segment. The probe further includes a flexible expander tube, which is threaded through the sequence of tubular modules and has external grooves configured to engage the internal grooves within the tube segment of each of the tubular modules when the expander tube is expanded, so as to hold the tubular modules in mutual alignment, wherein the tubular modules are able to move out of mutual alignment when the expander tube is unexpanded. The probe also has an expansion element, which is insertable through the flexible expander tube so as to expand the expander tube.

A catheter assembly comprises a first elongate tubular member having a proximal end portion defining a proximal end, a distal end portion having an opening therein and defining a distal end, and at least one lumen defined between the proximal end and the distal end. A second elongate tubular member has a proximal end portion defining a proximal end, a distal end portion defining a distal end, and at least one lumen defined between the proximal end and the distal end. The second elongate tubular member is received within the at least one lumen of the first elongate tubular member, such that the distal end portion of the second elongate tubular member projects from the opening in the distal end portion of the first elongate tubular member. An elongate, shape-imparting element is receivable in the at least one lumen of at least one of the first elongate tubular member and the second elongate tubular member. The shape-imparting element imparts a non-rectilinear shape to the distal end portion of at least one of the first elongate tubular member and the second elongate tubular member.

A catheter has a distal assembly with at least one loop with ring electrodes. A single continuous puller wire for bidirectional deflection is pre-bent into two long portions and a U-shape bend therebetween. The U-shape bend is anchored at a distal end of a deflectable section which is reinforced by at least one washer having at least two holes, each hole axially aligned with a respective lumen in the deflectable section. Each hole is centered with a lumen so that each puller wire portion therethrough is straight and subjected to tensile force only. A proximal end of the support member is flattened and serrated to provide a better bonding to the distal end of the deflectable section.

A catheter has a distal assembly with at least one loop, if not two, with ring electrodes. The distal assembly has an elongated support member covered by an extruded form having two lumens, one sized for nonslip tight fit with the support member. A single continuous puller wire for bidirectional deflection is pre-bent into two long portions and a U-shape bend therebetween. The U-shape bend is anchored at a distal end of a deflectable section which is reinforced by at least one washer having at least two holes, each hole axially aligned with a respective lumen in the deflectable section. Each hole is centered with a lumen so that each puller wire portion therethrough is straight and subjected to tensile force only. A proximal end of the support member is flattened and serrated to provide a better bonding to the distal end of the deflectable section.

A method for dilating a stenotic region in an airway of a patient may include advancing a balloon catheter through the airway of the patient to position an inflatable balloon of the catheter within at least a portion of the stenotic region, maintaining a position of the catheter relative to the patient, and inflating the balloon of the catheter to dilate the stenotic region of the airway. A system for dilating a stenotic region in an airway of a patient may include a catheter shaft having an overall length of less than 70 cm, an inflatable balloon disposed along a distal portion of the catheter shaft, and a stylet.

Excessive dilation of the annulus of a mitral valve may lead to regurgitation of blood during ventricular contraction. This regurgitation may lead to a reduction in cardiac output. Disclosed are systems and methods relating to an implant configured for reshaping a mitral valve. The implant comprises a plurality of struts with anchors for tissue engagement. The implant is compressible to a first, reduced diameter for transluminal navigation and delivery to the left atrium of a heart. The implant may then expand to a second, enlarged diameter to embed its anchors to the tissue surrounding and/or including the mitral valve. The implant may then contract to a third, intermediate diameter, pulling the tissue radially inwardly, thereby reducing the mitral valve and lessening any of the associated symptoms including mitral regurgitation.