An apparatus includes a body, a first shaft, an actuation assembly, and a dilation catheter. The first shaft includes a malleable distal portion. The actuation assembly includes a second shaft and an actuator. The second shaft is coaxially positioned about the first shaft. The actuator is operable to selectively bend the malleable distal portion of the first shaft. The dilation catheter is coaxially interposed between the first shaft and the second shaft. The dilation catheter includes an expandable dilator. The dilation catheter is operable to translate along the malleable distal portion of the first shaft.

A surgical needle comprising: (a) a sensor; (b) a distal tip with the sensor being located at the distal tip; (c) a needle advancing mechanism that is adjustable to change an insertion depth; and (d) a control unit in communication with the needle advancing mechanism; wherein the sensor provides a signal to the control unit regarding a thickness of a feature of interest and the control unit controls the insertion depth based upon the signal from the sensor so that the insertion depth into the feature of interest is varied or the control unit prevents the needle advancing mechanism from activating.

A guidewire and catheter are disclosed which are configured together so that it is not possible to advance the guidewire into the patient where it may be undesirably retained in the patient. The improved safety is achieved by protrusions on each of the guidewire and catheter which coordinate with one another. Novel methods of catheterization are also disclosed.

Disclosed are various embodiments for an intravascular catheter and methods of use. In one embodiment, an intravascular catheter and needle assembly comprises a catheter needle and a catheter sheath surrounding a portion of the catheter needle. The catheter sheath has an end for insertion that is angled between 5 and 85 degrees.

A catheter system for atraumatic placement along a guidewire includes: a catheter including a cylindrical catheter body that defines a longitudinally extending interior lumen; and a guide device. The guide device includes: a conduit member for insertion into the interior lumen of the catheter body; a leading structure connected to a forward end of the conduit member, the leading structure including a cone and a sleeve extending forward from the cone; and an inner guide hole extending longitudinally through the leading structure and conduit member. In use, the guide device and catheter body are coaxially arranged, the cone is forward of the catheter, and the sleeve extends forward from the cone. The cone includes a shoulder, and a tapered exterior that increases diametrically from the sleeve to the shoulder. The shoulder abuts a distal end of the catheter to register insertion of the guide device in the catheter.

A vascular access catheter and a method for inserting the catheter into a blood vessel. The catheter comprising a catheter body enclosing a lumen, and a catheter tip comprising a distal edge surrounding an opening opened to the lumen. The distal edge includes a pair of lateral leading edges, each of the lateral leading edges is curved downwardly and proximally from a respective front portion of the distal edge. The vascular access catheter can be provided in a vascular access kit further comprising access needle with hollow needle body and beveled tip ending with sharp needle edge.

A guide extension catheter assembly including a guide extension catheter and a support device. The guide extension catheter includes a shaft and a tubular member. The support device includes a push member and a shuttle member. The guide extension catheter assembly is configured to selectively provide a delivery state in which at least a portion of the shuttle member is disposed within the lumen, a leading end of the shuttle member is distal a distal end of the tubular member, and the shuttle member is directly, physically connected to the tubular member. In the delivery state, a longitudinal distal force applied to the push member is transferred to the tubular member as a longitudinal distal force via the shuttle member. The guide extension catheter assemblies of the present disclosure can promote a two stage guide extension catheter deployment.

A sheath for inserting a cannula of an endoscope into a cavity of a patient is described herein. The sheath comprises an introducer, a support channel and a pull-tab. The introducer has an open end being sized and shaped to accept a tip of the cannula and a tip end adapted to be deflected in an outward direction by the tip of the cannula passing into the introducer. The support channel is adapted to receive a shaft of the cannula and guide the tip of the cannula into the introducer; and the pull provides a finger hold for a user to grasp the sheath. In some aspects, the introducer includes a plurality of extending segments having a normally closed position defining a conical exterior shape of the introducer, with the plurality of tapered segments adapted to be separated by the tip of the cannula passing through the introducer.

A catheter assembly includes: a catheter having an inner cavity extending along a center axis of the catheter, the catheter comprising, on a distal side, a tapered portion that is tapered in a distal direction; and an inner needle retractably located in the inner cavity. The inner needle comprises, on a distal side, a blade surface that is inclined with respect to a center axis of the inner needle. The tapered portion covers a proximal end portion of the blade surface in an assembled state in which the inner needle is located in the inner cavity, and an inner shape of a distal-most end of the tapered portion conforms to the blade surface.

Guide extension catheters and related methods are disclosed. A guide extension catheter can comprise, among other things, an elongate tube member and a push member. The push member can be operably coupled to the tube member at an eccentric coupling position and can extend proximally therefrom for slidably positioning the elongate tube member over and partially beyond a distal end of the guide catheter. The inner diameter of the elongate tube member may be adjustable, such that it constricts when not bound along its inner surface by the guide catheter. The elongate tube member can, for example, include a longitudinal slit configured to expand and contract to accommodate insertion and removal of the guide catheter, respectively.