A delivery apparatus includes a steerable shaft having a pull-wire conduit. A pull wire extends through the pull-wire conduit. The steerable shaft includes one or more layers. A compression-resistance portion is incorporated into at least one of the one or more layers. A cross-section of the compression-resistance portion has an arcuate shape that extends along a portion of a cross-section of the steerable shaft. The compression-resistance portion has a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the one or more layers that the compression-resistance portion is incorporated into.

A medical probe includes a shaft for navigation in a patient body, and first and second deflection mechanisms. The shaft ends with a flexible section and a spring, followed by a rigid distal tip having one or more medical devices coupled thereto. The first deflection mechanism is configured to deflect the flexible section relative to the shaft. The second deflection mechanism is configured to deflect the distal tip relative to the first flexible section by using the spring.

A medical probe includes a generally tubular member with a tip portion coupled to the tubular member. A puller wire is disposed in the tubular member and configured for movement along the longitudinal axis to bend the tip portion with respect to the longitudinal axis. An anchor is disposed within the tubular member and connected to the puller wire such that the anchor has a t-bar. The t-bar includes a generally transverse extension and a ferrule connected to the puller wire. The t-bar has a polymeric member disposed on the generally transverse extension to increase a strength of the anchor with respect to forces applied to the puller wire to deflect the tip of the medical probe.

An improved bi-directional steerable catheter is provided. The catheter generally comprises a catheter body, tip section and control handle. The catheter further comprises first and second puller wires extending from the control handle, through the catheter body and into the tip section. The control handle has deflection means for each puller wire that include a gear, and a carrier to which the proximal end of a puller wire is anchored. The gear is rotatably coupled to a lever controlled by an operator and the gear engages the carrier such that rotation of the gear by the lever results in longitudinal movement of the carrier, which results in deflection of the tip section.

A steerable guide catheter includes a tip ring at a distal end and one or more pullwires configured to engage with the tip ring when put in tension, the pullwire(s) thereby subjecting the steerable guide catheter to a curving or turning force. The tip ring includes a saddle and one or more pullwire channels allowing the pullwire to be looped over the saddle such that when the pullwire is placed under tension, it abuts against the saddle of the tip ring. Some embodiments include additional catheters axially aligned within or outside of the steerable guide catheter, and include a keying feature aligning the rotation of the multiple catheters. The keys of the keying feature can be formed of a polyamide with a glass microsphere filler, and can be thermally welded to the catheter.

A delivery device for delivering a pacing lead to the His bundle of a patient's heart includes an elongated sheath having a distal end, and a plurality of mapping electrodes positioned at the distal end. The distal end of the sheath may have a distal tip, and the mapping electrodes may include two electrodes that diametrically oppose one another at a position spaced from the distal tip of the sheath. The sheath includes a plurality of flexible sections spaced apart from one another, and a pull wire that causes the sheath to deflect from a straight configuration to a dual hinged curved configuration that positions the electrodes in the vicinity of the bundle of His.

Intravascular catheters that include a handle assembly with first and second handle actuators, where the actuators are adapted to separately control inner and outer catheter shafts in at least one of axial displacement, deflection, or rotation. The catheters may also include a medical tool secured to the outer shaft.

A medical device control handle has a first actuation assembly and a second actuation assembly, wherein each assembly has a shaft that is axially aligned but not rotationally coupled with the other shaft. The first actuation assembly includes a first actuation member and a clutch mechanism having a friction disk for generating frictional torque in rendering the first actuation member self-holding. The first actuation member has a cam portion adapted to impart translational motion and rotational motion for disengaging the clutch mechanism upon pivotation of the first actuation member, thus allowing rotation of the first shaft to manipulate a feature of the medical device, for example, deflection. The second actuation assembly includes a second actuation member and a translating member that is responsive to rotation of the second shaft so as to manipulate another feature of the medical device. The second actuation member is also self holding.

A medical device includes a medical device body, first and second operating lines inserted in axial direction of the device body, and a bending operating part that pulls the operating lines to perform bending operation of a distal end part of the device body. The device body has the distal end part in the axial direction such that the operating lines are gradually curved and approach each other in circumferential direction of the device body toward a distal end side in the distal end part. The device body has a curved region and a parallel region such that in the curved region, the operating lines gradually curve and approach each other in the circumferential direction toward the distal end side and that in a parallel region, the operating lines extend in parallel to each other between the distal end of the curved region and distal ends of the operating lines.

Intravascular catheters that include a handle assembly with first and second handle actuators, where the actuators are adapted to separately control inner and outer catheter shafts in at least one of axial displacement, deflection, or rotation. The catheters may also include a medical tool secured to the outer shaft.