CPC A61B 17/00234 (2013.01) [A61B 1/0055 (2013.01); A61B 1/0057 (2013.01); A61B 17/29 (2013.01); A61M 25/0136 (2013.01); A61M 25/0147 (2013.01); A61B 1/0011 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00314 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00323 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00738 (2013.01); A61B 2017/291 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2901 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2905 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2908 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2919 (2013.01); A61B 2017/2927 (2013.01); A61B 2034/302 (2016.02); G02B 23/2476 (2013.01)] | 8 Claims |
1. A medical device comprising:
(a) an elongated device body having a unitary steerable portion including a plurality of contiguous segments, wherein each pair of said contiguous segments is interconnected via a single flexible connector and further wherein flexible connectors of adjacent pairs of said contiguous segments are circumferentially offset by 120 degrees thereby enabling said unitary steerable portion to elastically bend in a plurality of directions away from a longitudinal axis of said elongated device body; and
(b) three control wires each for controlling deflection over an arc of 120 degrees of a circumference of said elongated device body, said three control wires being unrestrained at said unitary steerable portion such that tensioning of each of said three control wires bends said unitary steerable portion in a different direction and deflects each of said three control wires away from a surface of said unitary steerable portion such that a control wire of said three control wires deflected away from said surface of said unitary steerable portion does not contact said unitary steerable portion.
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