US 12,440,648 B2
Low-profile steerable catheter
Yaron Keidar, Kiryat Ono (IL)
Assigned to Edwards Lifesciences Innovation (Israel) Ltd., Caesarea (IL)
Filed by Edwards Lifesciences Innovation (Israel) LTD., Caesarea (IL)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/680,975.
Application 17/680,975 is a continuation of application No. PCT/IL2020/050926, filed on Aug. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/893,093, filed on Aug. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0176076 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. A61M 25/00 (2006.01); A61M 25/01 (2006.01); A61M 29/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 25/0147 (2013.01) [A61M 29/00 (2013.01); A61M 2025/015 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a steerable catheter, the steerable catheter comprising:
a flexible tube:
having a proximal portion and a distal portion, at least the distal portion being percutaneously advanceable into a subject, and
comprising a circumferential wall that defines an elongate lumen between the proximal portion and the distal portion;
a pull-wire, extending, in association with the wall, from the proximal portion to the distal portion; and
a pull-ring:
at the distal portion of the tube, coupled to the wall such that the pull-ring circumscribes the lumen,
coupled to the pull-wire, such that pulling on the pull-wire bends the distal portion of the tube,
having (i) a first state in which the pull-ring is elliptical and has a first eccentricity, and (ii) a second state in which the pull-ring is elliptical and has a second eccentricity that is smaller than the first eccentricity,
biased toward assuming the first state, and
elastically deformable toward the second state; and
an article axially slidable through the distal portion of the tube such that passage of the article past the pull-ring elastically deforms the pull-ring into the second state.