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US005545200A [ii] Patent Number: 5,545,200 [45] Date of Patent: Aug. 13,1996
[54] STEERABLE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY CATHETER
[75] Inventors: Scott H. West, Tracy; Frank Nguyen, San Jose, both of Calif.
[73] Assignee: Medtronic Cardiorhythm, San Jose, Calif.
[21] Appl. No.: 343,310
[22] Filed: Nov. 22,1994
Related U.S. Application Data
[63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 95,447, Jul. 20, 1993, abandoned.
[51] Int. CI.6 A61M 1/00; A61B 17/38
[52] U.S. CI 607/122; 607/119; 606/29;
606/46; 128/642
[58] Field of Search 607/122, 123,
607/116, 119; 604/95, 264, 265, 280; 606/33, 41, 29, 46, 48, 49, 50; 128/642, 668, 670,
695
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
An electrophysiology catheter (20) comprises a shaft (22) having a first bending stiffness and a deflectable tip (28) secured to the distal end (24) of the shaft with a second bending stiffness less than the first bending stiffness. At least one electrode (34, 36) is mounted to the tip for delivering current to or monitoring electrical activity of tissue. A manipulator wire (58) is coupled to the distal end of the deflectable tip, whereby the deflectable tip may be deflected by axial force applied to the manipulator wire. A stiffener member (66) is axially slidable relative to the tip so as to adjust the tip curvature without removing the catheter from the body. The catheter may further include a core wire (72) configured to rotate the deflectable tip about a longitudinal axis (2) without rotating the proximal end (26) of the catheter shaft, wherein the distal end of the deflectable tip remains in a substantially constant axial position, preferably in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
32 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets
