Lumen Management Catheter

Abstract

Elongate medical devices with a deflectable shaft section include a lumen liner configured to enhance planarity control of the deflectable shaft section. An elongate medical device includes a deflectable shaft section, a lumen within the deflectable shaft section, and a lumen liner that surrounds and defines the lumen. The lumen liner has an in-plane bending stiffness and an out-of-plane bending stiffness that is greater than the in-plane bending stiffness to provide planarity control of the deflectable shaft section during the cross-sectional bending of the deflectable shaft section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An elongate medical device, comprising:
 a deflectable shaft section comprising a shaft material;   a handle operable to induce a cross-sectional bending of the deflectable shaft section;   a first lumen within the deflectable shaft section, wherein the first lumen has a cross-sectional shape defined by a first area and a second area; and   a first lumen liner comprising a first lumen liner material, wherein the first lumen liner surrounds and defines the first lumen, wherein the first lumen liner comprises a first lumen liner material that is stiffer than the shaft material, and wherein the first lumen liner has an in-plane bending stiffness and an out-of-plane bending stiffness that is greater than the in-plane bending stiffness to provide planarity control of the deflectable shaft section during the cross-sectional bending of the deflectable shaft section.   
     
     
         2 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 two pull-wire lumens within the deflectable shaft section and disposed diametrically opposed to one another on opposite sides of the first lumen; and   two pull wires via which the handle is drivingly coupled with the deflectable shaft section, wherein each of the two pull wires is disposed in a respective one of the two pull-wire lumens, and wherein the two pull wires are actuatable to induce the cross-sectional bending of the deflectable shaft section.   
     
     
         3 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the second area is joined to the first area. 
     
     
         4 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first area overlaps the second area. 
     
     
         5 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first lumen is further defined by a third area connecting the first area to the second area. 
     
     
         6 . The elongate medical device of  claim 5 , wherein a portion of the first lumen defined by the third area is narrower than each of a portion of the first lumen defined by the first area and a portion of the first lumen defined by the second area. 
     
     
         7 . The elongate medical device of  claim 5 , wherein the third area is smaller than each of the first area and the second area. 
     
     
         8 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , further comprises a flexible circuit shaped to couple with a portion of the first lumen liner to hold the flexible circuit in position. 
     
     
         9 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first lumen liner comprises an inner layer and an outer layer that surrounds the inner layer; and   the inner layer comprises the first lumen liner material.   
     
     
         10 . The elongate medical device of  claim 9 , wherein the outer layer comprises a reflowable material. 
     
     
         11 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first lumen is symmetrical. 
     
     
         12 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first lumen is asymmetrical. 
     
     
         13 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first lumen liner material comprises a heat setting polymer and the shaft material comprises a reflowable polymer. 
     
     
         14 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the shaft material comprises a polyether block amide or nylon; and   the first lumen liner material comprises polyimide, polyether ether keytone (PEEK), or polycarbonate.   
     
     
         15 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , further comprising a flexible circuit disposed in the first lumen and aligned with an elongated axis of the first lumen liner to contribute to the planarity control of the deflectable shaft section provided by the first lumen liner during the cross-sectional bending of the deflectable shaft section. 
     
     
         16 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first area and the second area has a circular shape. 
     
     
         17 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first area and the second area has a non-circular shape. 
     
     
         18 . The elongate medical device of  claim 1 , wherein the first lumen has a peanut shape. 
     
     
         19 . The elongate medical device of  claim 18 , wherein each of the first area and the second area is circular.