Patent ID: 8007462

Claim:
A catheter comprising: an elongated flexible shaft including: a flexible distal tip having a first segment that is bendable, the first segment comprising a distal bending segment, the flexible distal tip further having a proximal bending segment proximal to the distal bending segment; a second segment that is immediately proximal to the first segment and has a stiffness that is greater than the first segment; a main shaft that is proximal to the flexible distal tip; a pull wire main lumen; a first pull wire satellite lumen, the first pull wire satellite lumen extending from the first bendable segment into the second segment; a second pull wire satellite lumen; a third pull wire satellite lumen; and a fourth pull wire satellite lumen; a first pull wire that has a distal portion anchored within the distal bending segment of the flexible distal tip, travels within the first pull wire satellite lumen and into the pull wire main lumen, and attaches to a first pull wire actuation element; a second pull wire that has a distal portion anchored within the distal bending segment of the flexible distal tip, travels within the second pull wire satellite lumen and into the pull wire main lumen, and attaches to a second pull wire actuation element; a third pull wire that has a distal portion anchored within the proximal bending segment of the flexible distal tip, travels within the third pull wire satellite lumen and into the pull wire main lumen, and attaches to a third pull wire actuation element; and a fourth pull wire that has a distal portion anchored within the proximal bending segment of the flexible distal tip, travels within the fourth pull wire satellite lumen and into the pull wire main lumen, and attaches to a fourth pull wire actuation element; wherein actuation of the second pull wire actuation element bends the distal bending segment of the flexible distal tip in a direction that is different from a direction that the distal bending segment bends in response to actuation of the first pull wire actuation element; and actuation of the fourth pull wire actuation element bends the proximal bending segment of the flexible distal tip in a direction that is different from a direction that the proximal bending segment bends in response to actuation of the third pull wire actuation element; actuation of the first pull wire actuation element bends the distal bending segment in a direction opposite to the direction that the proximal bending segment bends in response to actuation of the third pull wire actuation element; actuation of the first pull wire actuation element and the third pull wire actuation element bends the distal bending segment and the proximal bending segment within substantially the same plane; and actuation of the first pull wire actuation element and the fourth pull wire actuation element bends the distal bending segment and the proximal bending segment within substantially the same plane.