Patent ID: 7357794

Claim:
A system for delivering substances or apparatus to an extravascular target site within the body of a human or veterinary patient, said system comprising: a. a vessel wall penetrating catheter that comprises i) a flexible catheter body that is insertable into the vasculature of the patient and ii) a vessel wall penetrating member that is advanceable laterally from the catheter body, said vessel wall penetrating member having a lumen extending longitudinally therethrough, said penetrating member being sufficiently long to advance through the full thickness of the wall of a blood vessel in which the catheter body is positioned to an extravascular target site located beyond that blood vessel wall; and, b. a delivery catheter having a lumen extending longitudinally therethrough, said delivery catheter being advanceable through the lumen of the vessel wall penetrating member to said extravascular target site; said vessel wall penetrating member being retractable into the catheter body of the vessel wall penetrating catheter and the vessel wall penetrating catheter being removable from the patient's body such that the delivery catheter remains indwelling with the distal end of the delivery catheter located at the extravascular target site.