Patent ID: 8056207

Claim:
A method for making a catheter, comprising the steps of: a) positioning a flexible element along a catheter liner with a distal portion thereof extending along at least a deflectable distal end portion of the catheter liner; b) engaging at least one anchor to the flexible element distal portion, the anchor having a conical geometry flaring annularly away from the flexible element as it extends along the flexible element; and c) providing an encapsulant contacting at least the deflectable distal end portion of the catheter liner and the flexible element distal portion including the anchor such that a portion of the encapsulant resides between the flexible element, and an annular inner surface of the conical anchor, d) wherein the encapsulant forms at least a portion of a sidewall of the deflectable distal end portion of the catheter liner and at least the anchor is within the sidewall, and e) wherein the encapsulant is adapted to transmit pushing and pulling forces from the at least one anchor to the deflectable distal end portion of the catheter liner, the tension strength and compression strengths of the flexible element and the at least one anchor being at least as strong as the encapsulant tension strength and compression strength.