Patent ID: 8444626

Claim:
A catheter assembly, comprising: a) a handle housing; b) a lever actuator member pivotably coupled to the handle housing; c) a projection providing a projection surface extending outwardly from an internal portion of the handle housing; d) a pull wire anchor fixed to the lever actuator member at a proximal location with respect to the projection; e) a catheter body extending, in an undeflected state, distally along a longitudinal axis from the handle housing to a deflectable distal catheter portion; f) a pull wire extending along the longitudinal axis from a proximal pull wire end fixed to the pull wire anchor in the handle housing to a distal pull wire end at the deflectable distal catheter portion, i) wherein the projection surface contacts the pull wire and is where the pull wire deflects outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis and delineates a proximal pull wire segment from a distal pull wire segment, and ii) wherein the proximal pull wire segment is completely proximal of the distal pull wire segment; and g) the lever actuator member including the pull wire anchor fixed thereto being movable with respect to the projection surface of the projection from a first lever position to a second lever position, wherein: i) in the first lever position, the proximal pull wire segment is a first initial length and the distal pull wire segment is a second initial length; and ii) in the second lever position, the proximal pull wire segment is of a first greater length than the first initial length and the distal pull wire segment is of a second lesser length than the second initial length to thereby create tension in the pull wire that acts to deflect the distal catheter portion of the catheter body, and iii) wherein movement of the lever actuator member causes the proximal and distal pull wire segments to assume their respective first greater length and second lesser length while continuing to extend along the longitudinal axis with the proximal pull wire segment remaining completely more proximal than the distal pull wire segment.