Patent ID: 6979319

Claim:
A guide catheter having proximal and distal ends, comprising: an outer guide having an open lumen and a longitudinal pre-stress line extending between a distal end and a proximal end of the outer guide; an inner guide having an open lumen, the inner guide movably disposed within the open lumen of the outer guide such that the inner guide can rotate axially and translate longitudinally relative to the outer guide; a guide handle having a distal end connected to the proximal end of the outer guide, the guide handle separable into at least two sections such that guide handle separation splits the outer guide along the longitudinal pre-stress line at the proximal end of the outer guide, the outer guide further splitting along the longitudinal pre-stress line upon outer guide retraction in a proximal direction relative to the inner guide; and a steering member disposed along the outer guide, a distal end of the steering member connected at a distal end of the outer guide, and a proximal end of the steering member accessible at the proximal end of the outer guide, whereby application of a tensile force to the proximal end of the steering member effects deflection of the distal end of the outer guide.