Patent ID: 7731706

Claim:
A catheter comprising: an elongated catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, and at least one lumen in a longitudinal direction of the elongated catheter body, the elongated catheter body including a distal section near the distal end; wherein the distal section includes a plurality of circumferential segments disposed adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the circumferential segments each having a circumferential span less than 360 degrees and extending in the longitudinal direction to form an outer wall of the distal section, a first one of the circumferential segments containing a material having a material hardness different from a material hardness of a material in a second one of the circumferential segments, the outer wall formed by the circumferential segments providing a change in material hardness in the circumferential direction between the first circumferential segment and the second circumferential segment.