Patent ID: 6953454

Claim:
A method of accessing a coronary sinus of a patient's heart, comprising: providing a catheter, comprising: an outer guide including an outer guide lumen, a distal end, a proximal end, a predetermined deflection location proximate the distal end, and deflection member coupled to the outer guide distal to the predetermined deflection location; and an inner guide including an inner guide lumen, a pre-formed distal end, and proximal end, the inner guide movable within the outer guide lumen and displaceable beyond the distal end of the outer guide; delivering the distal end of the catheter through a patient's right atrium via an access vessel; distally displacing the inner guide beyond the distal end of the outer guide and changing a bend angle at the predetermined deflection location in response to a proximally directed force applied to the deflection member to direct the pre-formed distal end of the inner guide for finding and cannulating the coronary sinus; distally advancing the outer guide over the inner guide to seat the outer guide in the coronary sinus; proximally retracting the inner guide to remove the inner guide from the catheter; and advancing a payload through the proximal end of the outer guide such that the payload is delivered into the coronary sinus.