Patent ID: 7101361

Claim:
A steerable elongated medical device adapted to be advanced through a tortuous pathway to a desired location in a body, comprising: an outer tube extending between an outer tube proximal segment and an outer tube distal segment, having an outer tube wall forming an outer tube lumen and an elongated outer tube slot through the outer tube wall to the outer tube lumen, the elongated outer tube slot having a first portion and a second portion and formed between an outer tube slot proximal end and an outer tube slot distal end and extending axially along the outer tube distal segment through an outer tube slot length to define a cutaway portion of the outer tube; a reinforcing sleeve positioned within the outer tube lumen and extending between a reinforcing sleeve proximal end and a reinforcing sleeve distal end, wherein the reinforcing sleeve forms a reinforcing sleeve slot portion aligned with and extending along the first portion of the outer tube slot and includes a reinforcing sleeve overlap portion extending over the second portion of the outer tube slot.