Patent ID: 7556625

Claim:
A guide catheter for cannulating the coronary sinus from a superior vena cava, the guide catheter comprising: a flexible elongate shaft having a proximal portion and a pre-formed distal portion extending distally from the proximal portion and terminating in a distal tip, the pre-formed distal portion of the shaft having a size and shape selected such that the distal portion of the shaft is supported on a wall of the superior vena cava when locating an ostium of the coronary sinus with the distal tip, the size and shape of the pre-formed distal portion of the shaft further being defined by: a proximal first arc in the distal portion having a first arc radius of from about 3.0 to about 4.0 inches; a second arc distally adjacent the first arc and having a second arc radius of from about 1.2 to about 1.8 inches; a third arc distally adjacent the second arc and having a third arc radius of from about 2.2 to about 3.7 inches; a fourth arc distally adjacent the third arc and having a fourth arc radius of from about 1.0 to about 1.5 inches; and a generally straight terminal portion distally adjacent the fourth arc and having a length of from about 0.3 to about 1.9 inches, the terminal portion including the distal tip.