Patent ID: 7117039

Claim:
A method of inserting a payload into a coronary sinus of a patient's heart, comprising: providing a guide catheter 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; and 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; inserting a distal end of the guide catheter into the patient's right atrium via an access vessel; axially rotating and longitudinally translating the inner guide relative to the outer guide to direct a distal end of the inner guide for locating and cannulating the patient's coronary sinus; inserting the payload through the proximal end of the inner guide to insert the payload into the patient's coronary sinus; removing the outer guide by separating the guide handle into at least two sections to split the outer guide along the longitudinal pre-stress line; and further splitting the outer guide along the longitudinal pre-stress line by retracting the outer guide in a proximal direction relative to the inner guide, the inner guide securing the payload against dislodgment during outer guide retraction.