Patent ID: 7597661

Claim:
A medical instrument comprising a medical catheter, wherein the medical catheter includes: a) a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being insertable within a body lumen of a patient having muscular lumen tissue surrounding the body lumen; b) a centerline which defines a longitudinal axis when the medical catheter is in an unflexed state; c) a circumferentially-protruding first pod having a first exterior surface with a first proximally-tapering surface portion which includes an energizable first electrode pair of circumferentially-spaced-apart electrodes and which has a shape adapted to advance the first pod within the body lumen upon contraction of muscular lumen tissue contacting an energized first electrode pair; and d) a circumferentially-protruding second pod having a second exterior surface with a second proximally-tapering surface portion which includes an energizable second pair of circumferentially-spaced-apart electrodes and which has a shape adapted to advance the second pod within the body lumen upon contraction of muscular lumen tissue contacting an energized second electrode pair, wherein the second pod is proximally longitudinally spaced apart from the first pod.