Patent ID: 7632262

Claim:
Apparatus for depositing a bioactive agent into a tissue mass of a hollow organ, the apparatus comprising: a catheter having a proximal end and a distal region and a lumen extending therebetween; an elongated member disposed within the lumen of the catheter, the elongated member having a proximal end, a tissue-piercing distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween; and an actuator operatively coupled to the elongated member, wherein during a first range of motion the actuator extends the tissue-piercing distal end of the elongated member into the tissue mass to form a needle track, and wherein during a second range of motion the actuator retracts the tissue-piercing distal end of the elongated member from the tissue mass while atraumatically delivering the bioactive agent into the needle track via the lumen of the elongated member.