Patent ID: 7678081

Claim:
A transseptal access system, comprising: an elongate guiding catheter having a proximal end, a distal end and an inner lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end thereof; an access catheter which is configured to advance through the guiding catheter and which has an elongate catheter body section with an actuation lumen, a proximal end, a distal end and a distal section including a housing having a translation chamber in communication with the actuation lumen and bounded at least partially by an inner bore, a body section guidewire lumen separate from the actuation lumen and extending from the proximal end of the elongate catheter body section and disposed along the elongate catheter body section, and a hollow tissue penetration member having a sharpened tissue penetrating tip, a piston slidably sealed against the inner bore of the translation chamber of the housing and an outside surface of a distal section of a tubular element of the body section guidewire lumen and a guidewire lumen in fluid communication and aligned with the body section guidewire lumen to allow a guidewire to be advanced from the body section guidewire lumen into the tissue penetration member guidewire lumen, the tissue penetration member being disposed at the distal section of the elongate catheter body section and axially displaceable in a distal direction with respect to the distal section of the elongate catheter body section and distal section of the tubular element from a retracted state with the sharpened distal tip disposed within the distal section of the catheter body section to a distally extended state with the sharpened distal tip extending distally beyond a distal end of the catheter body section; and a tissue penetration actuator which includes a pressurized fluid actuator having a syringe actuated by a compressed spring, which is in fluid communication with the actuation lumen and which is configured to impinge fluid on the piston to impart high velocity translation in a distal direction on the tissue penetration member relative to the distal section of the elongate catheter body section.