Patent ID: 7697996

Claim:
A guide catheter having proximal and distal ends, comprising: an outer guide having an open lumen and two opposing longitudinal pre-stress lines extending between a distal end and a proximal end of the outer guide, at least the distal end of the outer guide dimensioned for passage into a patient's coronary sinus, the outer guide having a longitudinal stiffness that facilitates transmission of forces and prevention of kinking during steering of the outer guide within cardiac vasculature and structures; an inner guide having an open lumen, the inner guide movably displaceable within the open lumen of the outer guide such that the inner guide can rotate axially and translate longitudinally relative to the outer guide, at least a distal end of the inner guide dimensioned for passage into the patient's coronary sinus, the inner guide having a longitudinal stiffness that facilitates maintaining of inner guide position when the outer guide is retracted in a proximal direction relative to the inner guide, the inner guide more compliant relative to the outer guide; and a guide handle having two opposing handle members, a channel defined within the guide handle between the two handle members, and a distal end connected to the proximal end of the outer guide, the guide handle comprising two opposing seams along which the guide handle is separable into two sections, each of the two sections including a respective one of the two handle members, the two opposing seams of the guide handle aligned longitudinally with the two opposing longitudinal pre-stress lines of the outer guide, the two handle members extending proximal of the proximal end of the outer guide and positioned such that relative movement of the two handle members that separates the guide handle along the two seams concentrates leverage assisted force at the proximal end of the outer guide to split the outer guide along the two opposing longitudinal pre-stress lines, the channel dimensioned to allow passage of the distal end of the inner guide through the channel and into the open lumen of the outer guide such that the inner guide is movably displaceable and axially rotatable within, and relative to, the guide handle.