Patent ID: 7004937

Claim:
A device for steering a cardiac cryoablation catheter through the vasculature and heart of a patient which comprises: a resilient, cylindrical-shaped articulation segment defining a longitudinal axis, said articulation segment having a distal end and a proximal end and forming a lumen therebetween; a tip member affixed to the distal end of said articulation segment; a flexible spine fixedly attached to said articulation segment to extend between the proximal and distal ends thereof, and oriented on said articulation segment off-set from the axis thereof and substantially parallel thereto; a control wire having a first end attached to said tip member, wherein the first end of said control wire is attached to said tip member at an attachment point between the axis of the articulation segment and a location opposite to said spine, said control wire being positioned in the lumen of said articulation segment to extend a second end of said control wire from the proximal end of said articulation segment; and a means engaged with the second end of said control wire for axially moving said control wire to selectively deflect said tip member, said articulation segment and said spine through an arc in a plane to steer the catheter.