P2portal

Catheter

Late Latin, from Greek:
KATHETER, came from KATHIENAI
kathe- to send down: kat-, kata- , cata- + hienai - to send.
A catheter is a thin plastic tube that can be inserted into a blood vessel(artery) through a small incision in the skin to deliver diagnosis and treatments inside that blood vessel.
For angiography, x-ray dye(contrast material) flows through the catheter into the arteries so the images of any blockages in the artery are captured using a small dose of X-ray.
During angioplasty, a balloon or another device is mounted on the catheters tip and guided to the narrowed section of the artery over a guidewire. (to reopen the artery for blood flow)

Guiding catheters are more stiff & firm than diagnostic catheters because guiding catheters are supposed to carry Balloon catheters, PTCA wires and stent delivery system.
Good Tractability and Pushability

Materials:

For the construction of catheter, a range of polymers including
- silicone rubber latex
- thermoplastic elastomers
Because of:
- inert and unreactive to body fluids and a range of medical fluids
  - Silicone is one of the most common choices
Catheter (materials):
- Polyvinylchloride (PVC)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Fluoropolomers (PTFE) (TEFLON)
- Polyurethane (PUR)
- Silicone (SI)

Historically, 8F guides were necessary to deliver devices because of their larger internal lumens.
Current 6-7F catheters have internal lumens just as large as the previous generation 8F catheters.

Catheter Selection: Select a catheter that points in the general direction you wish to travel.

Tip Length
Primary Curve
Secondary Curve
Tertiary Curve
Catheter Length: Shorter length catheters (50 cm), Mid length catheters (65 cm), Longer length catheters (100-125 cm)