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Infusion/perfusion catheters designed for local delivery of drugs (e.g., heparin) to the coronary vasculature while allowing simultaneous distal perfusion. These catheters typically consist of a triple-lumen shaft, including a nondilatational helical inflation coil at their distal end, wrapped around a short (typically 2 cm) tubular sheath. One lumen serves as an inflation port for the coils. When inflated, the coils expand against the vessel wall, opening the inner tubular sheath, and thus creating a passage for blood flow. The coils form a series of closed compartments that are isolated from the circulation and bordered by the vessel wall, the coils, and the tubular sheath. A drug solution is infused into these compartments through a second lumen and bathes the vessel wall. A third lumen serves as a passage for a guide wire. These catheters are typically used for extended (e.g., 30 minutes) local drug delivery (e.g., heparin) into the coronary vasculature after balloon angioplasty with potential beneficial impact on both platelet deposition and smooth muscle cell proliferation; they are also used in the lysis of thrombus.
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