Devices for assisting with advancement of catheters and related systems and methods

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a catheter advancement device having an elongate shaft and a capsule attached to or integral with the shaft, and related methods for assisting with advancement of catheters such as cardiovascular guiding catheters while reducing damage to the inner wall of the blood vessel. Some capsules have a distal plug portion and a neck portion having a smaller diameter than the plug. Other capsules have a channel defined along the outer surface of the capsule. Some elongate shafts have an attachment tube disposed at or near the proximal end thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A catheter advancement assistance device, the device comprising:
 (a) an elongate shaft;   (b) a capsule fixedly attached to a distal end of the elongate shaft, the capsule comprising:
 (i) a guidewire lumen defined through the capsule; 
 (ii) an outer diameter substantially similar to an inner diameter of a catheter such that the capsule is sized to be positionable through the catheter; and 
   (c) an attachment tube associated with a proximal portion of the elongate shaft.