Expandable flowrate catheter assembly and method of making same

Claim 1

A catheter assembly for percutaneously delivering diagnostic fluid to a site in the interior of a patient blood vessel comprising: a) an elongated tube having a center passageway that can be routed into and through a vascular system of a patient, said elongated tube including a tube proximal end and a tube distal end; b) a flexible sleeve supported by the elongated tube near the tube distal end and defining a space between the interior surface of the sleeve and an exterior surface of said elongated tube, wherein said sleeve comprises a proximal end that is sealed around an exterior circumference of said elongated tube, and wherein said sleeve extends along a length of said elongated tube from said proximal end to a sleeve distal end, and wherein said sleeve distal end defines a generally annular diagnostic fluid delivery opening about an outer surface of said elongated tube through which fluid flows out of said sleeve into the blood vessel; and c) said tube defining one or more tube openings that extend through a wall of said tube so that the passageway of the elongated tube is in fluid communication with the interior of the sleeve for delivering diagnostic fluid through the one or more tube openings to cause the diagnostic fluid to flow away from the proximal end of the sleeve into the blood vessel through the generally annular fluid delivery opening of said sleeve.