The variable stiffness heating catheter includes a heating catheter shaft including
at least one electrically conductive member, a reinforcing tube with apertures
formed around the surface of the reinforcing tube, and at least one coaxial outer
layer of a polymer, metal, or both for providing desired variations in stiffness
along at least a portion of the length of the shaft. The apertures can be formed
as axial or helical slits in the surface of the reinforcing tube, and the reinforcing
tube can also be formed to be tapered at the point where the apertures are formed
in the reinforcing tube to provide a heating catheter that is torqueable and pushable
at the proximal end, yet soft and flexible at the distal end.
