Table 1.

Properties of the Corsair microcatheter.^a

Construction	Physical property conferred	Practical advantage
Low-profile, tapered (0.87–0.42 mm), soft, flexible (no steel wire braid) tip	Ability to smoothly enter narrow tortuous collateral channels	Eliminates need for dilatation of the collateral channel; makes use of epicardial channels safer
Unique spiral steel wire-braided, progressiveb polyamide elastomer-coated ≤2.8F (0.87–0.93 mm) shaft	Bidirectional torque transmission to the distal end, kink resistance and longitudinal strength of shaft	Superior pushability, trackability and back-up support; kink resistance allows easy movement of guidewires and contrast injection from the tip
Distal 60 cm of the 150 cm catheter has hydrophilic polymer coating	Reduces friction and enhances maneuverability and tracking	Superior ability to traverse collaterals, cross the CTO, and enter the CTO artery guiding catheter
Inner lumen of the shaft is lined with a fluoropolymer (PTFE) layer	Free movement of 0.014 inch guidewires within the catheter	Permits easy exchange of guidewires and full transmission of torque to the tip of the guidewire
Platinum marker and tungsten powder at the tip; tungsten wire braid in shaft	Enhanced fluoroscopic visibility of the catheter tip and shaft	Helps detect torque accumulation and catheter tip entrapment within the CTO; improves safety

CTO, chronic total occlusion; PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene.

^aInformation sourced from Refs. ^6,7 in the manuscript.

^bThickness and grade of polyamide elastomer coating progressively increases towards the proximal end of the catheter.