Tortuosity of vessels at or leading to the site of minimally invasive procedures is a problem for conducting such procedures as they increase the difficulty to guide the procedural catheters through tortuous vessels. Methods and apparatus for stabilization of the sheaths and catheters during access, procedures, and withdrawal in these tortuous vessels are disclosed. The apparatus and method for improving access include application of a pull component to the stabilized procedural catheter using a stabilization catheter/wire in addition to a push component from the percutaneous access to make the access easier while enabling use of more flexible catheters and softer wires. These methods and devices address the problems of trauma to the vessels during access, procedure and removal of catheters and wires, improve pushability of softer catheters and wires, and also substantially reduce substantially the procedure time.
