A 3-mum laser-generation delivery instrument that uses chalcogenide fibers with a unique damage threshold and conical radiation input has been developed for medical applications. A new purification and synthesis scheme has been elaborated that yields fibers with a heterophase inclusion content of less than 10(4) cm(-3). In such fibers the damage threshold is 350 J/cm(2) at an average power density of 0.5 kW/cm(2) in a YAG:Er laser operating in the repetitive pulse free-running regime with a pulse duration of 350 ms. 1-3 x 10(4) laser pulses were transmitted at a repetition rate of 3 Hz and an average output power of 1 W under the condition of a 15% decrease in the output power.