Steerable guide wire and catheter with shape change in-situ

An apparatus, comprising:

• a guide wire having a hollow interior and an anchoring section forming a part of the guide wire and being disposed between a proximate end of the guide wire and to a guide wire tip located at a distal end of the guide wire, wherein the hollow interior extends through the anchoring section;
• a core wire configured to be slidably inserted into the hollow interior of the guide wire, the core wire having a core wire distal end positioned proximate to the distal end of the guide wire;
• the guide wire includes an expanded state and a contracted state, wherein
• in the expanded state, the core wire, upon insertion into the hollow interior of the guide wire, actuates the anchoring section of the guide wire to assume a multi-dimensional configuration and anchor the guide wire at or proximate to a target location in a body or proximate to the target location, wherein the anchoring section, upon assuming the multi-dimensional configuration, conforms to a shape at or proximate to the target location, and
• in the contracted state, the guide wire is configured for at least one of insertion to and removal from the target location in the body or proximate to the target location;
• and
• a sheathing device configured to sheath the guide wire for delivery of the guide wire to or proximate to the target location in the contracted state, wherein in the contracted state, the guide wire is configured to be held within the sheathing device;
• wherein, upon removal of the sheathing device, at least one of:
• a form fit and a friction fit is created between the anchoring section of the guide wire in the multi-dimensional configuration and at least one surface at or proximate to the target location.