Guidewire Loading Tool For A Catheter
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorJoshua Schmitt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A removable guidewire funnel tool aids in backloading a catheter onto a guidewire. The guidewire funnel tool includes a pliable loading coupler having a lumen therethrough. The lumen has a tapered distal section that serves to receive a guidewire and a tapered proximal section that receives and couples with a correspondingly tapered distal tip of the catheter. The guidewire funnel tool has a longitudinal slot or area of weakness along the entire length of the loading coupler and a grip tab to enable easy removal of the guidewire funnel tool after the guidewire lumen of the catheter is loading with the guidewire.
Claims18
An apparatus to aid in inserting a guidewire into a guidewire lumen of a catheter, the apparatus comprising:
- a pliable loading coupler having a catheter insertion end, a guidewire insertion end, and a continuous lumen extending therebetween,
- wherein in a distal section of the loading coupler a diameter of the lumen tapers from the guidewire insertion end in a proximal direction to receive and direct a proximal end of the guidewire into the apparatus,
- wherein in a proximal section of the loading coupler the diameter of the lumen tapers from the catheter insertion end of the loading coupler in a distal direction to receive and couple with a correspondingly tapered distal tip of the catheter, and
- wherein in a middle section of the pliable loading coupler the diameter of the lumen is constant and wherein the straight middle section of the lumen connects the tapered distal and proximal sections of the lumen to straighten and stabilize the guidewire received from the distal section of the lumen prior to entry of the guidewire into the guidewire lumen of the catheter being held in the proximal section of the lumen;
- a longitudinally-extending area of weakness formed along a length of the pliable loading coupler;
- and
- a tab radially extending from the pliable loading coupler, wherein the tab is adapted to be gripped by a user in order to remove the pliable loading coupler from the catheter via the area of weakness.
A system to aid in backloading a catheter onto a guidewire, the system comprising:
- a catheter having a guidewire lumen extending therethrough;
- and
- a guidewire funnel tool removably placed over a tapered distal tip of the catheter, wherein the guidewire funnel tool includes
- a pliable loading coupler having a continuous lumen extending therethrough from a guidewire insertion end to a catheter insertion end of the loading coupler,
- an area of weakness formed along a length of the loading coupler, and
- a tab radially extending from the pliable loading coupler,
- wherein the tab is adapted to be gripped by a user in order to remove the pliable loading coupler from the catheter via the area of weakness, and
- wherein in a distal section of the loading coupler a diameter of the loading coupler lumen tapers from the guidewire insertion end of the loading coupler in a proximal direction to receive and direct a proximal end of the guidewire into the lumen of the funnel tool,
- wherein in a proximal section of the loading coupler the diameter of the loading coupler lumen tapers from the catheter insertion end of the loading coupler in a distal direction to receive and couple with a correspondingly tapered distal tip of the catheter, and
- wherein along a middle section of the pliable loading coupler the diameter of the loading coupler lumen is constant and wherein the straight middle section of the lumen connects the tapered distal and proximal sections of the lumen to straighten the guidewire received from the distal section of the lumen and to direct the guidewire into the guidewire lumen of the catheter coupled within the proximal section of the lumen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.