US 5,517,989 A · Guidewire assembly

Abstract

A method of diagnosing and treating the human or animal body comprises feeding a flexible guide wire, dimensioned to be inserted into human coronary arteries, along a blood vessel in the human or animal body and epicardially mapping the electrocardiographic signals by means of electrodes secured to the guide wire. The method of diagnosing and treating the human or animal body may include the step of ablating selected body tissue by establishing a DC or radio frequency current through the body tissue between a pair of electrodes in which at least one of the electrodes is located on the guide wire. The method may also include passing flowable material to or from selected tissue by means of a catheter passed over the guide wire. The method may optionally include sensing the velocity of blood flow in the blood vessel by means of a velocity sensor mounted on the guide wire, or the temperature of selected body tissue by means of a temperature sensor mounted on the guide wire.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A guide wire assembly including a central core having a proximal end and a distal end;

a tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end, and comprising a plurality of helical spring sections surrounding at least a portion of the core;
at least one electrode secured to the body and electrically insulated from the body, at least one of the at least one electrode being secured between two of the helical spring sections, and an electrical conductor connected to each electrode and extending within the tubular body.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Guidewire assembly

Life of this patent

Guidewire assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23