Occluding wire assembly

Abstract

A catheter assembly for introducing material into the vascular system has an elongated catheter body forming a lumen with a hole at its distal end thereof, a catheter hub positioned at the proximal end of the catheter body and an occluding wire hub detachably connected with the catheter hub. The occluding wire hub has a cavity and an opening therethrough for communication with the lumen in order to provide for the introduction of infusion fluid into the lumen. An occluding wire, having a proximal end and a distal end, is positioned so that it extends from the occluding wire hub through the catheter hub and the lumen. The distal end of the occluding wire has an occluding region adapted to engage the distal end hole. The proximal end of the occluding wire terminates within the occluding wire hub and has an anchor positioned within the hub cavity to prevent removal of the wire from the occluding wire hub when the occluding wire hub is disconnected and removed from the catheter body. The anchor, which is contained within the hub cavity, is movable between a proximal position and a distal position within the cavity. A compression spring has a distal end fixed to the occluding wire and a proximal end positioned within said occluding wire hub to thereby urge the wire in the distal direction into an occluding position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.