Hybrid catheter guide wire apparatus and method
AssigneePrecision Vascular Systems, Inc.
InventorsStephen C. Jacobsen, Clark Davis, John Lippert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid catheter guide wire includes an elongate solid body having a tapered distal end over which is disposed a tubular section—about which a catheter may be threaded for guidance to a target location in a vasculature passageway of a body. Cuts are formed either by saw-cutting, laser cutting or etching at spaced-apart locations along at least a portion of the tubular section to increase its lateral flexibility, while maintaining its rotational torquability, and to control the direction and degree of flexure.
Claims36
A hybrid catheter guide wire for introduction into a vessel pathway to guide a catheter to a predetermined location, comprising a thin elongate solid body of material including a thinner distal termination section, and a thin elongate tubular body of material having a proximal end and a distal end, and attached co-linearly at its proximal and distal ends to the solid body to circumscribe at least a portion of the distal termination section of the solid body, at least some portion of the tubular body having greater lateral flexibility than the solid body.
A hybrid guidewire configured for traversing a body lumen to a target location in a body of a patient, comprising:
- an elongate core wire having a distal section of reduced profile;
- and,
- a tubular member disposed over at least a portion of the distal reduced profile section, said tubular member defining openings therein, and the tubular member being configured to be laterally relatively more flexible and torsionally relatively more stiff than at least a portion of the reduced profile distal section of the core wire, whereby a distal portion of the guidewire is configured,at a location where the guidewire includes the tubular member to enable transfer of a moment force from an adjacent proximal location along the guidewire toward a more distal location along the guidewire, and at the same time to minimize resistance to a lateral force tending to bend the guidewire distal portion,
- said tubular member being attached to the elongate core wire adjacent a proximal end of the tubular member and adjacent a distal end of the tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.