Temporary intraluminal filter guidewire

A temporary filter guidewire comprising:

• an elongate flexible guidewire having a proximal end and a guidewire distal region;
• a generally tubular, self-expanding filter mounted coaxially about the guidewire, the filter having distal and proximal ends slidingly disposed about the guidewire distal region;
• a stop element fixed to the guidewire between the filter distal and proximal ends, the stop element obstructing movement of the filter distal and proximal ends along the guidewire;
• a tubular actuator fixed to the proximal end of the filter, the actuator forming an annular space around the guidewire and being slidably disposed there along;
• and
• an elongate hollow rod slidably and removably disposed about the guidewire and having a rod distal end releasably engageable with the tubular actuator, the hollow rod being operable, when the rod distal end is so engaged and in response to applying a first degree of proximally directed force to the hollow rod, to withdraw the filter along the guidewire until the filter distal end contacts the stop element and to further withdraw the filter proximal end to separate the filter distal and proximal ends, thus transforming the filter from a deployed configuration to a collapsed configuration wherein the hollow rod is operable to engage the rod distal end with the tubular actuator by compression of the tubular actuator between the rod distal end and the stop element so that wherein compression of the tubular actuator between the rod distal end and the stop element causes frictional engagement between the rod distal end and a tapered proximal end of the tubular actuator.